WT/MIN(22)/ST/134  
14 June 2022  
(22-4634) Page: 1/3 
Ministerial Conference  
Twelfth Session  
Geneva, 12-15 June  2022 Original: French  
 
STATEMENT  BY THE MINISTERS OF TRADE OF  
THE WEST AFRICAN ECONOMIC AND MONETARY UNION (WAEMU)  
TOGO ON BEHALF OF WAEMU  
The Togolese Republic  has the honour  to deliver this statement on behalf of the Ministers of Trade 
of the Member States of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), namely Benin, 
Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guin ea Bissau, Mali, Niger, S enegal and Togo;  
 
Reaffirming our attachment  to the multilateral trading system ; 
 
Concerned by the negative and  long-lasting impact  of the global COVID -19 pandemic on trade, 
the economy  and the social welfare of our populations ; 
 
Concerned  by the severe impact of food insecurity, exacerbated by the recent conflict in Ukraine ; 
 
Concerned  by the extent of the digital divide ; 
 
Emphasizing  the need for equitable access to, and the expeditious distribution of , effective and 
safe COVID -19 vaccines ; 
 
Recalling  that development  and special and differential treatment for developing countries and 
LDCs are crucial and must remain at the heart of the WTO's work ; 
 
Convinced that  a development -oriented multilateral trading system can effectively contribute to 
the structural transformation of our economies ; 
 
Recognizing  the need to rebuild our economies  and ensure the health and protection of our 
populations during the post -COVID -19 period , and taking into account the potential threat of new 
pandemics ;  
 
Taking note  of document IP/C/W/688, on the proposal concerning the waiver to the Agreement on 
Trade -Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) ; 
 
Recognizing  the need to continue providing , and to enhance , funding for targeted technical 
assistance and capacity -building programmes ; 
 
Recalling  Resolutions A/RES/59/209 and A/RES/67/221 on the s mooth transition strategy for 
countries graduating from the list of LDC s; 
 
Reco gnizing  the need to facilitate access to trade finance for micro, small and medium -sized 
enterprises (MSMEs), especially in developing countries and LDCs, and particularly against the 
backdrop of COVID -19; 
 
We h ereby declare  as follows : 
 
1. Regarding the WTO's response to COVID -19 
 
We welcome the initiative that resulted in text proposal  IP/C/W/688 on the TRIPS waiver .  
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  We also welcome China's commitment to forego flexibi lities.  
 
We reiterate our support for an agreement on a TRIPS waiver for the prevention, containment and 
treatment of COVID -19. 
 
We call on other Members to remain flexible in order to reach an agreement on document 
IP/C/W/688 at MC 12. 
 
We support the initiative of the Director -General and the General Council Chair to find horizontal 
solutions for the WTO with a view to  ensuring recovery  from the COVID -19 pandemic . 
 
We urge Members to facilitate trade in the medical products used to fight COVID -19. We call on 
Members to refrain from imposing export restrictions . 
 
2. Regarding WTO reform  
 
We support the creation of a working group based on the fundamental principles and objectives of 
the WTO .  
 
We urge the WTO Secretariat to provide developing countries in need, and in particular LDCs, with 
the support required to over come shortcomings related to the difficulties they experience in 
implementing notification obligations . 
 
Regarding the Appellate Body, we urge Ministers to find the impetus to restore this body as soon as 
possible . 
 
3. Regarding agriculture and sanitary an d phytosanitary (SPS) measures  
 
We call for the adoption of a three -step approach: (i) the building of consensus on the principles 
that should guide the continuation of the agriculture negotiations after MC12, in respect of  the three 
pillars (domestic support, market access  and export competition and r estrictions); (ii) the 
identification of concrete interim measures  validat ing the established principles; and (iii) the building 
of consensus on the immediate implementation of specific measures to promote food security in low -
income and net food -importing countries.  
 
We call upon Members to adopt the proposed declarati on on SPS measures, which seeks to address  
modern -day SPS challenges . 
 
4. Regarding the restrictions imposed on World Food Programme (WFP) purchases  
 
We call on Members not to impose export prohibitions or restrictions on foodstuffs purchased for 
non-commercial humanitarian purposes . 
 
5. Regarding cotton  
 
We actively support the efforts of the sectoral initiative in favour of cotton ( the C4). We call for a 
concrete outcome on the trade component of cotton at MC12 , in particular as regards domestic 
support . 
 
We call on Members and partners to increase cotton development assistance . 
 
6. Regarding fisheries subsidies  
 
We support multilateral negotiations and agreement s on fisheries subsidies disciplines . 
 
Accordingly, we  call for an agreement to be reached on such disciplines at the Twelfth Ministerial 
Conference . 
 
7. Regarding e -commerce  
 
We are determined to contribute to a solution on e -commerce and we therefore support Members in 
finding  proposals . We call for action to significantly reduce the digital divide . WT/MIN(22)/ST/134  
 
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  8. Regarding special and differential treatment (S&D) 
 
We call for an outcome on S&D  in line with paragraph 44 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, 
including the 10 agreement -specific proposals put forward by the G90 . 
 
9. Regarding the implementation of decisions in favour of LDCs  
 
We welcome the decision of the Committee on Rules of Origin aimed at identifying and adopting best 
practices on preferential rules of origin and administrative requirements .  
 
We call for the ful l implementation of the Bali, Nairobi and Buenos Aires Ministerial Decisions in 
favour of LDCs . 
 
10. Regarding LDC graduation  
 
We underline the importance of LDC-related issues at the WTO, including the need for a longer and 
uniform transition period to as sist graduated LDCs . 
 
We call for an outcome on the LDC graduation proposal  at this Ministerial Conference . 
 
11. Regarding  services  
 
We draw Ministers' attention to the impact of the pandemic and the challenges and opportunities for 
services . 
 
We call for the implementation of the Ministerial Decision on Preferential Treatment to Services and 
Service Suppliers of LDCs,  and decisions  related thereto . 
 
12. Regarding micro, small and medium -sized enterprises (MSMEs ) 
 
We support the proposed declaration on micro, small and medium -sized enterprises (MSMEs) and 
call on Members to adopt it at MC12 . 
 
13. Regarding Aid for Trade and the Enhanced Integrated Framewor k (EIF)  
 
We are pleased to note that the WTO continues to prioritize Aid for Trade and we welcome the 
outcomes of the Aid for Trade stocktaking event . 
 
We also welcome the EIF's contribution to the efforts made by our countries . 
 
We wish to express our gra titude to all current EIF donors and we urge other donors to undertake 
funding commitments at this Ministerial Conference . 
 
14. Regarding WTO accessions  
 
We urge WTO Members to take into account the development and capacity constraints of the most 
vulnerable acceding Members, and call for concessions to be commensurate with their size  and their 
development needs.  
 
We call on  Members to respect  the General Council's Decision of  25 July 2012 on LDC accession, 
which reinforces and clarifies  the guidelines  adopted in 2002 . 
 
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