WT/MIN( 22)/ST/ 122 
12 June 2022 
(22-4562) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Twelfth Session  
Geneva, 12 -15 June 2022  Original: English  
 
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR EBRAHIM PATEL  
MINISTER OF TRADE, INDUSTRY AND COMPETITION  
SOUTH AFRICA 
When the World Trade Organisation was formed 28 years ago, the world was a very different place.  
 
South Africa was just emerging from 3 centuries of colonialism through the transition to democracy. 
The world economy was about a third of its current size i n US dollars and China accounted for about 
2% of global output. Google had not yet been formed; Covid -19 was unknown.  
 
Twenty -eight years later, the institution has to confront a changed and changing world.  
 
We are now in a new age with new challenges : 
 
- first, the sustainability of our carbon -emitting and consumption model;  
- second, the vast and growing inequality within and between countries ;  
- third, the vulnerability that greater integration brings, in health and supply -chain disruptions ;  
- and fourth, the more pronounced geo -political tensions and a polarising world that creates 
new tensions in global rule -making and rule adherence.  
 
The WTO will need to reinvent itself for the new age; be more flexible and promote stronger 
development outco mes. We need a rules -based system to promote global prosperity, to do so 
inclusively; and to not rely on the law of the jungle where power alone defines who eats and who 
gets eaten. And for this reason, the rules need to enable greater trade between nation s that result 
indeed in balanced and developmental outcomes.  
 
Globalisation has brought great benefits to many. It has also brought new challenges – most recently 
we saw the example of the rapid spread of the corona virus across borders. We can decide to either 
close borders with all the costs that entails; or to find ways in which we can harness the fruits of  
science and innovation to address these, including through more flexible IP rules and waivers in 
pandemics.  
 
Global inequality within and between na tions requires a more considered approach to development 
agenda of the WTO to ensure that workers and poorer communities benefit from global trade.  
 
Africa' s population has grown significantly since the establishment of the WTO. In 1994, it was about 
700m;  today it has doubled to 1,4 billion people and in the next 28 years it is projected to grow by 
a further billion people.  
 
Africa has 17% of the world 's population yet accounts for only 3% of global GDP and about 1% of 
global steel and automobile output.  
 
For the African continent and for SA, the defining economic challenge of our generation is and will 
be industrialisation, to find ways to grow more, to grow greener and to grow inclusively.  
 
We will need to address the historical imbalances in some of t he agreements arising from the 
Uruguay Round of the GATT talks that were incorporated into the newly -formed WTO. These include 
measures on agriculture and for some African countries, industrial tariffs.  
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  This theme of African industrialisation must be act ively enabled in the agenda of the WTO, from 
institutional reform to fisheries, agriculture and matters relating to the digital economy.  
 
Supply -chain disruptions and concentration risks have underlined the need for policy space to enable 
necessities like  food and healthcare production to be deconcentrated and for local markets to 
expand.  
 
Food security has been spot -lighted in this period where geo -political tensions and supply -chain 
disruptions have led to sharp spikes in food prices.  
 
The discussions on fisheries need to recognise a common global stewardship that all countries have 
to the global commons that are our oceans and to balance this with the pressing need for food 
security. In the careful trade -offs that need to be made, we should ensure that  those who members 
responsible for the greatest depletion of the oceans bounty and the greatest distortions in 
farm-product markets, make a bigger contribution to the reform of the fishery and agriculture. 
Sustainability goals means that we do need an outc ome on fisheries and we should therefore focus 
on realistic outcomes.  
 
In this regard, we believe a balanced package should effectively discipline subsidies to large 
industrial fishing operations and ensure that the biggest subsidizers and distant water f ishing nations 
take greater responsibility. It must contain effective S&D through an appropriate level of de minimis 
to give sufficient policy space to developing countries and safeguard food security and livelihoods of 
artisanal and subsistence fisheries.  
 
In relation to agriculture, we need to focus on delivering a food security and livelihoods package. 
Disciplines on agriculture subsidies remains our priority and focus must be on an aggregate 
measurement of support or AMS above the de minimis to level th e playing field and to address 
concentration of support.  
 
Digitisation is changing our world, and for Africa the question will be how to ensure that its benefits 
are available to African countries, not only for consumption of digital products but also as innovators 
and producers.  
 
WTO reform should be framed in a balanced manner to accommodate the interests of all. We must 
resolve the dysfunctionality of the Appellate Body, but the agenda needs to be broader and focus on 
purpose and impact and deliver for people. The reference to development should result in 
rebalancing of trade rules to provide policy space for African countries to pursue industrialization 
objectives and address the imbalances stemming from the Uruguay Round. The reforms must be 
premised on development and inclusivity, preserve the principles und erpinning the WTO, and must 
achieve the long -outstanding goals of the Doha Development Agenda and gear the WTO towards 
addressing future crises.  
 
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