WT/MIN(24)/ST/63  
26 February  2024 
(24-1557) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Thirteenth Session  
Abu Dhabi, 26 -29 February 2024  Original: English  
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. MS REBECCA MIANO, EGH  
CABINET SECRETARY FOR INVESTMENTS,  
TRADE AND INDUSTRY  
KENYA 
It is with great pleasure that I take this singular opportunity  to thank the Chair of the 13th WTO 
Ministerial Conference H.E Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade of the 
United Arab Emirates (UAE), for hosting us in Abu Dhabi on this auspicious occasion. I also wish to 
sincerely thank the Director -General of the WTO, D r Ngozi  Okonjo -Iweala, and the WTO Secretariat 
for all the preparations towards this important Conference.  
 
I similarly wish to recognize my fellow Ministers, the Chair of the General Council, Chairpersons of 
the various WTO Committees, and all Delegates who have contributed to the successful holding of 
this important Conference. Let me also thank the Government of the UAE for the hospitality and for 
hosting the Conference in the wonderful Capital of Abu Dhabi.  
 
We have converged in Abu Dhabi close to thre e decades since the establishment of the WTO back 
in April 1994. The aspiration of the founders of the WTO to strengthen the world economy and lead 
to more trade, investment, employment and income growth throughout the world is still firmly alive. 
However,  a number of emergent uncertainties that have rocked the world in recent years have 
blurred the original dream of the WTO. From the on -going geopolitical tension in Europe to the war 
in the Middle East and the festering Red Sea crisis, global trade has suf fered many a setback 
primarily due to massive supply chain disruptions. The attendant distortions have resorted in the 
skyrocketing of prices of crucial commodities.  
 
The triple planetary crises of pollution, climate change, and loss of biodiversity, meanw hile, continue 
to ravage many countries, with distinctly devastating impacts on some of the most vulnerable 
economies, even as they try to wriggle out of the disastrous after -effects of the COVID -19 pandemic.  
 
The growing geopolitical conflicts and the ri sing tensions among superpowers have strained what is 
considered the most critical link holding the globalised world together – trust. Beneficial 
interdependence of world economies rests on mutual trust and shared purpose. Therefore, 
willingness of nations  to reduce or eliminate trade barriers, keenness to rely on one another for 
critical supplies and technologies and readiness to work with, rather than against each other to 
deliver win -win socio -economic outcomes is a critical imperative.   
 
This prevailing  situation calls for a re -examination of the role of trade in addressing some of the 
most pressing challenges of our time – maintaining peace and security, reducing poverty and 
inequality, addressing environmental challenges and achieving inclusive and sus tainable 
development. It is worth noting that international trade, anchored on a strengthened multilateral 
trading system, plays an indispensable role in achieving a more secure, resilient, equitable, inclusive 
and sustainable world.  
 
We therefore should revitalize the multilateral trading system to be responsive to contemporary and 
emerging issues and restore trust in the system to achieve the desired goals. Above all, it is 
important to ensure that all Member s feel part of the process and the outcomes. We commend our 
experts for the efforts they have made in the negotiations in time for this Ministerial Conference, 
despite the few impediments that seem to stand on the way to reaching a quick consensus.  WT/MIN(24)/ST/63  
 
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  Among our priorities for MC13 are adoption of tighter disciplines on subsidies that contribute to 
overcapacity and overfishing, particularly for large scale, industrial distant water fishing. We urgently 
need in place special and differential treatment provision s that avail us the desired policy space to 
develop our marine fisheries sector. We also need to extend more structured support to small scale 
and artisanal fishing.  We, therefore, look forward to the conclusion of the second phase of the 
fisheries negotia tions to pave the way for a sustainable Blue Economy  – and specifically, fishing 
industry  – regimen globally.  
 
Thankfully, we are in the last stages of finalising our internal procedures for ratification of the 
Fisheries Subsidies Agreement and will soon d eposit our instrument of acceptance with the 
Director -General.  
 
Agriculture is a crucial aspect of Kenya' s economy. It is vitally critical with regard to food security. 
Even though we are deeply concerned with the lack of progress in the agriculture refor m 
negotiations, we are optimistic that this Ministerial Conference will deliver outcomes that will provide 
respite for developing countries, particularly Net Food -Importing Countries (NFIDCs) and Least 
Developed Countries (LDCs), which are disproportionate ly affected by food insecurity. We also 
should agree on principles that will underpin negotiations towards the delivery of outcomes that 
address market distortions and structural causes of food and livelihood security.  
 
On WTO reforms, we commend Member s on efforts made thus far to fulfil the MC12 mandate of 
reforming the WTO to address the challenges that it is facing and ensure its proper functioning. We 
laud the reform -by-doing approach noting that this is an ongoing process  that requires trials and 
periodic assessment of what works better for the organisation and its Member s.  
 
The Dispute Settlement System is a cardinal pillar of the multilateral trading system, and we 
therefore take note of the ongoing informal reform discussions. We call on expeditiou s formalisation 
of this process in order to ensure that that all Member s contribute to the deliberations. At this 
Conference, we should instruct our experts to work within clear timelines to fulfil the MC12 mandate 
of ensuring a fully and well -functioning dispute settlement system accessible to all Member s, 
including the restoration of the appellate mechanism.  
 
On the Development agenda , we remain hopeful that concurrence on the Agreement -Specific 
Proposals (ASPs), particularly those that relate to the San itary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and 
Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreements will be reached. The objective of these proposals is to 
ensure stability, predictability and transparency in the implementation of the existing Special and 
Differential Treatmen t provisions, and not to demand for more flexibilities nor seek blanket 
exemptions from existing commitments. We therefore expect MC13 to deliver meaningful outcomes 
on the core elements contained in the two ASPs.  
 
In conclusion, I congratulate the Union o f the Comoros and the Democratic Republic of Timor -Leste 
on their accession to the WTO. I join other Member s in welcoming them and call on all of us to 
support them as they implement their new commitments.  
 
I look forward to successful and productive engag ements with fellow Ministers in Abu Dhabi, to 
ensure that MC13 delivers on the expectations of the Member s. 
 
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