Overview
- Lesson Title: Negotiations of the World Trade Organization-This is a report on the World Trade organization.
- Language: Hausa
- Topic: Economics/Politics
- ILR Level: 1+/2
- ACTFL Proficiency: Advanced-Mid, Advanced-Low, Intermediate-High; This ACTFL rating is an approximation based on the ILR level
- Modality: Reading
- Learning Objective: Maintenance & Improvement
- Subject Area: Language
- Material Type: LO
- Publication Year: 2008
- ObjectID: HAUS_12787
Transcript
| Original | Translation |
|---|---|
|
Kiki-kaka a kungiyar cinikaya ta duniya WTO Taƙƙaddama a Ƙungiyar cinikaya ta duniya tsakanin ƙasashe masu tasowa da ƙarfin tattalin arziki. A wannan karo shirin zai duba halin da ake ciki a tattanawa tsakanin ƙasashe membobin Ƙungiyar cinikiya ta Duniya, wato WTO kokuma OMC, a game da batun daidaita sahun saye da sayarwa tsaknain ƙasashe duniya. Hukumar kula da cinikiya tsakanin Ƙasashen duniya wato WTO kokuma OMC ta gabatar da wasu sabin shawarwari, wanda take kyautata zaton za su samar da mafita a ƙiƙiƙaƙar da ake fuskanta a tattanawar da ake yi ta fannin shinfiɗa adalci a shigi da ficin hajoji tsakanin ƙasashe dabam dabam na duniya. Tun shekara ta 2001 aka fara wannan tattanawa da aka raɗawa suna tattanawar Doha. Ƙasashe masu tasowa sun yi korafi agame da yadda takwarorin u masu ƙarfin tattalin arziki ke ci da guminsu wajen hada-hadar kasuwa. To saidai bayan shekaru bakwai na mahaurori, har yanzu an kasa cimma gacci a dalili da saɓanin ra´ayoyin da ake samu tsakanin ƙasashe masu ƙarfin tattalin arziki da masu tasowa. Don taimakawa WTO ta shawo kan wannan rikici, a ƙasashe da dama na duniya ´yan Majalisun dokoki an girka komitoci , wanda ke bin sau da ƙafa yadda tattanawar ke wakana. Daga sabin shawarwari da WTO ta gabatar akwai matakin da ya tanadi ragewa da kashi 54 cikin100, na yawan kuɗaɗen da ƙasashe masu ƙarfin tattalin arziki ke karɓa na Custum, a duk lokacin da hajojin ƙasashe masu tasowa suka ƙetara iyakokinsu. Ƙungiyar ƙasashe masu tasowa ta G20,bisa jagorancin ƙasar Brazil ta yi lale marhabin da wannan mataki to saidai a nata ɓangare,Ƙungiyar EU ta hau kujera naƙi, a game da haka,ministocin albarkatun noma na ƙasashe 20 daga jerin ƙasashen 27 membobin ƙungiyar Tarayya Turai suka shirya zaman taro, inda suka fido sanarwar bai ɗaya wace ke ƙalubalantar wannan doka. Wani babban batu dake hana ruwa gudu a cikin tattawar ta Doha, shine tallafi fiye da ƙima da ƙasashe masu hannu da shuni mussamman Amurika, ke baiwa monomansu na auduga, matakin da ya karya darajar auduga a kasuwanin dunia.Hukumar WTO ta yanke hukunci a game da wannan tallafi da Amurika ke baiwa manoma kaɗa inda ta ce ya saɓawa dokokin ƙasa da ƙasa na cinikaya, to saidai Amurika a makon da ya wuce, Amurika ta ɗaukaka ƙara. Ƙasar Brazil ce ta kai ƙaran Amurika, bayan biciken da tayi, ya gano cewar a shekara ta 2005 alal misali, gwamnatin Amurika ta baiwa manoman auduga taimako na dalla miliyan dubu 12, wato kwatankwancin kashi 90 cikin 100 na kuɗaɗen da suke sakawa wajen noma audugar. A cewar Al haji Mamuda Aliyu gwamnan Jihar Zamfara dake Taraya Nigeria, babu wani zaɓi ga gwamantoci da manoman Afirka illa kawai su bada haɗin kai, ta fannin gama ƙarfi da manoman auduga na Turai, Amurika da China, domin cin moriyar audugar da su ke nomawa. Duk da ƙiƙiƙaƙar dake ci gaba da dabaibaiye tattanawa tsakanin ɓangarorin da abunya shafa, shugaban hukumar Ƙungiyar Cinikya ta Duniya Pascal Lamy, ya ce akwai kyaukyawan alamu na cimma bakin zaren warware wannan taƙƙadama nan da watan Aprul mai zuwa, to saidai masana harakokin tattalin arziki dake bi sau da ƙafa yadda al´amuran ke gudana, sun nunar da cewa abun na da kamar wuya wai gurguwa da auren nesa. |
Impasse at the World Trade Organization Disagreement between developing and industrialized nations at the World Trade Organization. On this occasion, the program will look into the nature of negotiations between member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO or OMC [the organization’s French acronym]) on the issue of reconciling trade conditions among the world’s nations. The World Trade Organization has presented some new proposals that it hopes will provide a way out of the impasse on the issue of establishing fairness in the exchange of goods between countries. These negotiations, which began in 2001, are known as the Doha Declaration. Developing countries are complaining that industrialized nations are taking advantage of them during trade negotiations. But despite seven years of discussions, they have still failed to reach a solution because of the conflicting positions of developing and developed countries. In order to help the WTO overcome this crisis, many of the world’s legislatures have formed committees to monitor the negotiations closely. Among the new proposals that the WTO has introduced is a provision that offers a reduction of 54 percent in the duties that economically advanced countries receive whenever the goods of developing countries cross their borders. Under the leadership of Brazil, the G20 organization of developing nations has welcomed this resolution, but the EU has objected, leading to a decision by agriculture ministers from 20 of the European Union’s 27 member nations to challenge its implementation. A major issue of disagreement in the Doha negotiations is the excessive assistance that industrialized nations, and especially the U.S., provide to their cotton farmers, a decision that has depressed the value of cotton in global markets. The WTO has ruled that this assistance overly favors U.S. cotton producers, saying it violates international trade laws, but the U.S. filed an appeal on the decision last week. Brazil brought the complaint against the U.S. after an investigation it conducted revealed that in 2005, for example, the U.S. government provided cotton farmers with $12 billion in subsidies, representing about 90 percent of the funding made available for cotton production. According to Alhaji Mamuda Aliyu, the governor of Zamfara State in Nigeria, African governments and farmers have no option but to cooperate with European, U.S. and Chinese farmers, for the benefit of their own farmers. Despite the continuing impasse and the roadblock to negotiations between the regions involved, the chief of the World Trade Organization, Pascal Lamy, said there were very good indications that a solution to this disagreement would be reached in April, although economic experts who are closely following the issue suggest that the situation remains very delicate. |
Glossary
| Hausa term | English meaning |
|---|---|
| batun | "Talk" or "previous discussion" |
| saye da sayarwa | "Bbuying and selling" |
| ƙiƙiƙaƙar | "Row," "to unsettle," "to be at a standstill" |
| shinfiɗa adalci | "To lay/spread justice" refers to discussing a just or lawful trade process among countries. |
| raɗawa | "Whispering" |
| mahaurori | "Discussions" is derived from _mahawara_ (discussion or a chat). |
| lale marhabin | "Welcome" is used by some Hausa regions to express their delight upon receiving a person into their house, receiving good news, or to manifest their acceptance of an idea. |
| hau kujera naƙi | "Climb the seat of I refusal" |
| dake hana ruwa gudu | "That stops water from running" refers to something stopping progress. |
| cin moriya | "Eating its usefulness/exploits" refers to those who benefit from cotton production. |
| cimma bakin zaren… | "Reach the end of the string" refers to reaching the solution to a problem. |
Notes
Negotiations of the World Trade Organization
1. The World Trade Organization, often described as a powerful new global commerce agency, was established in 1995, transforming the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) into an enforceable global commerce code. It is also recognized as one of the main mechanisms of corporate globalization, and the most powerful legislative and judicial body in the world because of its enforced rules through sanctions imposed on countries and/or national governments.
Critics of the WTO claim that the Organization promotes a “free trade” agenda of multinational corporations above the interests of working families, local communities and the environment, resulting in systematically undermining democracy around the world.
In 2003 the WTO moved to Mexico, where the developed countries tried to expand its scope. A new alliance of developing countries argued that the unfair global agricultural system had to be cleaned up first. The organization also held a ministerial in 2005 in China where negotiations for industrial goods and natural resources occurred, with key issues on agriculture, services and market access discussed.
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/wto/
http://www.citizen.org/trade/wto/
CONTENT SOURCE: Yahouza, Sadissou (2008, February 26). Impasse at the World Trade Organization. Sashen Hausa Na Deutsche Welle. Bonn: Deutsche Welle. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3151346,00.html
XML
<activity>
<instr type="eng">Read each question and type your response in the box provided. Click CHECK at the bottom of the screen to view the model response.</instr>
<instr type="target" />
<bgnotes>
<bg>
<category>Vocabulary</category>
<note>1. _Tsaknain_ is spelled "_tsakani_" to mean "between."
2. _Shigi da fici_ means "in and out" or "entrance and exit." It is also used in Hausa as _shiga da fita_.
3. _Auduga_ means "cotton," and the name is used in some Hausa regions, others (mainly in Niger) use _Kaɗa
Dunia_, but spelled "_duniya_," which means (the world).
4. _Tattanawa_ is also spelled as "_tattaunawa_" to mean "chewing," "grinding," or "discussing/chatting."
5. _Aprul_, also spelled "_Aprilu_," is borrowed from the English word "April."
6. _De ke bi sau da kaha_ (that follows shadow and legs)</note>
</bg>
<bg>
<category>Background Information</category>
<note>1. The Doha free trade discussion has been ongoing since its introduction in 2001, with developing countries seeking for agricultural tariffs and subsidies in developed countries to come down in order for them to sell more of their goods. Richer nations, including the US and 27 of the European Union countries, want better conditions in emerging economies for their manufactures, banks, insurers and telecommunication companies.
Beijing joined the Organization in 2001 with a back seat in negotiations, allowing other countries like India and Brazil to assume leadership roles.
The US also made the dispensation of slicing $1.4 billion from any previous offer to limit controversial trade-distorting subsidies to farmers in America. The US was also ready to make sure that US subsidies deemed to unfairly enhance the competitiveness of American farmers were limited to $15 billion every year. This put pressure on emerging economies such as Brazil to come up with a commensurate move, and they argued against the US’s offer. The poorer countries also argued that the payments only gave the rich-world farmers an unfair competitive advantage that prevents their own development.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/23/news/WTO-Trade-Talks.php</note>
</bg>
</bgnotes>
<problemset>
<problem>
<stim>What is the purpose of this text?</stim>
<fdbk>The report discusses the new WTO proposals to ensure a fair trade policy for its members within the context of the continuous disagreement between developing and industrialized nations.</fdbk>
<hint>Consider the title of the text. Think of the occasion for the report.
Please refer to the Notes for more information about the WTO.</hint>
</problem>
<problem>
<stim>What is the purpose, the history and the current state of the "Doha Round" discussion?</stim>
<fdbk>The Doha Round discussion, which started in 2001, was introduced to benefit the member countries of the WTO. Its purpose is to ensure that both developing and developed countries are able to trade without impacting restrictions such as high custom duty/tariffs. Despite seven years of discussion, no solution has been found.</fdbk>
<hint>Consider the WTO's 2001 agenda. Refer to the Learn More Notes for more information about Doha.</hint>
</problem>
<problem>
<stim>What steps were taken by the WTO recently to establish fairness in the trade between countries?</stim>
<fdbk>The World Trade Organization has presented some new proposals, among which there is an offer of a reduction of 54% in duties that economically advanced countries receive when goods from developing countries cross their borders.</fdbk>
<hint>Reread the paragraph which contains the information about the duties of developed countries.</hint>
</problem>
<problem>
<stim>For what reason was this proposal not accepted?</stim>
<fdbk>Developing countries led by Brazil supported the idea while the developed countries did not like it. Members of the European Union held a meeting to challenge the idea.</fdbk>
<hint>Consider the reaction of G20 countries and EU opinion.</hint>
</problem>
<problem>
<stim>What is the major issue of disagreement and how does it affect the developing countries?</stim>
<fdbk>The major reason for disagreement between the developing and the developed countries is the fact that the US gives its cotton farmers subsidies that negatively affect the world market by lowering the price of cotton. African farmers have no choice but to unite and work with the developed countries (American, European and Chinese) counterparts in order to benefit from their produce, cotton.</fdbk>
<hint>What does the report say about the US and Brazil? Also note the remark of the Governor of Zamfara State in Nigeria. Please refer to the Learn More notes for more details about the US actions.</hint>
</problem>
<problem>
<stim>According to the text, what kind of future do these negotiations have?</stim>
<fdbk>Despite the fact that no solution has been found yet, the members of WTO hope that there are some indications of a solution in the near future. At the same time, many experts predict that that it will not be that easy.</fdbk>
<hint>Consider the words of the Chief of the World Trade organization, Pascal Lamy.</hint>
</problem>
</problemset>
</activity>