. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/MIN(03)/ST/83
12 September 2003
(03-4855)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Fifth SessionCancún, 10 - 14 September 2003Original:  Spanish
BOLIVIA
Statement by H.E. Dr Carlos Saavedra Bruno
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship
I should like to commence my statement by thanking the Government and people of Mexico
for the warm hospitality extended to us during our participation in this Meeting.  Likewise, I should
like to thank the Chairman of the General Council, Ambassador Carlos Pérez del Castillo, the
Director-General, Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi, and, especially, my colleague Minister Luis
Ernesto Derbez and the WTO Secretariat.
For almost two decades, Bolivia has been resolutely advocating the advantages of an open
trading system such as that advocated by the WTO.
Bolivia's economy was one of the first in the American continent to implement a unilateral
economic policy of openness and a process of structural change consistent with the free market
model.
It is one of the few WTO Member countries that has complied strictly with the WTO
principles and rules.  Furthermore, in the Latin American region, Bolivia is an active participant in all
the integration processes.
Nevertheless, despite the time that has gone by, despite our on-going adjustment efforts,
despite all the sacrifices we have made, the Bolivian people are not living any better than they did
before embracing the trade liberalization model.  On the contrary, the men and women of our country
have gradually seen their modest living standards fall still further.
Consequently, we cannot apprehend the economy without taking into account its
consequences, nor can we separate free trade from the problems and aspirations of our people.  We
must not consider that what is at stake is a purely technical issue because what we are discussing here
has a political dimension, and above all a social dimension.
In this respect, the Doha Development Agenda marked a decisive step forward.  Doha implied
the commencement of real hope for our countries.  It allowed us to view the future with optimism,
with the courage to face up to our problems.  This is why we are fully convinced that we must
maintain and reinforce the original meaning of this Mandate so that the development dimension
continues to be the central focus that will allow us to reach a single consensus on all the issues.
It is therefore my responsibility to reiterate an appeal that is neither new or original, but which
I cannot escape:  all Members of the WTO must assume to the utmost the liberalization commitment,
especially as regards agriculture, by eliminating export subsidies and domestic support, and by
substantially increasing market access.WT/MIN(03)/ST/83
Page 2
To a large extent, Bolivia's agricultural sector is made up of peasants and indigenous people.
How can we require of  them, who are truly the poorest among the poor, liberalization which farmers
in rich countries refuse to accept?  How can we ask the under-developed countries to assume the cost
of liberalization which developed countries are evading?
I should not like to miss this opportunity to express my firm commitment and support for the
efforts being made by the Group of 21 to achieve real results at this Ministerial Meeting in Cancún.
We are not simply speaking of solidarity or justice.  We are, essentially, talking of the future of the
current international economic system and the increasingly likely possibility that the poorest countries
will collapse as a result of lack of understanding on the part of developed countries.
We cannot refuse to face reality.  Outside these walls, there are millions of people who are
hoping that we shall be able to make progress, resolutely, towards different, more just and more
equitable relations among the countries of the world, their societies and their economies.
We have the opportunity to start to change things and we face the challenge of being capable
of doing so.
__________