WORLD TRADE WT/MIN(98)/ST/17
18May1998
ORGANIZATION(98-2057)
Original: English MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Second Session
Geneva, 18and20May1998
ZIMBABWE
Statement Circulated bytheHon. N.M. Shamuyarira,
Minister ofIndustry andCommerce
Itisanhonour formetoaddress theSecond WTO Ministerial Conference onbehalf ofmy
Government andcountry.
Iwould alsoliketoextend, onbehalf oftheZimbabwean delegation, ourappreciation toboth
theWTO Secretariat andtheSwiss authorities fortheexcellent facilities andorganization ofthis
Conference.
Werecognize thatthisConference israther unusual inthree aspects; itistaking place well
before thetwo-year threshold; itisscheduled foronlytwodays, anditcoincides withacommemorative
session oftheGATT/WTO system. Itwould beregrettable however ifthese circumstances areused
asexcuses forusnottodiscuss issues offundamental importance toourcountries. Infactwewould
deploreallattemptstoturnthisConferenceintoamereceremonialoccasionasthisignoresandtrivializes
theverysubstantive andserious preparatory work thatourcountries havedoneprior tothismeeting.
InZimbabwe 'scasethishasincluded wide-ranging consultations within theSADC, ACP andOAU
toconsider thetwomain items ontheagenda.
Thequestion ofimplementing fullyalltheresults oftheUruguay Round negotiations remains
ofprimary importance, andisindeed themajor priority andpreoccupation ofZimbabwe. Thisisnot
onlyduetothecomplexity andtheheavy burden ofthese agreements. Weareparticularly concerned
thatwestillhavetoseethebenefits thatwereexpected tomaterialize following ouracceptance ofthe
WTO package. Itisforthispurpose thatwecontinue tocallforthespeedy implementation ofthe
special provisions intheWTO Agreements thatareintended topromote trade andeconomic interests
ofdevelopingcountriesasameansoftacklingthethreatoftheincreasingmarginalizationofourcountries
within themultilateral trading system.
WeagainemphasizetheneedfortargetedandappropriatetechnicalassistancetoaddressAfrica's
difficulties inunderstanding andapplying theprovisions oftheWTO Agreements. Such assistance
should include advisory services, capacity building andtraining programmes todealwithsupply-side
constraints, lackofskills andresources tohandle notification requirements andtheenactment ofthe
necessary trade legislation andframeworks.
Africa attaches, understandably, greatimportance totheimplementation andfollow-up ofthe
decisions oftheSingapore Ministerial Conference regarding theleast-developed countries. These
countries belong toaspecial, butdeplorable category oftheweakest group ofdeveloping countries.
Itishence incumbent onallofustotakespecial measures todealwiththeirdifficult situation.
./.WT/MIN(98)/ST/17
Page2
Asaminimum, Africa callsontheWTO tofullyimplement theIntegrated Programme for
theLeast-Developed Countries adopted bytheHighLevel Meeting heldinOctober 1997. Inparticular,
theprovisions oftheprogramme relating tomarket access, capacity building, technical assistance and
integration intotheglobal trading system.
InSingapore, wealsoagreed toaddyetmore issues ontothework programme oftheWTO
byincluding trade andinvestment, trade andcompetition policy; transparency ingovernment
procurement; andtrade facilitation. Mycountry, asindeed many others, reluctantly accepted this
additional workload. Wearecommitted tofaithfully carry outthisprogramme within thespirit and
letter inwhich itwasagreed. However, wewillnotaccept anychanges totheagreed terms ofreference
andtime-frames, noranydisguised attempts tointroduce extraneous matters thatwere rejected at
Singapore.
Wehavealsogiven considerable thought tothequestion ofthefuture work ofthisOrganization,
especially thepreparatory process leading thenextMinisterial Conference. Ourposition isthatthe
WTO hasonitscurrent agenda, alotofoutstanding butpressing issues fromwhich attention should
notbediverted. Westillhaveanumber ofso-called "unfinished business", "built-in agenda" andmatters
fromtheSingapore Ministerial Conference. Ourcountries arefinding itdifficult andonerous tocope
withthisheavy workload. Itistherefore inconceivable andunacceptable topropose theintroduction
ofmore "new" issues. Onthecontrary weshould double ourefforts andenergies toensure thatthe
implementation oftheWTO Agreements achieves abalance ofinterests andbenefits toall,including
during theforthcoming reviews oftheAgreements onAgriculture, TRIMs, TRIPS andServices. In
allsuchreviewsandensuingnegotiations,thedevelopmentdimensionshouldbemadeanintegralelement
oftheprocess.
OurConference isjuxtaposed totheGATT/WTO 50thAnniversary Commemoration. Africa
considers thatthere isnotmuch tocelebrate. Asstated intheirfounding provisions, theparamount
objective underlying theestablishment ofGATT anditssuccessor, WTO, wastoraiseliving standards
worldwide. After 50years ofexistence, theGATT/WTO system cannot claim tohaveachieved this
objective formany ofthedeveloping andespecially African countries. Inaddition, theonset ofthe
globalization andliberalization processes havenotrealized theexpected potential ofintegrating these
countries intotheglobal economy, norfundamentally changed thegrowth anddistribution patterns
discriminating against theweak economies.
Infact,despite highglobal growth ratesineconomic indicators witnessed inGATT/WTO 's
history, Africa hascontinued toexperience anever-shrinking share ofinternational trade, financial
andinvestment flows. This isnotwithstanding far-reaching economic reforms undertaken both
autonomously andunder IMFandWorld Bank programmes. Income gapsbetween ourpoorpeoples
inthedeveloping world andtherichintheNorth areever-widening. Andmany ofourcountries continue
tofaceacute balance-of-payments constraints anddebtburdens, withthereductions inODA flows
serving onlytoexasperate thesituation.
Formany decades, theGATT hashadalegacy oftreating developing countries likesecond
classmembers ofarichmen'sexclusive club. Asaresult, theGATT-based multilateral trading system
could notaddress, andinmany ways, contributed tothedifficulties faced bydeveloping countries.
TheWorld Trade Organization should commit, anddedicate itselftodevising anintegrated approach
andmultilateral process thatwilleffectively address themarginalization ofdeveloping countries and
thedangers thatthisstateofaffairs poses forthewell-being ofthemultilateral trading system.
__________