WT/MIN(24)/ST/82  
26 February  2024 
(24-1585) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Thirteenth Session  
Abu Dhabi, 26 -29 February 2024  Original:  Spanish  
 
  
STATEMENT BY H.E. MS  DIANA ELENA MONDINO  
MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS,  INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND WORSHIP  
ARGENTINA  
Argentina thanks the United Arab Emirates for its excellent organization of this Conference, which is 
particularly important for the multilateral trading system and for our country. As we mark the 
30th anniversary of the establishment of the WTO, Argentina is also celebrating 57 years since joining 
the GATT.  
Now is the time to reaffirm the importance of the rules -based  multilateral trading system, with a 
WTO that is able to move forward in its original mission to dismantle barriers to international trade 
and free up private enterprise . This Conference coincides with the start of a new chapter for 
Argentina under Preside nt Milei's leadership, a period marked by an open -market economy, the 
promotion of trade and investment, free competition and full integration into the global economy.  
We are committed to regaining our status as a trusted partner and to promoting open, dis tortion -free 
trade that unlocks our full national productive potential. We possess valuable and abundant natural, 
energy and agricultural resources in one of the most fertile territories in the world, as well as 
significant reserves of lithium and gas. We are a leading food and agri -tech producer, a contributor 
to global food security, and a technology leader in the fields of biotechnology  and nuclear and space  
technology . We also excel in key niche areas of knowledge -based services and high - and 
medium -tech manufacturing, and we boast an educated, creative and entrepreneurial population.  
In today's landscape, the world is grappling with a multitude of crises. In this context , the prospects 
for trade growth seem inadequate to decisively counter the slowdown experienced last year. Trade 
tensions are rising, and worrying trends indicate a shift towards increased protectionism . That is 
why we need  to send a very clear message in the right direction at this Conference. It is our collective 
responsibility to build a modernized WTO, with this process encompassing its three functions of 
monitoring, negotiation and dispute settlement . 
With regard to agriculture, the WTO has a historical debt and a mandate it must honour to eliminate 
distortions and barriers to agricul tural trade that have historically harmed the most efficient 
producing countries. Only free, open and sustainable agricultural trade can lead to the increased 
availability of food to address food insecurity. At the same time, it is imperative to finalize disciplines 
to prohibit fisheries subsidies ; this will  contribut e to a fishing trade with fewer distortions and, above 
all, to preserving marine resources as a source of wealth. We also support extending the e -commerce 
moratorium at this Conferenc e for a period of two years, ensuring benefits for digital transactions 
and facilitating greater participation of enterprises in global trade.  
A separate mention should be made of the conclusion of the plurilateral Agreement on Investment 
Facilitation, whi ch is set to be announced at this Conference. This next -generation agreement 
complements the efforts being made by countries like Argentina to create  an investment -friendly 
environment and a favourable climate for private enterprise. At the same time, in a n ever -changing 
trading environment, we support continued work alongside other interested Members on plurilateral 
initiatives, such as that on e-commerce and others designed to address the new forms of trade in 
the 21st century.  WT/MIN(24)/ST/82  
 
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  For these efforts to bear f ruit, we must reinforce the WTO's institutional framework. The dispute 
settlement system is the fundamental tool that enables the Organization not only to ensure that the 
benefits of trade reach all its Members , but also to honour its mandate as a rules -based system. 
Argentina supports and reiterates its commitment to the collective efforts being made by the 
Membership to establish a dispute settlement system that is efficient, accessible and transparent 
with the legal robustness provided by a two -tier mech anism . 
To conclude, I would like to reiterate Argentina's commitment to help ing ensure concrete results at 
this Conference that will reinforce the multilateral trading system, enhance the export capacity of 
enterprises, and promote long -term and sustainabl e development. To that end, we need more trade 
and investment, more multilateralism, more cooperation and more WTO. Now is the time for us to 
work together, based on shared rules and values, to achieve lasting results that promote the 
well-being and freedo m of our citizens.  
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