WT/MIN(24)/ST/98  
26 February  2024 
(24-1629) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Thirteenth Session  
Abu Dhabi, 26 -29 February 2024  Original: English  
 
STATEMENT BY HON. MR JEREMIAH MANELE  
MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS  
AND EXTERNAL TRADE  
SOLOMON ISLANDS  
Allow me to sincerely acknowledge our host His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, 
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Chair of the 13th Ministerial Conference. Let me extend 
through you, my warmest greetings and good health to your President, His Highness, 
Sheikh  Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Government and peoples of United Arab Emirates.  
Honourable Ministers, let me further acknowledge the leading role by the United Arab Emirates in 
fostering high -quality sustainable development in the face of a complex and stern international 
environment. United Arab Emirates has risen up to the challenges, not only for its own econo my but 
also for the world and the Pacific Islands.  
I acknowledge the convening of this WTO Ministers Meeting to assess the progress of work conducted 
in Geneva. It is crucial that we are able to take stock of deadlines set at MC12 and further map a 
pathway  for WTO work post -MC13. From Solomon Islands perspective, some progress has been 
made, but we need to do more in the coming four days of the Conference to achieve an outcome 
that we can live with.  
Our objective in this Ministerial Conference (MC13) must be to ensure the multilateral trading system 
continues in its relevance and that it is capable of responding to the global challenges we face and 
at the same time it provides a conducive environment for Least Developed Countries and Small 
Island Developing  States.  
On the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, significant ground has been covered and some tough 
decisions must be made if we are to have a meaningful outcome that fully meets SDG 14.6 and 
Paragraph 4 of the MC12 Decision on Fisheries Subsidies.  An outlook, which currently does not look 
promising. Regrettably, the deliberations continue to undermine the policy space to allow for 
responsible growth in our fisheries sector and further the preservation of our fishing arrangements 
and differential lic ensing arrangements. The current text maintains the status quo, leaning 
favourably towards the major subsidizers with a mere focus on notifications and sustainability.  
Onerous and burdensome notification requirements serves little purpose in the meeting o f SDG 14.6. 
Solomon Islands alongside the Pacific Island States have persevered in our effective stewardship of 
fisheries resources and management. The World Trade Organization is not a fisheries management 
organization. Solomon Islands has consistently ca lled for effective and meaningful disciplines on 
fisheries subsidies that target large, industrialized vessels from the Distant Water Fishing Nations. 
This is effective and meaningful disciplines in the form of a standstill or reduction of harmful 
subsidie s. The Fisheries Subsidies Agreement is yet to strike this required sound balance.  
Fisheries is not just one aspect of Solomon Islands economic activities. Fisheries is our way of life; 
it's part of our culture both in terms of maintaining our peoples ' livelihood and food security, but 
also keeping community social cohesion.  WT/MIN(24)/ST/98  
 
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  On the approach to WTO Reform, we believe it should be framed in a balanced manner to 
accommodate the interests of all Members. WTO Reforms, through a process managed by the 
General Cou ncil, should be open, transparent, inclusive, development -oriented, engenders policy 
space for economic growth and development and premised on decision by consensus.  
On Dispute Settlement reform, we note the progress in the informal process and that any o utcome 
from those deliberations going to MC13 may contribute to future work on dispute settlement reforms.  
Future work must have clear ownership under the WTO with a process that is formal, open and as 
inclusive as possible.  
On E-commerce, Solomon Islands notes the rejuvenation of work and we emphasise the much 
needed development dimension. Solomon Islands is also of the view that the E -commerce 
moratorium is temporarily extended to MC14 to allow for conducting of necessary assessments on 
the revenue impact s to Government.   
Regarding Development, the lack of progress is deeply concerning. Solomon Islands is a coastal, 
geographically dispersed country, with further obstacles in physical connectivity to markets. Our 
systems are fragile and we are vulnerably ex posed. It only takes a single natural disaster or a global 
crisis of any magnitude to provoke irreparable consequences for Solomon Islands and reverse years 
of sustainable development gains on poverty elimination and the progress of achieving the 
Sustainab le Development Goals (SDGs).  
Solomon Islands as a Least Developed Country transitioning calls for more development action, 
acknowledging the multi -layered challenges to be fully integrated into the global trade system. We 
underscore that Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) is a treaty embedded right and forms an 
integral part of the WTO and its agreements for developing countries and LDCs. Solomon Islands 
commends the WTO General Council Decision made 23 October 2023, on duty -free, quota -free 
(DFQF) extension in favour of countries graduated from the LDC category. LDC graduation is never 
automatically accompanied by favourable conditions and this decision is a crucial global effort to 
assist LDCs on the path to graduation. We look forward to furt her productive engagement on the 
matter in order to support LDCs, including graduating LDCs, in their developmental aspirations.  
In closing,  Solomon Islands reaffirms its commitment to engage constructively over the coming days 
of MC13 in order to contrib ute to a successful outcome of the Conference.  
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