ISLAMABAD, Jan 14: WTO Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi has urged 148-member countries of the multilateral trading regime to mull trade policies for helping tsunami sufferers.

Mr Supachai in a letter called upon all the member countries to consider whether they could introduce any trade policies now to help the worst-affected economies to recover.

"Swiftly concluding current Doha Agenda negotiations and perhaps other actions such as better market access and restraint in using trade remedies are needed to help the countries trying to recover from the tsunami."

The letter says: "As an important actor in the international economic cooperation, the WTO shares part of the responsibility to assist recovery from this disaster. The question we must address is how best the organization can contribute given its mandate and sphere of competence."

"Although we are not involved in humanitarian assistance or disaster relief, clearly we can make a major contribution to the economies of the affected countries (and others) by pressing on with and concluding the Doha Development Agenda as soon as possible."

This would seem to be particularly relevant in the field of market access, including trade in some services sectors and certain modes of supply.

Additionally, a successful round will help generate resources that can be used to reduce poverty, which will in turn improve the capacities of countries to prevent disasters (whether tsunamis or other natural phenomena), to cope with their effects and recover as quickly as possible, the letter adds.

"With the best will in the world, the benefits of successful completion of the DDA will only be felt in the medium-term. That does not undermine the case for concluding it as soon as humanly possible. Quite the opposite, but it also leads me to ask whether there is any action which can be taken more immediately," Mr Supachai concluded.