São Paulo, June 15, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - If developing countries don't make an effort to invest in research and development, they will never overcome the barrier that separates them from the wealthier nations. The Brazilian Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, made this affirmation in a speech at one of the panels held yesterday (14) during the 11th meeting of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XI). Also participating in the panel were Ambassador Rubens Ricupero, Secretary-General of the UNCTAD, and the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Supachai Panitchpakdi.

The Minister emphasized that the UNCTAD provides an opportunity to discuss partnerships. In this sense, he added, alliances are formed so that "the Doha Round adheres to its agricultural mandate and produces the elimination of agricultural subsidies and the substantial reduction of domestic props which serve to aggravate hunger and poverty in large parts of the world."

In the Minister's view, "meetings like that of the UNCTAD clearly cannot substitute the effective and responsible actions that are the province of sovereign governments." Nevertheless, he observed that it is their role to enlighten and stimulate the critical debate that leads to development.

"In recent years we have witnessed a gap between the speeches and arguments in defense of government policies by those who preach trade liberalization and at the same time resort to protectionism, espouse the free flow of capital but restrict its movement, back foreign investment guarantees and limit agricultural trade, advocate respect for intellectual property and relegate the protection of traditional knowledge to an inferior plane."

The Minister thinks that the return of "consistency to the center of international debate will be a valuable contribution by this meeting of the UNCTAD."

Reporter: Marli Moreira
Translator: David Silberstein