WT/MIN(13)/ST/37  
5 December 2013  
(13-6682)  Page: 1/2  
Ministerial Conference 
Ninth Session 
Bali, 3-6 December 2013  Original: English  
 
STATEMENT BY DR. THE HON ARVIN BOOLELL  
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, REGIONAL  INTEGRATION AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE 
MAURITIUS  
On behalf of the Mauritius delegation, let me ex press our profound gratitude to the Government 
and people of Indonesia for their warm hospitality and excellent arrangements for this Conference. My appreciation also goes to Director-General Roberto Azevêdo and the WTO Secretariat for their 
hard work to advance the multilateral trading system. 
 
We must support this hard work by ensuring that Bali delivers on a balanced package, preserves the credibility of the multilateral trading system and gives a boost to the global economic situation. 
Failure would be a retreat from multilateralism and encourage further proliferation of Free Trade 
Agreements. We cannot afford this nor can we afford rules being crafted within restricted communities finding their way into the WTO system. 
 
Multilateral rule making and market opening base d on consensus are essential elements of good 
economic governance which guarantee balanced and equitable outcomes. Our solidarity should 
therefore ensure that the WTO remains the global trade rule making body.  
 
We must adopt flexible approaches and look at th e common good rather than at individual benefits 
if we are to succeed.  
 
Let me underscore that we are already collectively agreed on the three pillars of a balanced outcome, namely: 
 
 Development, which is the very essence of the Doha development. 
 Agriculture, which we all acknowledge as the backbone of rural economies and sustainable 
development 
 Trade facilitation, which through binding rules,  will help expedite goods clearance, improve 
competitiveness and by extension, economic  performance and employment opportunities. 
 
The achievement of this balance must however ensure that our development partners take binding 
commitments to provide financial assistance and ca pacity building to implement trade facilitation 
measures. 
 
Let me also regret the fact that the issue of food security, which impacts directly on poor farmers 
and on net food importing developing countries many of which are small island developing states, 
is not being addressed in a manner that will lead  to a comprehensive and permanent solution. The 
proposal of the G33 on public stock-holding will neither divert trade nor have a trade distorting 
effect. We therefore need to find a permanent solu tion that will address realities on the ground. 
 
We are supportive of the efforts in favour of the LDCs and their development package. Let me 
recall however that we had agreed in Hong Kong to consider the impact of DFQF on other 
developing countries in a similar situation. We believe that this must be part of the decision on 
DFQF. 
 WT/MIN(13)/ST/37 
 
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  Finally, as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), Mauritius is deeply concerned over the lack of 
progress on the work programme for small and vulnerable economies. We call for intensification of work, including on the issue of a dedicated aid for trade envelope for SIDS. We also re-iterate our 
request for the recognition of SIDS as a specific category at the WTO. 
 
A fair and balanced outcome in Bali will be a small but decisive step for the multilateral trading system. We have a historic opportunity to make this happen and should not let this slip away. 
 
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