WT/MIN(17)/45  
 
11 December 2017  
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Ministerial Conference  
Eleventh Session  
Buenos Aires, 10 -13 December 2017    
 
 
STATEMENT  BY MR ROBERTO AZEVÊD O 
WTO DIRECTOR -GENERAL  
MC11 OPENING SESSION  – 10 DECEMBER 2017  
Thank you for joining us for this Eleventh WTO Ministerial Conference. I would like to start by 
paying tribute to our hosts – President Macri, the Government of Argentina, and the people of 
Buenos Aires . 
 
We are truly grateful for your hospitality and for the tremendous efforts that you have made in 
arranging the Ministerial Conference in this beautiful city . 
 
Under President Macri's leadership, Argentina is moving steadily and purposefully towards greater 
openness and integration in the world economy.  
 
At a time when the world needs champions of trade and multilateral cooperation, Argentina is 
stepping up. And I am pleased to say that they are not alone . 
 
Today we are bringing together four Presidents from the region and five special envoys, along with 
ministers and delegations from around the world. This is a huge display of commitment to the idea 
of trade as a force for good, and to the multilateral trading system itself.   
 
By any objective measure, the multilateral trading system has delivered.  
 
It is a rare example of effective, functioning, vibrant multilateralism – with all the hard work, 
difficulty and effort that this can sometimes entail.   
 
Since the signing of the GATT 70 years ago, the system has played a vital role in the global 
economy and in en suring peaceful relations among the nations of the world.  
 
Over that period global trade has grown 26 fold to nearly $16 trillion annually.  
 
We have gone from 23 original Members  under the GATT – mostly the major economies – to 
164 Members  today, representing the full diversity of economic development. And we have more 
countries queuing up to join.  
 
As a result the WTO now covers around 98 per cent of global trade.  
 
The system has helped to build prosperity around the world. It has helped t o lift a billion people 
out of poverty in a generation. It has been tested – and it has held firm.   
 
Faced with a rapidly evolving financial and economic crisis in 2008, the world did not erect trade 
barriers as in the past – despite the temptation to do s o. 
 
Trading nations held each other to the commitments agreed multilaterally.  
 
As a result we avoided unilateral actions, potential trade wars and economic catastrophe.  
 
In fact, less than 5% of world imports have been affected by restrictive measures sinc e the crisis. 
Compare that to the 1930s when global trade shrank by two thirds.  WT/MIN(17)/45  
 
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In the heat of crisis, the WTO did what it was created to do.  
 
And it will continue to provide stability and certainty – especially in challenging times.   
 
That's why I'm so r elentless in beating the drum for the system. Not because it's perfect, but 
because it's essential, it works, and it's the best we have.  
 
In recent years some of the biggest trade reforms anywhere in the world have been completed by 
the WTO.  
 
In the space of four years …  
 
 we have delivered the Trade Facilitation Agreement,  
 we have eliminated agricultural export subsidies,  
 we have adopted measures to support least developed countries, including on cotton, and  
 we have expanded the Information Technology Agreement, eliminating tariffs on trade of 
around 1.3 trillion dollars.  
 
These are real, practical steps to boost Members ' economies, supporting jobs, growth and 
development. And they are  all being implemented toda y. 
 
2017 has already seen the entry into force of the Trade Facil itation Agreement and the 
TRIPS  amendment on access to medicines.  
 
This is an historic moment. For the first time in 22 years we have had to update the rulebook. The 
new text will be launched  here at MC11.  
 
These successes have put the O rganization on a very positive path. We must continue this journey 
here in Buenos Aires – and beyond.  
 
There has been a huge injection of energy in our work in the lead up to this meeting.  
 
Across a range of is sues, Members  have come alive with new proposals and ideas, both on more 
longstanding issues and also in some ground -breaking areas.  
 
All these issues are on the table this week. Some ministers will also act as facilitators, helping to 
guide and support Members ' work.  
 
There are still gaps between positions in most areas – and some of these gaps are very wide.  
 
The lesson of our recent successes is that the more open and flexible we are, the more likely we 
are to succeed. I will be here to support you – along with our Chair, Minister Malcorra, and the 
WTO Secretariat.   
 
We should use the opportunity of this Ministerial Conference to make progress wherever we can, 
and to set the direction for our future work.  
 
And this work has to bear in mind the economic co ntext in which we live.  
 
Sentiment is more inward looking. The threat of protectionism remains ever present.  
 
With this in mind, I think it is more important than ever that we build on the progress made to 
further strengthen the system.  
 
In a rapidly changing world we need to be more inclusive and more  responsive to Members ' needs 
than ever before.  
 
So what does that mean exactly?  
 
To me, it means doing more to extend the benefits of trade more widely, including to smaller 
businesses and women entrepreneurs.  WT/MIN(17)/45  
 
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  It means ensuring that the opportunities created by new technologies and the digital economy are 
accessible to all.  
 
It means going further to tackle the persistent challenges of poverty and development.  
 
It means bolstering our techni cal assistance work, and playing our full part in delivering the 
Sustainable Development Goals.  
 
It means supporting our future Members  who are working to reform their economies and join the 
WTO.  
 
And it means rising once again to meet the challenges befor e us. 
 
Four years ago the WTO faced a crisis of credibility because we hadn't yet delivered any negotiated 
outcomes. We changed all that in Bali and Nairobi.  
 
Today there are different questions and different challenges, including regarding the dispute 
settlement system.  
 
We will meet these challenges as well. And it is you, the Members , who must lead this process.  
 
You have to engage with each other, set the forward direction and shape the system as you see 
fit. 
 
Again, I will be here to support you every step of the way.  
 
This conference has brought Geneva to Buenos Aires.  
 
So let me close now with some words from a man who brought Buenos Aires to Geneva, where he 
now lies at rest.  
 
I am talking, of course, of the great Jorge Luis Borges.  
 
He said:  
 
"Nadie  es la patria, pero todos lo somos."  
 
No one is the nation – we all are.  
 
Well, we are all the WTO. All 164 Members . We all have an equal stake in the system, and an 
equal interest in ensuring that it can continue to serve the people of our countries, our 
communities, and the wider world.  
 
Therefore I think we all have a responsibility to preserve and champion the syste m. 
 
And we have a great chance to do this – right here, right now.  
 
Thank you.  
 
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