"Duty and quota free access should be allowed for least developed countries (LDCs) with relaxed rules of origin and without non-tariff barriers," Asgar Ali Sabri, coordinator of the alliance, told a press conference in Dhaka yesterday.

The 5th meeting of the trade ministers of World Trade Organisation (WTO) members will begin on September 10 in the Mexican city of Cancun to review the progress in WTO negotiations in the light of Doha Development Agenda.

Sabri said free movement for LDCs' workers, especially the less skilled ones, to developed countries on temporary work visa under the general agreement on trade and tariff should also be allowed.

Masud Ali, executive director of INCIDIN, Farid Hasan Ahmed, country programme manager of Oxfam, Rokeya Rafiq of Kormojibi Nari, and other members of the alliance were present at the press briefing held at the National Press Club.

The Make Trade Fair Alliance is a joint platform comprising INCIDIN, BRAC, Proshika, Kormojibi Nari, Phulki, Telecine Subtext, Oxfam GB, ActionAid, SST and Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association (BELA).

As part of its campaign for a discrimination-free world trade order, the alliance recently completed a signature campaign with the slogan "Make Trade Fair", collecting signatures of one million people in favour of the demands of LDCs.

A delegation of the alliance yesterday met with Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, who will act as the coordinator of 49 LDCs at the Cancun meet, at his office and handed him over the list of signatures.

The alliance demands elimination of domestic support and export subsidies for agriculture in developed countries, as well as exclusion of LDCs from binding compliance to the trade agreements.

Masud Ali of INCIDIN said special and differential (S&D) treatment measures for LDCs should be time bound and precise while operational and effective S&D agreements should be made for the poor nations.

He stressed the need for an effective integrated framework as well as country-specific implementation plans for the agreements in every LDC.

Farid Hasan Ahmed termed the present world trading system "unfair" that has been contributing to poverty. "Commitments made at the Doha round by the rich nations should be fulfilled immediately," he said.

Ahmed said trade related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) should be interpreted to maximise poor people's access to medicine.

On a question, Rokeya Rafiq said the campaign for collecting signatures of 10 lakh people had started on March 8 and ended on August 31 this year.