WT/MIN(22)/ST/34  
12 June 2022  
(22-4470) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Twelfth Session  
Geneva, 12-15 June  2022 Original: French  
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. MS FADHILA REBHI BEN HAMZA  
MINISTER OF TRADE AND EXPORT  DEVELOPMENT  
TUNISIA  
I am delighted to join you in  participat ing in the Twelfth  WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva, and 
wish to  express my gratitude to the Swiss Government for their excellent organi zation and efforts 
to ensure the safety of participants.  
 
Our meeting is  taking place  at an incredibly crucial moment in history, in which the global 
environment is fraught with  all kinds of challenges: unprecedented economic, health, food and social 
challenges, in addition to the effects of the C OVID -19 pandemic, and geopolitical uncertaint ies. 
 
Rising energy, food and commodity prices and soaring inflation are hitting global growth pr ospects 
hard, which are being revised downwards,  and exacerbating the vulnerabilities of the developing 
world first.  
 
It is therefore essential that the multilateral trading system show cooperation, solidarity and swift 
and decisive action in the work of our Conference, and demonstrate its potential for crisis prevention, 
growth, wealth creation and development.  
 
It is important that the MC12 result in balanced outcomes that fully support development objectives 
and allow us , first, to fulfil the commitments we made in previous Ministerial and General Council 
decisions and declarations.  
 
In this respect, addressing the inherited distortions and asymmetries in agriculture, particularly  in 
the area of domestic support, is a prio rity for us, without shifting the burden of reducing agricultural 
subsidies to low -income or resource -poor farmers to developing countries. It is regrettable that this 
priority issue is relegated to a post -conference work programme.  
 
In terms of food security, supply -side shocks and exponentially rising agricultural commodity prices 
in particular are of growing concern to least developed and net food -importing developing countries. 
We hope that  the Conference  will take immediate decisi ons and actions to guard against the 
concentration of global supply, volatility and market insecurity, and maintain open and diversified 
supply chains. The establishment of a permanent solution on public stockholding is thus a priority in 
view of the real and imminent risks of food insecurity.  
 
The Conference is also called upon, as a matter of priority, to provide a coordinated WTO response 
to the COVID -19 pandemic, which should address , first of all,  inequality in vaccination and promote 
global economic recovery.  
 
The TRIPS waiver is also a key element of this re sponse , and should be meaningful, feasible and 
effective in enabling  the diversification of supply and equitable distribution of vaccines, th erapies 
and diagnostics in all countries. This requires refrain ing from requiring burdensome conditions for 
its use, and provid ing the necessary legal assurance for improved  supply and equitable and 
affordable access.  
 WT/MIN(22)/ST/34  
 
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  Moreover , the pandemic response shoul d not undermine existing flexibilities. Any action plan on 
response, preparedness and resilience in the event of a pandemic should ensure special and 
differential treatment for least  developed and developing countries and be mindful of the need for 
policy space, economic resilience, food security and public health protection.  
 
In the area of fisheries subsidies, we support a balanced outcome to achieve SDG target  14.6 while 
taking into account the development needs and objectives of developing and least  developed 
countries , as provided for in the negotiating mandate.  
 
Today we have a shared responsibility to send a strong message that our Organization and the 
multilateral trading system can best respond to crises  and meet the development aspirations of all 
by working together and by respecting the rules that we will achieve.  
 
Therefore, improving the functioning of the WTO should take into account the need to preserve its 
fundamental principles as embodied in the Marrake sh Agreement, notably the multilateral nature  of 
our institution, and decision -making by consensus. It should also address the structural deficiencies 
of the system while strengthening the principles of fairness  and equity.  
 
Moreover , a robust,  rules-based multilateral trading system should be supported by a strong and 
functional dispute settlement system, hence the ongoing  need to resolve the Appellate Body crisis 
in order to restore confidence in this institution and ensure predictability.  
 
I cannot stress  enough that transparency, inclusiveness and a spirit of collaboration must guide the 
work of our Conference if we are to deliver results, and wish to  reaffirm T unisia's commitment to a 
rules-based multilateral trading system.  
 
I would like to  conclude by  thank ing the Director -General of the WTO and the Minister of Trade for 
Kazakhstan for the tremendous work they have done to provide  conditions for a success ful Twelfth 
WTO Ministerial Conference.  
 
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