WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/MIN(03)/ST/118
13 September 2003
(03-4894)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Fifth Session
Cancún, 10 - 14 September 2003Original:  French
BELGIUM
Statement by H.E. Mr Louis Michel
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
I wish to convey to you, Mr Chairman, our gratitude and appreciation for the splendid way in
which you have organized this Ministerial Conference and also the Mexican people for their warm
welcome.
The objective of our Conference cannot be understood or envisaged separately from what I
would call the revelations and tangible traces of a complete shift that has shattered our conventional
points of reference, our beliefs and indeed our firmest convictions.  It is as if a world volcano one
thought was shuddering suddenly began to roar, revealing long-suppressed fears, suspected doubtsthat dared not be uttered, questions that would have to be answered one day when they could not be
ignored any more.
Africa, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Iraq – so many conflicts that appear to be endless but
clearly demonstrate the risks that are involved and grow day by day the further off the solution lies.
And I have not spoken of terrorism, the abject evil that kills all that is sacred and finest in
humanity, the splendid sentiments that spring from man's heart and intelligence:  tolerance, the right
to be different, justice, solidarity and freedom.  In a word, well-being.
To put it more simply, in my opinion, primacy must be given to political matters, in other
words, to the citizen himself.
The WTO has a crucial role, a special responsibility – to conceive and implement, in the
interest of all States throughout the world, a multila teral system for world trade and turn it into a tool
for equitable redistribution and human development.  When the world economy combines opening up
markets with proper regulation, it generates growth, creates jobs, sustainable development, reducespoverty, brings predictability and shared wealth.
This is the only real answer in the long term to the frustrations that fuel conflict and violence
and tragically tempt the outcasts, the young people without a future, when they give in to the devilish
rabble-rousers who promise paradise in heaven but create hell on earth.
Cancún provides a privileged opportunity to move from words to deeds.  Full achievement of
the Doha Agenda is crucial.
The key to success is full and harmonious integration of developing countries in the
multilateral system, along with the adoption of measures to boost international economic recovery.WT/MIN(03)/ST/118
Page 2
My Government strongly reaffirms its attachment to a bold policy and welcomes the recent
reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, a refo rm that will make a powerful contribution to the
food sovereignty of the countries of the South while promoting their agricultural production and
exports.
But to this end, rules need to be adopted to provide developing countries with the means for
better integration in international trade.
Cancún can give a new political stimulus to something that is, in our view, a right and not an
ambition.
Society in each of our countries is aware of this and, in some many ways, urges us to foil a
deadly situation in which power, money and force alone have the means to dictate the rules.
The Millennium Summit, Doha, Monterrey, Johannesburg were all promising milestones, but
so far they have proved to be what I would call "short-lived worldwide talk".
So long as these meetings remain idle banter, political matters will not gain the upper hand
and the public interest will slip back.
Mr Ricupero, speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, rightly
emphasized the unique opportunity we have at this Ministerial Meeting:  to bring to our societies,concerned and sometimes in disarray, the minimum of confidence needed to believe in the multilateral
trading system.
An important first step was taken in the agreement on the question of access for developing
countries to generic drugs.  However, it is now essential to ensure prompt and effective localimplementation.  The populations of these countries have already been waiting too long.
Commissioner Lamy had occasion to speak about  the expectations and undertakings of the
European Union in regard to agriculture, market access for non-agricultural products, the Singapore
issues, special and differential treatments and rules in general.  Accordingly, I shall not revert to the
matter.
For my part, however, I would like to insist on two factors that are, in my view, essential.
The first is that of coherence.  As rightly pointed out by Mr Supachai, a development strategy
means that our Organization institutionalizes synergies and actions with other international
organizations.  This means the political will to decompartmentalize all the major internationalinstruments like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund or the International Labour
Organization.
Surely it is time to propose the establishment of a genuine world Economic and Social
Council with political power based on legitimacy and efficacy in law, on the pattern of the UnitedNations Security Council, but for the purpose of transparency adding, as a criterion of
representativeness, the regional dimension, among others.
The fundamental referents for such a concept already exist and are embodied in some
countries, including my own.  I have in mind, more particularly, the basic labour rules such as theright to organize, a ban on child labour, forced labour, the right to quality jobs and environmental
obligations that are vital if we are to ensure the sustainable development.  I also have in mind the need
to exclude services in the public interest from commerce.WT/MIN(03)/ST/118
Page 3
The second element is technical assistance, as well as transfer of technology.  Otherwise, the
integration of developing countries in the WTO syst em is to be regarded as impossible.  In this
connection, the European Union's undertaking is to be welcomed.
The Belgian Government, for its part, is gratified to announce to our African colleagues a
€2 million increase in its share in the Trust Fund in the context of the Doha Development Agenda.
This year, our Government has already pledged €500,000, on a recurring basis.  For its part, the
government of Flanders has come in with €150,000, together with the €154,000 in 2002.
This Conference cannot fail to take a universal political view.  Without specific, committed
voluntarist lucidity, we know, indeed we realize, it will be a long time before we can offer the world
what is demanded and warranted by the most elementary of human rights.
In recent months, we have all sometimes been stupefied to see the unrelenting and tragic
effects of this striking gap between the uncontrolled, frightening new powers and the impotence of
policy and politics to tame their excesses.  The challenge at Cancún is to bring the rules of the world
economy into line with the social and political rights of mankind.
__________