Preamble
Parties to this Agreement (hereinafter referred to as “Parties”),
Considering that Ministers agreed in the Tokyo Declaration of 14 September 1973 that
comprehensive Multilateral Trade Negotiations in the framework of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (hereinafter referred to as “General Agreement” or “GATT”) should aim, inter alia,
to reduce or eliminate non-tariff measures or, where this is not appropriate, their
trade restricting or distorting effects, and to bring such measures under more effective
international discipline;
Considering that Ministers also agreed that negotiations should aim to secure additional
benefits for the international trade of developing countries, and recognized the importance
of the application of differential measures in ways which will provide special and
more favourable treatment for them where this is feasible and appropriate;
Recognizing that in order to achieve their economic and social objectives to implement
programmes and policies of economic development aimed at raising the standard of living
of their people, taking into account their balance-of-payments position, developing
countries may need to adopt agreed differential measures;
Considering that Ministers in the Tokyo Declaration recognized that the particular
situation and problems of the least developed among the developing countries shall
be given special attention and stressed the need to ensure that these countries receive
special treatment in the context of any general or specific measures taken in favour
of the developing countries during the negotiations;
Recognizing the need to establish an agreed international framework of rights and
obligations with respect to laws, regulations, procedures and practices regarding
government procurement with a view to achieving greater liberalization and expansion
of world trade and improving the international framework for the conduct of world
trade;
Recognizing that laws, regulations, procedures and practices regarding government
procurement should not be prepared, adopted or applied to foreign or domestic products
and to foreign or domestic suppliers so as to afford protection to domestic products
or suppliers and should not discriminate among foreign products or suppliers;
Recognizing that it is desirable to provide transparency of laws, regulations, procedures
and practices regarding government procurement;
Recognizing the need to establish international procedures on notification, consultation,
surveillance and dispute settlement with a view to ensuring a fair, prompt and effective
enforcement of the international provisions on government procurement and to maintain
the balance of rights and obligations at the highest possible level;