WT/MIN(24)/ST/37  
 
26 February  2024 
(24-1510) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Thirteenth Session  
Abu Dhabi, 26 -29 February 2024  Original: English  
 
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR NAADIR HASSAN  
MINISTER OF FINANCE, NATIONAL  PLANNING  AND TRADE  
SEYCHELLES  
On behalf of the Republic of Seychelles, I extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to the 
Government and people of the United Arab Emirates for graciously hosting the 13th Ministerial 
Conference of the WTO. I would also like to express our gratitude to the Director -General and the 
dedicated team at the WTO Secretariat for their unwavering commitment and efforts which have 
also facilitated our gathering in Abu Dhabi.  
 
As we honor the 30th Anniversary since the establishment of the WTO, Seychelles reaffir ms its 
commitments to the principles and objectives enshrined in the Marrakesh Agreement, emphasizing 
the importance of a rules -based, non -discriminatory, open, fair, inclusive, equitable and transparent 
multilateral trading system.  
 
Additionally, I exten d a sincere welcome to Comoros and Timor -Leste to the WTO, and wish both 
nations every success in their endeavours towards trade integration within the Organization.  
 
At present, risks and uncertainties pervade our global landscape; the world is grappling with a range 
of crises, from geopolitical tensions to rising debt distresses, all exacerbated by the devastating 
effects of climate change which Seychelles, as a small island developing state, is especially affected 
by. The Seychelles may be just a small g roup of islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean, but it is 
also part of that global village, and it feels the full impact of these crises, even more so than most.  
We, however, are always hopeful because history has proven again and again that  it is preci sely in 
such times of adversity that our collective efforts and capacity for transformative action are truly 
revealed.  
  
At the heart of our concerns lies the necessity to discipline certain forms of subsidies which contribute 
to overcapacity and overfishi ng, in line with the mandates set out in that of SDG 14.6 and those 
articulated in the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies Ministerial Decision of June 2022. The 
achievement of these comprehensive disciplines should be appropriately balanced and should in clude 
appropriate special and differential treatment provisions for the requisite policy space to allow 
developing and least developed countries ' small -scale fisheries to fully benefit from its potential in 
terms of food security, livelihoods, and employme nt.  
 
Aligned with the principle of sustainability and mindful of the crucial need to safeguard the health of 
our oceans, I encourage fellow Members who have yet to ratify the WTO Agreement on Fisheries 
Subsidies to do so. Additionally, I commend the work undertaken in relation to the Fisheries Funding 
Mechanism, to which Seychelles is a beneficiary, and look forward to further developments in this 
regard.  
 
Seychelles further supports continued discussions on special and different treatment for developing 
countries and LDCs as an integral component of existing and future WTO trade rules which should 
be protected and strengthened to ensure its relevance and effectiveness in its continued application.  
I also look forward to joining my colleague Ministers in securing an outcome on small economies, 
which speaks to our continuous efforts to integrate those small and vulnerable economies like the 
Seychelles into the multilateral trading system and to contribute to meaningful development 
outcomes.  
 WT/MIN(24)/ST/37  
 
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  Additionally, I emphasize the crucial role of e -commerce for Seychelles as we pursue our 
diversification goals. My delegation fully supports the continued revitalization of the 1998 Work 
Programme on Electronic Commerce, prioritizing its developmental aspe ct in bridging the digital 
divide. Acknowledging the necessity for additional discussions, I register Seychelles ' support for the 
extension of the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions until MC14.  
  
On the ongoing reform work undertaken in the WTO bodies, I would like to commend the efforts 
made to date. However, future work should continue to consider all Members ' proposals and 
concerns, remaining cognizant of the capacity constraints of smaller delegations.  
 
In this same regard, my del egation echoes the calls to formalize the informal process of dispute 
settlement reform as soon as practicable. I further reiterate Seychelles ' support for a fully functional, 
two-tiered dispute settlement system of the WTO which provides greater access to  developing, 
including least developed country Members.  
 
To conclude, I call on my fellow Ministers to continue our collaborative efforts at MC13, mindful of 
this opportunity to consider and propel the reform ambitions of the WTO which will speak to our 
collective efforts to work towards ensuring that the multilateral trading system and its rules remain 
relevant, credible and resilient in safeguarding the interests our citizens and the future our planet.  
 
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