What's in a name? If you're a WTO faction, the answer usually involves the letter 'G'. Witness the G7, G10, G20, G33 and G90. But a new group of 11 countries that formed an alliance yesterday, to address issues of 'non-agricultural market access', aims to stand out from the crowd.
'There were too many Gs so we're calling ourselves the NAMA 11,' said Rob Davies, deputy trade minister for South Africa.
While rich countries are typically the most aggressive advocates in tariff negotiations involving manufactured goods, the NAMA 11 is a group of developing countries that seeks to take some collective ownership of the issue. Members are Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa, Tunisia, Namibia and Venezuela.
'We believe Doha was a development round,' said Mr Davies. 'We are concerned about the reality of very modest agricultural offers coupled with high levels of ambition against developing countries on NAMA.'
The NAMA stakes are much higher. Global merchandise exports last year reached nearly US$9 trillion last year. Agricultural products, which are the economic lifeblood of many poor and developing countries, accounted for less than 9 per cent of that figure. The remaining industrial and manufactured goods all fall under NAMA, and are most significant to wealthy countries.
While talks this week have largely gridlocked on agriculture, the US and EU have seen growing support for a tariff-cutting formula that targets industrial goods. Developing countries are pushing for special treatment to be built into that formula that would impose a more modest standard for cuts in their tariff regimes.