WT/MIN(22)/ST/112  
12 June 2022 
(22-4552) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Twelfth Session  
Geneva, 12 -15 June 2022  Original: English  
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR JOAQUIM AMARAL  
COORDINATING MINISTER FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS  
TIMOR-LESTE 
(Speaking as an Observer)  
I am honoured to address the Twelfth WTO Ministerial Conference on behalf of the Government and 
the People of the Democratic Republic of Timor -Leste. This time we are participating as an observer 
negotiating our accession. We are committed and fully dedica ted to join you at the next Conference 
as a full member of the Organization.  
I would like to congratulate and thank the chair Mr. Timur Suleimenov and the Government of 
Kazakhstan and the Director -General Ngozi Okonjo -Iweala and the WTO for co -hosting thi s 
conference and for the warm welcome given to my delegation.  
The WTO is the bedrock of international trade and Timor -Leste shares the vision and principles of 
the organization. We consider that liberalization of trade and multilateralism are key to impro ve 
people's standards of living, to achieve full  employment and to promote economic growth. The 
unprecedented backlash on international trade and globalisation as well as the socio -economic crisis 
triggered by the COVID -19 Pandemic and the current geopolit ical situation makes this Ministerial 
Conference of paramount importance. The works of these days will be essential to reconduct the 
situation and to ensure that, as the Doha Development Agenda and the 2030 Sustainable 
Development Goals promise, "no one wi ll be left behind".  
Timor -Leste's Vision for 2030 enshrines WTO accession as one of the main economic and trade policy 
objectives. We consider that our full membership is necessary to achieve faster economic growth, 
diversification, and transformation. Ou r national development plan envisions, in the next 10 years, 
Timor -Leste will be a modern and diversified economy with high -quality infrastructures and a 
growing, healthy and well -educated middle class.  
We firmly believe that becoming an active player in the international trade of goods and services is 
at the core of our economic expansion. Trade is an engine for development and Timor -Leste has a 
huge potential that is yet to be developed in many areas. As a full member, the country will be able 
to diversi fy its economy, become part of the value chain of global economies and bring about more 
cross-border business opportunities. We will be able to improve the general quality of life of our 
people and ensure our general economic growth. We will be better suit ed to attract foreign investors 
and our companies will have a better opportunity to grow and expand beyond our borders.   
It has been a long way since 2015, when Timor -Leste submitted its application to become a member 
of the World Trade Organization. Today , six years later and even with the repercussion of the 
COVID -19 Pandemic, I am proud to say that our determination has given results.  
We have been able to organise three Working Party Meetings in the last two years and we have 
circulated our updated offe rs on Good and Services. According to our revised offer on Goods, 
Timor -Leste has proposed a reduction of more than 10% on the trade duties applicable to 10,800 
products. This would put Timor -Leste as one of the WTO members with the lowest level of trade 
duties overall. According to a study by the World Bank on Timor -Leste's Goods Markets Access Offer, WT/MIN( 22)/ST/ 112 
 
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  with our revised offer, Timor -Leste's bound tariffs rate will average at 12.3% with only 27 WTO 
members having lower average bound rates.  
In our revised off er on services, we have agreed to commit to a substantial number of subsectors in 
response to requests from members. We are willing to commit to 86 subsectors compared to 32 in 
our initial offer. Timor -Leste now compares well with other acceded LDCs in ter ms of the overall 
level of commitments.  
We are swiftly harmonising our legal framework within WTO requirements and international 
standards, including those contained in the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement, the Technical 
Barriers to Trade Agreement an d the Customs Valuation Agreement. Timor -Leste is also planning on 
adhering to the Plurilateral Government Procurement Agreement in one year and joining the 
Information Technology Agreement as soon as we are ready.  
I am proud to say that the Democratic Rep ublic of Timor -Leste will be also the first LDC country 
participating in the Joint Initiative on Service Domestic Regulation.  
Timor -Leste is willing to deepen our engagements and continue fast -tracking the process. We aim 
to sign some bilateral agreements with interested members in due course.  
At last, regarding the TRIPS agreement, we have signed an MoU with the WIPO. With the support 
of WIPO and other development partners, Timor -Leste is currently drafting the first version of an 
Industrial Property Code and at the initial stage of establishing the national IP Strategies and the 
national IP Office.  
Overall, we hope that this i nitial commitment package, which we consider extensive for an LDC, 
demonstrates our dedication to adherence to WTO rules and reflects our strong will to integrate into 
the international trade order. Considering all the above and the enormous effort made du ring the 
process, I would like to ask members to consider the challenges and difficulties that Timor -Leste 
and other LDCs face, and in line with the WTO Accession Guidelines for LDC, to show flexibility and 
exercise restrain when seeking commitments from T imor-Leste.  
I would like to thank our partners, especially Australia, the EIF, the European Union, New Zealand, 
the United States of America, the World Bank and the World Intellectual Property Organization for 
their valuable support in our accession proce ss. I would also like to thank the WTO Secretariat for 
its endless assistance and Portugal and the Chief of our Working Party, Ambassador Rui Macieira for 
his continued support along the way.  
As a member, counts with the support of the members of the g7+ on Timor -Leste's accession to the 
WTO. I would like to stress the significance of the program "Trade for Peace", which recognises the 
role of trade in promoting economic development, peace, and stability. Since 2018, many initiatives 
have been undertaken b y the WTO Secretariat under this initiative. It is our intention to expand it 
and I would like to call upon WTO members to be involved and commit to this program together 
with the g7+ members and other LDC countries through technical assistance and support .  
I would like to conclude by highlighting the sound commitment of the country to the accession 
process to the WTO and ASEAN. In this regard, please allow me to refer to the statement made by 
our newly elected President and Nobel Prize Laureate, H.E. José  Ramos Horta, reaffirming that "WTO 
accession is as important to us as our accession to ASEAN. Attainment of these twin goals enjoys 
solid national consensus and commitment. This means, there may be changes in leadership within 
the Government and the Count ry, as part of normal democratic cycles, but the State is permanent 
and the twin goals, membership in ASEAN and WTO remain our National Strategic Priorities".  
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