WTO总干事拉米在斯亚贝巴大学的演讲

爱思英语编者按：帕斯卡尔·拉米（Pascal Lamy）先生于2005年9月正式就任世界贸易组织（WTO）总干事一职。在此之前，拉米先生短期担任“Notre Europe“的主席，这是一个关于欧洲一体化的智囊团。他还担任了巴黎政治学院副教授，以及欧洲社会党主席波尔·尼鲁普·拉斯穆森的顾问。

世贸组织总干事拉米

在埃及亚的斯亚贝巴大学的演讲

Speech at the University of Addis Ababa

WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy

11 May 2012

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased to be here with you today at this prestigious University of Addis Ababa. What better venue to discuss competitiveness in Africa — the topic of my lecture today — than a university, a place full of competitive and creative spirit of thousands of students. The presentation of the WEF's African Competitiveness Report a few days ago here in Addis is an ideal platform to reflect further on the linkages between trade, growth and competitiveness, and to discuss how countries can take advantage of the Multilateral Trading System, and especially the WTO accession process, to enhance competitiveness.

Hence, my remarks today will cover:

first, the benefits of WTO membership in economic policy making;

second, the perspectives on competitiveness in Africa; and,

finally, WTO accession as a tool to enhance competitiveness through domestic reforms.

WTO Membership

The role that trade can play as an engine for growth and development has long been recognized. By creating a competitive business environment, trade opening fosters the efficient allocation of economic resources, enhances output and productivity, and, increases overall welfare gains. The lessons of history are clear:  when severe impediments to trade — both international and domestic — exist, economic growth is hampered.  Thus, it is the more open, export-oriented economies that have generally succeeded in their development efforts, although this is not a formula. Trade policy is not a stand-alone policy and requires complementary policies.

Governments pursue WTO membership for a variety of reasons:

First, at a “macro” level, WTO membership lends added credibility to government policies and sends clear signals to investors about a country's commitment to an open economy. The implementation of WTO rules is, in this sense, synonymous with the acceptance of a set of internationally-recognized best practices. In turn, this encourages the inflow of foreign investment and technological know-how.

Second, at the “micro” level, domestic businesses stand to benefit a great deal from the establishment of a transparent and predictable trade environment, which results from the conclusion of every WTO accession process. In fact, at its core, the framework of WTO rules is aimed at improving the business environment for foreign and domestic private sector operators. For instance, for Ethiopia and many other African countries, the principal benefits of WTO membership stem, inter alia, from the adoption and application of WTO trade rules. Furthermore, also in the case of Ethiopia, export-oriented operators are likely to benefit directly from guaranteed and enhanced access to the markets of all WTO Members on an MFN basis, without the uncertainty of preferences.