WT/MIN(24)/ST/87  
26 February  2024 
(24-1592) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Thirteenth Session  
Abu Dhabi, 26 -29 February 2024  Original: English  
 
 
STATEMENT BY HON. MR VILIAMI UASIKE LATU  
MINISTER FOR TRADE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT  
TONGA 
I join my fellow distinguished delegates in congratulating Your Excellency, Dr  Thani bin Ahmed Al 
Zeyoudi in your role as Chair of this 13th Ministerial Conference.  
I thank the Government and people of the United Arab Emirates for the warm reception and 
hospitality shown to my delegation.  
Tonga aligns itself with the statement of the Pacific Group; the Organization of African Caribbean 
and Pa cific States, and the Small and Vulnerable Economies Group.  
Tonga continues to face significant challenges in a world that is constantly marred by crises that are 
beyond our control. As a nation, we are still grappling with the aftermath of the COVID -19 pandemic 
and the Hunga -Tonga -Hunga -Ha'apai undersea volcanic eruption and tsunami.  
Indeed, climate change remains a grave threat to our economy and very existence. 
Resilience -building and economic recovery continues to be of utmost priority with which we st ill rely 
heavily on donors and external support. This and other vulnerabilities significantly hinder 
development and meaningful progress for small island developing states such as Tonga. In this 
connection, Tonga recognizes the need to support the work to better assist developing countries and 
LDCs who are grappling with the crippling effects of polycrises including those related to climate, 
health and other global phenomena.   
It is already common knowledge that fisheries provide a critical source of liveli hood, economic 
development and food security for our countries and region. The ocean and its resources are not 
only critical for our economies, but they also form core aspects of our social and cultural identities 
given that we in the Pacific are surrounde d by the largest ocean in the world.  
As such, Tonga joins the call to expedite the ratification of the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement which 
should, among other aims, effectively address overcapacity and overfishing (OCOF), and target the 
most harmful subsid ies. Consideration for special and differential treatment for developing countries 
that are not responsible for OCOF – including providing exemptions for LDCs and newly graduated 
LDCs – is therefore imperative. Tonga welcomes the Fisheries Funding Mechanis m and underlines 
that it must be easily accessible, while allowing Members the prerogative to determine their own 
national fisheries systems.  
Agriculture is a critical sector for Tonga and the impact of global crises on supply chains continues 
to be a con cern. We must ensure that the reform process in agriculture takes into account the food 
security concerns for developing countries including LDCs, SIDs and Net Food Importing Developing 
Countries. We must level the playing field in agricultural trade and e nsure measures are available 
to help counter adverse impacts.  
While Tonga is hopeful at the progress made in relation to small economies, more concrete efforts 
are needed to address the specific challenges and needs of small vulnerable economies. Tonga is 
among the countries that has a very limited export base and as such we support the need to closely WT/MIN(24)/ST/87  
 
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  monitor the progress of proposals in the WTO and its various bodies to ensure that the concerns of 
SVEs are effectively addressed.  
With reference to e -comme rce, Tonga continues to support the call to reduce and eliminate the 
digital divide and underlines the need to further discuss implications of the moratorium on developing 
countries and temporarily extend this to avoid imposing custom duties on electronic transmissions.  
Tonga strongly believes in the strengthening of our multilateral trading system and thus the WTO 
reform is crucial. Our time spent here this week should be marked by constructive dialogue and 
cooperation with the aim of ensuring the outcome  of the reform espouses the principles and spirit 
of the Marrakesh agreement.  As such, long -standing concerns of developing countries and LDCs 
must therefore be addressed and translated into tangible positive outcomes. Tonga agrees that 
proposals for dispu te settlement reform need to be formalized under the Dispute Settlement Body. 
It goes without saying that a level playing field in world trade for all its Members is the utmost aim 
of the reform that Tonga supports,  particularly for those Members who are m ost vulnerable and at 
risk of being left behind.  
I wish to thank the Secretariat in facilitating our participation in the work of the WTO, given that we 
are among those countries who do not have a presence in Geneva. I also thank  the Commonwealth 
Secretari at and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat who continue to provide essential support for 
Tonga 's engagement in the WTO.  
I wish to conclude by reiterating that two years have passed since MC12. Though some progress 
has been made, our world continues to sh ow troubling trends of growing geopolitical tensions, 
environmental, health, and economic crises that can have profound adverse impacts on global trade 
flows. For small developing island states such as Tonga, the numerous threats to our economy and 
trade c apabilities is overwhelming. However, I count on the deliberations and outcome of our 
meeting this week to provide meaningful solutions that can lessen rather than worsen the concerns 
we have. We must endeavor to leave MC13 with concrete and positive resul ts for our respective 
nations.  
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