WT/MIN(22)/ST/9  
12 June 2022 
(22-4445) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Twelfth Session  
Geneva, 12 -15 June 2022  Original: English  
 
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR ZAYED BIN RASHID ALZAYANI  
MINISTER OF INDUSTRY, COMMERCE, AND TOURISM  
KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN 
I am pleased to join you today at the WTO 's 12th Ministerial Conference in Geneva representing the 
Kingdom of Bahrain.  
It gives me great honor to convey the greetings of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King  of 
the Kingdom of Bahrain, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown 
Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, as well as the Government and the people of 
the Kingdom of Bahrain to the co -hosts of this important Ministerial Conference; the Government of 
Kazakhstan and the Government of the Swiss Confederation and the Canton of Geneva.  
As we gather here at MC12 under unique a nd challenging circumstances posed by the COVID -19 
pandemic, logistic disturbances and rising food and energy prices, the pivotal role played by the 
World Trade Organization for the solid maintenance and support of the multilateral trading system, 
the sust ained expansion of world trade, and the economic and social development of developing and 
least-developed countries, particularly in building back, cannot be understated.  
As a founding member of the WTO and a strong supporter of open global trade, the King dom of 
Bahrain is committed to the success of this Conference and the continued strength of this 
Organization. We take special interest in issues of vital interest to developing countries, LDCs, Small 
Island Developing States, and Net Food Importing Countr ies (NFICs).  
Such areas include the WTO 's response to the pandemic, food security measures, fisheries subsidies 
disciplines, the development dimension, among other areas of vital interest.  
In light of the spiralling food costs and supply chain disruption s, countries worldwide are confronted 
with the worst food shortages in decades. As this takes effect, trade liberalization is becoming even 
more important to tackle ongoing and upcoming global challenges on a multilateral level.  
Being a traditional free m arket economy, and liberal trading country, the Kingdom of Bahrain 
maintains a profound interest in its trade expansion and its investment growth.  
In this context, the Kingdom of Bahrain also welcomes discussions in the areas of e -commerce, the 
digital ec onomy and MSMEs as a pre -requisite to creating an open and fair trading environment with 
development and inclusiveness at its core.  
Inclusive trade through the World Trade Organization has long been recognized as a catalyst for the 
economic growth and pove rty reduction that contributes to the promotion of sustainable 
development both by the UN 2030 Agenda and its accompanying Sustainable Development Goals.  
In this regard, the Kingdom  of Bahrain renews its firm support for the Arab countries currently 
negoti ating their accession to the WTO and have been encouraged by the progress that has been 
made in their respect so far. In the same vein, we reiterate our support for according WTO observer 
status to The League of Arab States, one of the most prominent regio nal Intergovernmental 
Organizations in the world.  WT/MIN( 22)/ST/ 9 
 
- 2 - 
 
  Mr. Chairman,  I take this opportunity to renew our delegation 's commitment to the success of MC12 
and to the attainment of concrete and equitable outcomes based on a framework of global 
coordination and cooperation to achieve positive results in areas of vital interest in the multilateral 
trading system.  
__________