WT/MIN(24)/21  
 
27 February 2024  
(24-1788) Page: 1/3 
Ministerial Conference  
Thirteenth Session  
Abu Dhabi, 26 -29 February 2024  Original: English  
 
 
PACIFIC MINISTERIAL STATEMENT FOR THE THIRTEENTH  
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE (MC13) OF THE  
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO)  
26-29 FEBRUARY 2024  
The following statement dated, 27 February 2024, is being circulated at the request of the delegation 
of Fiji on behalf of the Pacific Group.  
 
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Re-affirming  the importance of preserving the rules -based multilateral trading system to provide 
an open, transparent, inclusive, non -discriminatory, equitable and predictable system that promotes 
the interests of all Members, in particular the small and vulnerable Members such as least -developed 
countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS);  
 
Recogni zing the contribution of international trade as a vehi cle to achieve the 2030 Agenda for 
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, and 
the critical role of the WTO in delivering trade -related measures to contribute to solutions to global 
challenges severely imp eding on the development aspirations of the Pacific region, including the 
impacts of climate change, natural disasters, pandemics and the slow economic recovery, and food 
and energy crises;  
 
Re-affirming  that climate change remains the single greatest exis tential threat facing the Pacific 
and noting  the high -level endorsement by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders for the Pacific to elevate 
its sustainable trade and environment agenda;  
 
Further noting the July 2022 and November 2023 Communiques from the Pacific Island Forum 
Leaders, encouraging the conclusion of comprehensive disciplines on the remaining pillar of the 
fisheries subsidies negotiations on Overcapacity and Overfishing (OCOF) and provide appropriate 
and effective Special and Differential Trea tment (SDT) for developing and least developed countries 
to ensure that WTO fully delivers on SDG14.6;  
 
We the Ministers and Heads of Delegations of the Pacific Group met in Abu Dhabi 
on 24 February 2024 in the lead -up to the WTO Thirteenth Ministerial Con ference (MC13) 
and agree as follows:  
 
1.  On fisheries subsidies,  
i. Register  strong concerns and remind  WTO Members that 84% harmful fishing 
subsidies go to capacity enhancing programs that contribute to overcapacity and 
overfishing, which lead to the continuing  decline in global fish stocks;  
ii. Underscore to  the WTO Members that, whilst the Pacific is committed to maintaining 
the good health of the region 's commercial stocks, grave risks remain of allowing 
subsidized fleets into the region; and call on  distant wate r fishing nations to remove 
subsidies to overcapacity and overfishing as reflected in Pacific Islands Forum Leaders 
2018 decision;  WT/MIN(24)/21  
 
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  iii. Demand  that WTO Members deliver on their commitment in SDG14.6 relevant to 
overcapacity and overfishing (OCOF), and call on  large subsidizers to refrain from 
introducing new such subsidies, and therefore support  stronger disciplines that will 
result in the effective standstill and reduction of subsidies to OCOF by large 
subsidizers;  
iv. Support  the exemption of subsidies for fishing  in adjacent and nearby waters due to 
the migratory nature of the region 's tuna stocks;  
v. Also support  the menu of options approach on SDT to address developing and least 
developing countries' interests and the retention of the de minimis exemption for small 
fishing nations not less than 0.8% of global marine capture and exemption for small 
scale and artis anal fishing and differential licensing; and  
vi. Agree  that notification commitments should not be onerous for small WTO Members, 
and not be used as a condition for accessing SDT, and that any notification relating to 
access agreements must not disclose commer cially sensitive information.  
2.  On Agriculture, urge Members to progress negotiations post -MC13 taking into account the SDT 
provisions, the development interests and food interests of developing countries and LDCs; support  
the commitment on food security for  LDCs and net food importing developing countries (NFIDCs); 
and also support  the extension of the Bali decision on public stockholding program mes to LDCs 
and NFIDCs based on products of interest to them.  
3.  On WTO Reform, re-affirm  the need to improve the fun ctioning of the WTO, ensure that WTO 
Reform is an open, transparent and inclusive process, and the need to restore a fully and 
well-functioning dispute settlement system that is accessible to all Members by 2024. This must 
include as a priority the restora tion of the Appellate Body and ensure access to the dispute 
settlement system for small Members.  
4.  On Work Program me on Ecommerce and Moratorium, support  the extension of the Work 
Program me and Moratorium to MC14 to enable Members to continue rejuvenating wo rk on 
addressing the digital divide faced by developing countries and to assess the impact of the 
moratorium on revenue.  
5.  On Development,  
i. Acknowledge  the need to make the rules -based system more equitable and 
accessible for Small Island Developing States in  order for them to fully benefit from 
the opportunities created by the multilateral trading system and to facilitate their 
integration into the global economy.  
ii. Register  continued concerns that development, in particular, special and differential 
treatment (SDT) continues to be a divisive issue, and strongly emphasi ze the 
integral role of SDT in the negotiations, as a fundamental pillar of the WTO under 
paragraph 44 of the Doha Declaration.  
iii. Seek  a meaningful outcome on development particularly addressing the  G90 proposals 
and address the development concerns of developing countries, including SVEs and 
LDCs. These proposals aim to promote economic diversification and enhance 
international competitiveness of developing countries by strengthening compliance 
with international standards.  
iv. Commend  the ongoing work in the WTO to find solutions to the trade challenges faced 
by Small and Vulnerable Economies (SVEs) and Small Islands Developing States 
(SIDS), from natural disasters and in attracting investment, and ther efore support  
the re -invigoration of work under the mandate of paragraph 35 of the Doha Declaration 
to frame responses for the fuller integration of small economies like the Pacific into the 
multilateral trading system.  WT/MIN(24)/21  
 
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  v. Urge  Members to establish an effecti ve procedure supporting the smooth transition of 
graduated LDCs towards their new status, through extending the LDC -specific 
trade -related support measures over a reasonable period of time, and seek new 
measures to support LDCs ' post-graduation.  
6.  On Trade a nd Environment, support  the revitalisation of the work in the Committee on Trade 
and Environment as well as intensify discussions to find tangible and mutually supportive trade policy 
solutions that contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, a nd environmental 
sustainability.  
 
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