Global Services Network Alert
June 25, 2004

Global Services Organizations Issue Open Letter to WTO Director-General
GSN Members encouraged to sign on to the letter

Several major global services associations issued an open letter on June 25 to WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi, which emphasizes the importance of the services sector and the urgent need for an acceptable negotiating framework to be adopted at the WTO General Council meetings in late July. The service industry groups have noted that services negotiations continue to be hostage to agriculture, though the service sector dwarfs the agriculture sector in volumes of global trade, worldwide GDP, and employment. The letter notes that decisions made in the next several weeks are crucial to the future of the multilateral trading system. Signatories to the letter are the service industry associations of Australia, Canada, Chile, the EU, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, and the US. Click here for the letter.

Global Services Network members are encouraged to sign on to this letter as well. The purpose is to demonstrate that the world's services community strongly supports progress in the Doha Round. GSN members are the leaders in the global community of business people, government officials, academics, and others who are committed to increased trade and investment in services, and by signing on to the letter, either in your professional or personal capacity, you will add strength and weight to the letter's message. If you wish to sign on to this letter, please send an email to info@globalservicesnetwork.com.