RD/COMTD/AFT/23* 
21 November 2023  
 Page: 1/3 
Committee on Trade and Development  
(Aid for Trade)  Original:  English/anglais/inglés  
 
 
  
UNOFFICIAL ROOM DOCUMENT1 
COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT – 59TH SESSION ON AID FOR TRADE  
STATEMENT BY VANUATU  
14 November 2023  
 
 
Comité du commerce et du développement (Aide pour le commerce)  
 
DOCUMENT DE S ÉANCE NON OFFICIEL1 
COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT – 59TH SESSION ON AID FOR TRADE  
STATEMENT BY VANUATU  
14 November 2023  
 
 
Comité de Comercio y Desarrollo (Ayuda para el Comercio)  
 
DOCUMENTO DE SALA NO OF ICIAL1 
COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT – 59TH SESSION ON AID FOR TRADE  
STATEMENT BY VANUATU  
14 November 2023  
 
_______________  
  
 
* In Original language only/En langue originale seulement/En el idioma original solamente.  
1 Documents issued in the RD series are not official WTO documents. They usually appear in their 
language of submission and will not be translated systematically into the  working languages of the WTO. They 
are intended for use in WTO meeting rooms and are attributed an unofficial symbol for archiving purposes only.  
Les documents de la série RD ne sont pas des documents officiels de l 'OMC. Ils ne paraissent 
généralement qu e dans la langue dans laquelle ils ont été communiqués et ne seront pas systématiquement 
traduits dans les langues de travail de l'OMC. Ils sont destinés aux salles de réunion de l'OMC et une cote non 
officielle leur est attribuée à des fins d'archivage.  
Los documentos de la serie RD no son documentos oficiales de la OMC. Por lo general se distribuyen en 
el idioma en que han sido presentados y no se traduce n sistemáticamente a los idiomas de trabajo de la 
Organización. Se distribuyen para su uso en las sal as de reunión de la OMC y se les asigna una signatura no 
oficial a efectos de archivo únicamente.  RD/COMTD/AFT/23  
 
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Statement  delivered  by Brill  Palmer,  
Vanuatu  Permanent  Mission  of the Republic  of Vanuatu  to the United  Nations  and 
other International Organisations in Geneva  
 
Committee  on Trade  and Development  – 59th session  on Aid for Trade  – 14th 
November 2023  
 
 
Statement:  
 
Thank  you chair for giving  me the floor to deliver  this statement  on behalf  of my Ambassador and 
the Vanuatu Delegation.  
 
Relevant  to Agenda  B.I.b and B.II.e  on the Implementation  of AfT work activities – the Resource  
mobilisation  and implementation  Activities  report  from members and of the AfT  Mainstreaming 
Update, I provide this brief update on behalf of Vanuatu in line with the AfT -related developments 
in which Vanuatu has benefited from thus far.  
 
Vanuatu,  amongst  many  Developing,  LDC and Graduating  LDCs,  have benefited immensely from 
the Ai d for Trade initiatives aiming to address the supply side and trade -related infrastructure 
obstacles crippling our ability to engage in international trade.  
 
Mr Chairman,  according  to the ‘Aid for Trade  At Glance  report  of the year 2022’, the  Aid for Trade  
support  to Vanuatu  has shown  an annual  increase  of 17% from 2006 since the commencement of 
the AfT to 2020. This increase has seen a substantial improvement and strengthening of our major 
GDP-contributing sectors of the economy, such as Agriculture ( including Forestry and Fisheries),  
Transportation and Storage, Energy Generation and Supply, Banking and Financial Services, and 
Trade Policy and Regulations reforms.  
 
Furthermore,  over the period  of 15 years,  the AfT initiatives  have been observed to contribute to 
the priorities of building productive capacity, transportation, infrastructure and MSME growth and 
development.  
 
Through this AfT support, Vanuatu have embarked on various development programmes, some 
of which are worth mentioning:  
 
• The Vanua tu Tourism Infrastructure  Project – one of the biggest  (or if not the biggest) AfT 
infrastructure projects in Vanuatu – A new facelift for Vanuatu’s Capital sea -front to 
improve the image of Vanuatu as a tourist destination.  
 
• The Vanuatu Electronic Single Window. A one -stop online platform for traders  to source  
information  and speed  up turnaround  time for export  and import clearance.  
 
• Support to Value addition programmes and Vanuatu Made programmes  under Vanuatu’s 
Overarching Trade Policy Framework and its industrial policy.  
 
o For a Micro  Small  Enterprise  (MSE)  in Vanuatu,  support  of as little as  USD 500 goes 
a long way to show the government’s  commitment to their dreams in value addition 
of kava, co coa, coconut, fisheries, forestry, fruits and vegetables, and livestock.  
 
RD/COMTD/AFT/23  
 
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  In light of these  development  contributions,  the delegation  of Vanuatu  wishes  to acknowledge our 
development partners, such as Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, Japan and China;  
our International  Cooperation agencies,  such as the WTO through the EIF, ADB and the World 
Bank; and the wider international community at large for your continuous support thus far into 
our development journey.  
 
However, Mr  Chair, as much as it is equally important to note the abovementioned development 
highlights made possible through the AfT initiatives,  we owe it to ourselves  to also share  our 
challenges,  which  perhaps  can be an opportunity going forward for future needed  consideration 
and action.  
 
Mr Chair, while a total of USD 556 Billion was disbursed as part of the AfT initiatives  from 2006 to 
2020,  only 1% of the funding  is allocated  to the Oceania region  – 12 countries  (excluding  Australia  
and New Zealand).  So, if split equally, on  average,  a Pacific  Country  gets 0.083%  of the total 
Oceania  AfT funding  share depending on population density, country size, and Power to persuade 
funding support  with limited  consideration  on the natural  vulnerability  position  of the 
countries of which Vanuatu, the Pacific and various other SIDS countries share similar threats of 
natural and economic vulnerability. Our delegation, therefore, urges the WTO, our development 
partners, international cooperation and the wider international community to ensure our 
vulnerability positions in both natural  and economic phenomena are highly considered when 
making important decisions in terms of AfT allocation, as for small, vulnerable island developing 
countries,  adequate  resources  will translate  to incomplete  development  outcomes leaving  our 
shores  with vulnerable  foundations  for us today  and risking  our future for tomorrow.  
 
Mr Chair,  for us in the Pacific,  although  I speak  on behalf  of my national  capacity, Climate  Change  
poses  the most significant  threat  to our shores,  and we, therefore, cannot talk about AfT to 
development without talking about Climate Change – the implications it poses on our development 
entails our greatest risks to development. Just three 2 weeks ago, Vanuatu was str uck by a 
Category 4 cyclone,  TC Lola, emphasising  the urgency  of our concerns  – Even as we speak, a  
tropical  low depression  is roaming  our nearby  waters.  Vanuatu,  however,  is no stranger to the 
effects of Climate Change. Apart from the rising effects of sea level  rise and increased  ocean  
acidification,  just earlier  this year (7 months  ago), Vanuatu was hit by 2 category 4 cyclones 
occurring just 2 days apart from each other  and affecting  over 66% of our population.  These  events  
magnify  our natural and  socio-economic  vulnerability,  putting  our resilience  and adaptive  capacity  
to the  test. Thus,  building  resilience  alongside  the support  of AfT is also crucial  for us, requiring 
more support to ensure current and future AfT support can be effective.  
 
The glaring  impact  of the COVID -19 pandemic  is also a  major  hindrance  on our development  
journey,  causing  delays  in some  of our major  AfT-funded  initiatives in the industry and construction 
sector, particularly our feeder roads connecting our large agricultural -producing communities.  
 
Furthermore, the support provided under the AfT initiative to our service sector has been 
considerably limited. Giv en that this sector holds a competitive advantage for us, we strongly urge 
WTO members to enhance their support for Vanuatu in addressing this issue.  
 
I thank  you chair.  
 
 
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