WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/L/522
8 July 2003
(03-3684)
Original:  English
MAURITIUS MINISTERIAL DECLARATON ON THE
FIFTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE OF THE WTO
Communication from Mauritius
The following communication, dated 24 June 2003, has been received from the Permanent
Mission of Mauritius.
_______________
I have the honour to send you herewith the Mauritius Ministerial Declaration on the Fifth
Ministerial Conference of the WTO, adopted by the Ministers of Trade of the Member States of the
African Union (AU) at the First Ordinary Session of the Conference of AU Ministers of TradeSpecialized Committee on Trade, Customs and Immigration, held at Grand-Baie, Mauritius, from
19 to 20 June 2003.
I also wish to inform you that Hon. Jaya Krisna Cuttaree, Minister of Industry and
International Trade of Mauritius, has been designated Chairman of the AU Ministers of Trade.
Mauritius, therefore, succeeds Nigeria for this important office until the next Ordinary Session of the
Specialized Committee.
I should be grateful if, as instructed by my authorities, the Declaration could be circulated as
an official WTO Document.
I sincerely trust that, in addition to its circulation, the Mauritius Ministerial Declaration,
through your good offices, will receive due consideration in the WTO deliberations in the run up to
and in Cancún.
_______________WT/L/522
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MAURITIUS MINISTERIAL DECLARATION ON THE
FIFTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE OF THE WTO
We, the Ministers of Trade of the Member States of the African Union (AU) met in Grand
Baie, Mauritius, from 19 to 20 June, 2003 to consider a number of issues of developmental
importance to Africa, including coordinating our  position towards the Fifth Session of the WTO
Ministerial Conference to be held in Cancun, Mexico from 10 to 14 September, 2003:
1. Take note  of the outcomes of recent Ministerial meetings of Eastern and Southern African
countries (ESA) in Nairobi, SADC in Lusaka a nd LDCs in Dhaka as well as the work under the
NEPAD Initiative.
2. Recognize  that trade can serve as a tool for development and make an important contribution to
the realization of the Millennium Development Goals.  We recall the collective commitment we
undertook at the Fourth Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference, held in Doha, Qatar, in
November 2001 to place the needs and interests of developing countries at the heart of the WTO work
programme.
3. Express  serious concerns at the general lack of progress in the current round of multilateral trade
negotiations as evidenced by missed deadlines on key issues and negotiations of importance to
African countries.  The most critical of these have been the lack of progress on the negotiations in
agriculture, TRIPS and public health, special and differential treatment and implementation-related
issues and concerns.  We call on WTO Members to inject momentum in these negotiations in order toensure that the Cancun WTO Ministerial Conference yields positive results for African countries and
makes the Doha Work Programme a truly "Development Agenda".
4. Are deeply concerned  at the failure to meet the deadline for the establishment of the modalities
for further commitments in agriculture, which is a major set-back for the reform programme.
Agriculture is of critical importance to Africa's development and holds the potential to lift millions ofour people out of poverty.  Progress in the agricultural negotiations is essential for the successful
conclusion of the Doha Work Programme.  We strongly urge WTO Members to fulfill the
commitments undertaken in Doha as contained in  the mandate for the agricultural negotiations.
Recognizing the vital importance of long standing preferences for African countries, we welcome the
proposals on preferences as contained in the Harbinson text and we also call upon WTO Members to
address the issue of the erosion of preferences.  We further call upon WTO Members to exempt LDCs
from any reduction commitments.
5. Express  our full solidarity with African countries that are affected by subsidies on Cotton
provided by developed countries and strongly support actions initiated by some African countries in
the WTO to urgently remedy the negative consequen ces of these subsidies that affect millions of
African farmers.
6. Note  that the Services Council has not satisfactorily met the requirement of carrying out the
assessment of trade in services as stipulated in the GATS.  We reiterate the need to respect the
principle of progressive liberalization and promote and facilitate the participation of African countries
in international trade in services, and liberalization by developed countries in sectors and modes of
export interest to them,  particularly through movement of natural persons.  We further reiterate that
due respect must be given for the Member’s right to regulate trade in services and liberalize accordingto their national policy objectives.  We call for the full implementation of the Guidelines and
Procedures adopted in March 2001, particularly giving due consideration to the needs of small service
suppliers of Africa.  We call for the expeditious completion of the work on modalities for LDCs.WT/L/522
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7. Are deeply concerned at the failure to find a multilateral solution that would enable Members
with insufficient or no manufacturing capacities, make effective use of the compulsory licensing
under the TRIPS Agreement as mandated by Paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and
Public Health.  We reiterate our support for the Chairman's text of 16 December 2002, which was
done in a spirit of compromise and enjoys the overwhelming support of WTO Members.  We callupon other Members who have not joined the consensus on this text to do so.  We believe that
Members acting in accordance with the terms of the Chairman's text, will be properly discharging
their obligations to address public health problems in accordance with the Doha Declaration on
TRIPS and Public Health.
8. Affirm  that the objectives of the negotiations on non-agricultural market access are to facilitate the
development and industrialization processes in our countries.  The modalities and the actual
negotiations must reflect these goals appropriately by addressing tariff peaks and tariff escalation,taking fully into account the special needs and interests of developing and least-developed countries,
including through less than full reciprocity in reduction commitments and the principle of special and
differential treatment.  We are deeply concerned that the draft elements of the modalities proposed by
the Chairman of the WTO Negotiating Group on Market Access for Non-Agricultural products do not
take into account the specific vulnerabilities of African industries, especially in the textiles andclothing, leather and fisheries sectors.  It is a matter of grave concern to us that the proposals made by
some African countries in Geneva have not been considered, especially with regard to erosion of
preferences, and revenue implications which are of critical importance to Africa.  We urge that the
modalities should take full account of all our concerns, in particular, the erosion of preferences.  We
welcome the Chairman's proposal to exempt LDCs from making any reduction commitments.  Whilerecognising the special needs of LDCs, the propose d studies on LDCs should be extended to other
African countries and should include the effects of previous liberalization measures as well as the
potential impact of any proposed modalities.
9. Emphasize  the importance of completing the work programme on special and differential
treatment (S&D) we endorsed at Doha.  We reiterate that all S&D provisions in the WTO Agreementsmust be reviewed with a view to strengthening them and making them more precise, effective,
binding and operational.  We are deeply concerned that the mandate on S&D treatment has not been
met.  We call upon the WTO to conclude this work, as a matter of priority, before the Cancun Fifth
WTO Ministerial Conference.
10. Express  our concern about the lack of progress and missed deadlines regarding the
implementation-related issues.  We call upon the WTO to conclude this work, as a matter of priority,
before the Cancun Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference.  We further urge the full operationalization ofthe Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Programme on
LDC’s and Net Food Importing Developing Countries.
11. Recognize  the complexity and importance of the Singapore issues and note that WTO Members
do not have a common understanding on how these issues should be dealt with procedurally and
substantively.  Taking into account the potential serious implications of these issues on oureconomies, we call for the process of clarification to be continued.
12. Reaffirm  the need for a coherent and holistic approach at the multilateral level on issues of trade,
debt and finance.  We also stress the need to operationalize WTO provisions that relate to the transfer
of technology.  We consider these issues to be of significant developmental importance to our
continent and call for the continuation of the work of these Working Groups beyond the FifthMinisterial Conference.
13. Are convinced  that our sub-regional and regional integration organizations are pillars of the
African Economic Community, and are essential for the promotion of Africa’s socio-economicWT/L/522
Page 4
development and serve as the dynamic building blocks for our effective integration into the
Multilateral Trading System (MTS).  We anticipate that such initiatives will be anchored to
development-friendly WTO disciplines arising out of Doha work pertaining to the clarification and
improvement of the WTO disciplines applying to regional trade agreements.
14. Welcome  the adoption the work programme on small economies and request the General Council
to use the proposals made by the group of small economies, pursuant to the framework and
procedures of the work programme on Small Economies, as the basis for making the
recommendations for action at the Fifth Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference, for the fuller
integration of small, vulnerable economies into the MTS.  We take note of the WTO Director-
General's initiative of establishing "trade policy clinics".
15. Reiterate  that technical cooperation and capacity building are core elements of the developmental
dimensions of the MTS and the Doha work programme.  We urge for the increased collaborationamong all agencies in the delivery of requisite technical assistance.  Priority should be given to
assistance aimed at strengthening the supply-side capacity and competitiveness of African countries.
16. Welcome  the launching and commencement of the second phase of the Joint Integrated Technical
Assistance Programme (JITAP II) for least-developed and selected African countries by the ITC,
UNCTAD and the WTO and the extension of the programme to additional eight African countries.We are confident that the programme will build on its successful track record.  We commend the three
agencies for their work and request our development partners to avail the requisite resources to enable
them deliver the programme and expand it to all African countries in an expeditious manner.
17. Welcome  the revamping of the Integrated Framework (IF) and expect that it will be fully and
effectively implemented in order to contribute to trade-related capacity building needs and overalldevelopment objectives of LDCs.  We underscore the need to ensure country-ownership both at the
pre-Diagnostic Trade Integration Studies (DTIS) and the post-DTIS follow-up, particularly in respect
of implementation of trade-related capacity building projects at country level and the mainstreaming
of trade in national development plans and the PRSPs.  In this context, we welcome the donor
initiative for the use of IF Trust Fund Window II resources for this purpose.  We therefore call uponbilateral and multilateral donors to enhance their contributions to the IF Trust Fund in order to enable
the core agencies deliver on the projects and programmes identified by the recipient countries.
18. Take note  of the adoption by the General Council in December, 2002 of new guidelines on WTO
accession procedures for LDCs and call upon WTO Members to fully implement these guidelines.  In
view of the difficulties experienced by LDCs and other African countries in their accession process,
WTO Members should refrain from making excessive or onerous demands on their applications.
19. Are concerned  about the lack of transparency and inclusiveness in the WTO negotiations and
decision-making processes.  We call for measures to ensure the effective participation of our countries
in the processes leading to the Fifth
 WTO Ministerial Conference, at Cancun and beyond.
20. Regret  the deadlock over the issue of granting of Observer Status in the WTO bodies and in this
regard, we pledge our support for the granting of Permanent Observer Status to the AU and other
inter-governmental organizations in view of their trade policy mandate.  We call upon other WTOMembers to support us in this effort.
21. Adopt  the African  Common Position on the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference contained in the
Annex to this declaration.
22. Express  our appreciation for the contribution of the Commission of the AU, UN-ECA and the
UNCTAD for the continued technical support.WT/L/522
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23. Thank the Government and People of the Republic of Mauritius for hosting the meeting, for their
warm hospitality and for the excellent facilities they put at our disposal.
Done in GRAND BAIE, MAURITIUS on this day of 20th JUNE 2003WT/L/522
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ANNEX
AFRICAN COMMON POSITION ON THE FIFTH WTO
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE, CANCÚN, MEXICO
10-14 SEPTEMBER 2003
The Ministers of Trade of the Member States of the African Union, met in their First Ordinary
Session in Grand Bait, Republic of Mauritius on 19-20 June 2003.
They reviewed the conclusions and recommendations of the High Level Brainstorming
Meeting of African Trade Negotiators, preparatory to the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the WorldTrade Organization scheduled for 10-14 September 2003 in Cancún, Mexico and adopted the
following African Common Position on the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference.
I. TRADE IN AGRICULTURE
With regard to the important issue of trade in agriculture, concern was expressed that the key
issues raised by the countries have not been adequately dealt with in on-going negotiations and
accordingly the Ministers recommended that:
1. Market access:
(a) Improved market access be accorded to agricultural products exported by Africa, and
developed countries reduce tariff peaks, tariff escalation and non-tariff barriers on
these products;
(b) Modalities should be put in place to provide for measures and serve as mechanisms
for mitigating the effects of the erosion of preferences;
(c) There should be more simplified and transparent tariff quota regimes which should be
of clear benefit to African countries.  Least-developed countries (LDCs) should be
fully exempt from any reduction of commitments and should be given bound, duty-
free and quota-free market access by the developed countries;
(d) The concept of Special Products (SP) should be elaborated upon to include the right
for self-selection in respect of strategic products for food security, rural development,
poverty alleviation and product diversification.
2. Domestic Support
All forms of trade-distorting domestic support measures by developed countries should be
substantially reduced, to enable the development of a vibrant and competitive African agricultural
sector
3. Export Competition
Developed countries should reduce export subsidies with a view to phasing them out within a
specified period.WT/L/522
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4. Other Issues
(a) Modalities should be established to provide for a system to facilitate local and
regional purchases, when possible, of food aid supply for developing and least-
developed countries in emergency situations;
(b) WTO Members should expedite the implementation of the recommendations
contained in the report of the Committee on Agriculture (G/AG/11) regarding the
Implementation of the Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative
Effects of the Reform Programme on LDCs and Net-Food-Importing Developing
Countries (NFIDCs);
(c) The discussion taking place in the Committee on Trade and Development on the
impact and implications of long-term decline of sustained real prices of primary
commodities should be expedited and the General Council present a report fordecision on the matter by Ministers at the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference in
Cancún.
II. TRADE IN SERVICES
The Ministers examined the issue of Trade in Services, including in particular how to male
effective use of the provisions of Articles IV of  GATS, which deal with increasing participation of
developing countries, and Article XIX, which provides the mandate for the negotiations.  They have,
in this context, assessed the current state of play of the negotiations, particularly, the Request/Offer
process, including related deadlines for these processes, assessment of negotiating capacities, and
consideration of strategies and options, such as a moratorium on new commitments and the need for
consultation with stakeholders, among others.  They urged all the Member States, which have not yetdone so, to present requests to their trading partners .  In this context, the Ministers recommended that:
(a) The passing of initial deadlines on the request/offer process should not deter African
countries from meeting these obligations at their earliest convenience, provided these
are made before 1 January 2005.  It is of paramount importance that the requestsshould be made in good time, to enable our countries engage in meaningful bilateral
discussions and consultations with their trading partners, with a view to giving effect
to the operationalization of the provisions of Article IV.
(b) African countries consider enhancing th eir bargaining power, by exploring the
possibility of presenting group requests, or presenting g similar requests on individual
country basis.  In this regard, one possible candidate sector, where African countries
may have similar interest is in the request on liberalization of Mode 4, particularly inthe supply of unskilled and semi-skilled service providers, an area where most
African countries possess comparative advantage.
(c) African countries should define their objec tives, including the analysis of costs and
benefits of further liberalization before making commitments.  In this respect, they
should urge the WTO to fast-track the requirement to carry out the assessment oftrade in services and to engage African research institutions to conduct such studies.
(d) African countries should seek technical assistance from their developed partners, in
order to facilitate the strengthening of their negotiating capacities in trade in services,
and enhance the competitiveness of their services sectors.WT/L/522
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(e) When making offers, African countries should be guided by the provisions of
Article XIX of the CATS, which aims at progressive liberalization, in particular, the
flexibility provided to developing countries to open fewer sectors, in line with their
national development objectives.  Efforts should also be made to attach conditions
capable of giving effect to the implementation of the provisions of the GATSArticle IV, by developed country Members.
(f) The necessity for strengthening regulatory institutions in the process of further
services liberalization should also be emphasized.
(g) The negotiations should be carried out in line with the Negotiating Guidelines and
Procedures, including addressing the concerns of small service-suppliers of
developing and least-developed countries.
(h) The work programme of the Working Party on GATS Rules, on Emergency
Safeguards Measures (ESM), should be expedited to meet the agreed deadline of
March 2004.
III. MARKET ACCESS FOR NON-AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
On the issue of Non-Agricultural Market Access, Ministers insisted that proposals currently
being discussed should address and accommodate Africa's development interests in the negotiations.
Accordingly, they recommended that:(a) African countries should be allowed to choose for themselves the rate and timing of
liberalization, so that they can tailor th eir commitments to the situation and needs of
their industrial and trade sectors.
(b) The Draft modalities should reflect more appropriately the S&D provisions for
developing and least-developed countries including the principle of less than full
reciprocity.
(c) The Draft modalities should provide for the establishment of measures and
mechanisms for dealing with the erosion of preferences.  It is noted that the Draft
modalities completely disregard the issue of erosion of preferences as raised by
African countries during the various sessions of the negotiating group.
(d) Revenue implications of further tariff cuts need to be taken into account as most
African countries rely heavily on this source of revenue.
(e) Instead of referring them to other bodies, issues relating to Non-Tariff Barriers should
be addressed in the Negotiating Group on Market Access for non-agriculturalproducts, as mandated by paragraph 16 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration.  This is
particularly so because African countries do not have the capacity to follow several
issues in various WTO bodies, which also do not have the negotiating mandate for
those issues.
(f) While recognizing the special needs of LDCs, the proposed studies on LDCs should
be extended to other African countries and should include the effects of previous
liberalization measures as well as the potential impact of any proposed modalities.WT/L/522
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Ministers expressed deep concern about the proposal for sectoral tariffs elimination as
contained in the draft elements of modalities proposed in the on-going negotiations.  In this regard,
they agreed to continue to work for a proposal, which supported the industrialization objectives of
their countries.
They welcomed the proposals to exempt LDCs from reduction commitments, but reiterated at
the same time that LDCs should be granted bound duty-free and quota-free market access for their
products by developed countries.
IV. TRADE RELATED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (TRIPS)
Ministers expressed deep concerns at the failure to find a multilateral solution to the problem
of TRIPS that would enable Members with insufficient or no manufacturing capacities in thepharmaceutical sector, to make effective use of the compulsory licensing under the TRIPS
Agreement.  In this regard, they called for the full and expeditious implementation of Paragraph 6 of
the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health.  They further recommended that:
(a) The Chairman's text of 16 December 2002, be supported as it was done in the spirit of
a compromise, and call upon other Members who have not done so, to join in the
consensus on this text;
(b) While noting the unilateral initiatives by some Members to address this issue, any
proposed solution in this regard should be multilateral in nature, simple to use,
sustainable, predictable and legally secure;
(c) The discussions on the review of provisions of Article 27.3(b) should enter into
operational phase in light of the mandate given in paragraph 19 of the Doha
Declaration.  In addition, work on the relationship between the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD), Protection of  Traditional Knowledge and Folklore and
the TRIPS Agreement should also be given more impetus and emphasis in theimplementation of die Doha Mandate.
V. TRADE DEBT AND FINANCE AND TRADE AND TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY
They emphasized that a holistic approach be adopted, with regard to the issues of Trade, Debt
and Finance and Trade and Transfer of Technology,  to address the development problems of African
countries.  In this regard, they recommended that;
(a) In preparing their reports to the General Council for submission to the Fifth Session
of the Ministerial Conference, the Working Groups should reflect adequately the
concerns of the African Group as articulated in their submission;
(b) Greater coherence in global economic policy-making should be fostered between the
WTO and the Bretton Woods Institutions, and these institutions should implement therelevant Ministerial Decisions and Declarations adopted on this subject in previous
conferences;
(c) Interaction should be strengthened between governments and donor/international
agencies on trade at the country level, including where appropriate, giving trade a
more prominent role in Poverty Reduction Strategy Programmes (PRSPs) and othernational development plans;WT/L/522
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(d) Market access opportunities should be improved for products originating from
African countries as this is the key for generating resources for debt servicing,
development finance, and in general, financing the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs);
(e) The various WTO provisions pertaining to transfer of technology should be
operationalized with a view to making technology easily accessible to African
countries.
They considered these issues to be of significant developmental importance to the continent
and therefore call for the continuation of the work of these Working Groups beyond the Fifth
Ministerial Conference, within which to deal with the debt problems of developing countries in a
broader context of their overall development.
VI. SINGAPORE ISSUES
Ministers examined critically, the Singapore Issues of Trade and Investment, Trade and
Competition Policy, Trade Facilitation and Transparency in Government Procurement, with emphasis,
inter alia , on tile current mandate for the work in these areas, the current state of play in the
discussions in the respective bodies on these issues and their likely benefits and implication.  Theyalso focused on the process and substance and the handling of these issues,
Recognizing that WTO Members do not have a common understanding on how these issues
should be dealt with procedurally and substantively, and taking into account the potential serious
implications of these issues on their economies, they called for the process of clarification to becontinued.  Although African countries are not demandeurs on these issues, they continued to be
engaged in the process.  In the meantime, effec tive technical assistance and capacity building should
be provided to African countries.
VII. REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS
Ministers have discussed the subject of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) as well as the
relationship between RTAs and the multilateral trading system, including the current state of
discussions on RTAs, within the framework of the ongoing rules negotiations in the WTO.
In accordance with the issues raised, they:(a) Emphasize that while clarifying and improving disciplines and procedures under the
existing WTO provisions applicable to RTAs, this should not undermine the
flexibility of developing countries to pursue their development and regional
integration objectives.
(b) Underscore the role that RTAs can play in promoting development and integration of
African economies into the global trad ing system.  African RECs should be
strengthened to ensure tile achievement of their developmental goals and objectives.
(c) Reiterate that RTAs, especially within the framework of the Enabling Clause must
continue to be seen within the context of S&D, which responds in a unique way
towards taking account of the developmental objectives of developing countries.
(d) Underscore the nerd for closer collabor ation between the African Regional Economic
Communities (RECs) and the African Groups in Geneva and Brussels, between the
RECs and the African Union, as well as among the RECs themselves.  This isWT/L/522
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especially to synchronize their views and positions on the WTO rules and the
ACP/EU Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) negotiations.
VIII.  SPECIAL AND DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT
Ministers noted the difficulties facing African countries in their efforts to get the WTO to
strengthen S&D provisions and make them more precise, effective and operational, and accordinglyrecommended that:
(a) Work on S&D must be completed within a specified time-frame, to the satisfaction of
countries that are expected to benefit from them.
(b) The mutuality of benefits be ensured among Members, as envisaged during the UR,
the meeting recommends that developing countries avoid taking additional
commitments that have far reaching implications before completing work onagreement specific proposals on S&D.
(c) S&D should aim at supporting development objectives and goals of African
countries.
(d) Discussions on cross-cutting elements of the S&D should not overshadow the
operationalization of S&D provisions in the WTO agreements as agreed in the DohaDecision on Implementation Issues.
IX. IMPLEMENTATION-RELATED ISSUES AND CONCERNS
Ministers expressed strong concerns about the lack of progress regarding the implementation-
related issues and stressed that these issues and concerns should be resolved as a matter of priority.
X. SMALL ECONOMIES
On the subject of Small Economies they mandated that this matter be fully addressed as per
the proposals made by the Small Economies in the WTO bodies.  They further requested the General
Council to make the necessary recommendation for action at the Fifth Session of the WTO Ministerial
Conference in Cancún.
XI. WTO ACCESSION ISSUES
The lack of progress in the Accession process for African countries to the WTO remains a
matter of urgent concern.  While welcoming the adoption by the General Council of the new
Guidelines on WTO accession procedures for LDCs, the meeting underlined the difficulties faced by
LDCs and other African countries, in the process of accession.  In this regard, Ministers
recommended that:
(a) Members shall fully adhere to and implement the letter and spirit of the accession
guidelines for acceding LDCs adopted by the General Council.  Members shall ensure
simplified and fast track accession of LDCs on the basis of the guidelines;
(b) Members shall exercise restraint in seeking concessions and commitments from
acceding LDCs.
(c) Members shall ensure that acceding LDCs are not subjected to obligations or
commitments that go beyond what is applicable to the existing WTO LDC Members.WT/L/522
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(d) Members shall ensure that accession process is less onerous for LDCs and that
obligations of acceding LDCs are commensurate with their stage of development.
(e) Targeted technical assistance shall be provided to acceding LDCs on a priority basis,
covering all stages of accession negotiations and taking into account the high costs
involved in the accession negotiations
(f) Members shall work towards completion of accession process before or at Cancún for
LDCs and other African countries that are at an advanced stage of their accession
process.
XII. CAPACITY BUILDING IN AFRICA FOR TRADE AND WTO-RELATED ISSUES
Ministers endorsed fully the necessity for capacity building, and to that end, recommend that:
(a) African countries should strive to build national dialogue on trade and WTO-related
issues;
(b) Stakeholders, both public and private, including the civil society and trade
associations should engage in dialogue to build the necessary capacity on the
understanding of WTO issues in order to develop strategies and positions for
negotiations.  In this regard, programmes should be developed for private sectorentrepreneurs to enable them to participate effectively in regional and international
trade;
(c) Basic research to support African trade, negotiators should be encouraged in order to
enhance negotiating capacity at the national, sub-regional and multilateral levels;
(d) Various providers of trade-related technical assistance to African countries should be
invited to support capacity building programmes;
(e) A "resource manual" on African experts in trade negotiations should be developed;
(f) Trade-related technical assistance and capacity building should support national
development strategies of African countries.  The assistance provided should
strengthen supply-side capacity and competitiveness of African countries to takeadvantage of new export opportunities.
Ministers welcomed the establishment of an ECA Geneva Liaison Office to support the
African countries in their trade negotiations and in  providing, technical support to the African Group
in the WTO.
They expressed appreciation of African countries for the efforts of the WTO in organizing
trade policy courses in Africa and recommended that these courses should be institutionalized.
They expressed appreciation for the role played by the AU Permanent Mission in Geneva, and
called for the early implementation of the programme for the restructuring of that office, as already
approved by the AU Executive Council.
They further expressed appreciation for, and called for the continuation of the technical
assistance provided by UNCTAD and other organizations.WT/L/522
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XIII.  TRANSPARENCY AND INCLUSIVENESS IN WTO NEGOTIATIONS AND
DECISION-MAKING
Ministers were seriously concerned about the lack of transparency and inclusiveness in
decision-making process in the WTO, and called for measures to ensure the effective participation of
African countries in the processes leading to the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference at Cancún andbeyond.
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