WT/MIN(13)/ST/50  
5 December 2013  
(13-6705)  Page: 1/3  
Ministerial Conference 
Ninth Session 
Bali, 3-6 December 2013  Original: French  
 
  STATEMENT BY H.E. MR MODIBO KEITA 
NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF TRADE AND COMPETITION 
MALI 
My participation in this Ninth Ministerial Conference gives me the opportunity to thank the 
Indonesian Government, on behalf of my count ry, Mali, my delegation and myself, for the 
excellent arrangements that have been made fo r this Conference, the facilities offered and 
the hospitality shown to us since we arrived in this beautiful and historic city of Bali. 
I warmly congratulate the Director-General of the WTO on his election and on his comprehensive 
report on the state of the negotiations conducted since the Eighth Ministerial Conference in Geneva in December 2011. 
My delegation firmly supports the statements ma de by Jamaica on behalf of the ACP Group, 
Nepal on behalf of the LDCs, Morocco on beha lf of the African Group and Burkina Faso on 
behalf of the four co-sponsors of the Sectoral Initiative in Favour of Cotton (C-4) and all 
the African cotton-producing countries. 
I have carefully noted the progress underscored in the Director-General's report on the 
negotiations under way, particularly in trade facilitation, development issues specific to the LDCs and agriculture, including the cotton issue. 
What can be said about the cotton issue, the importance and role of this agricultural product in the 
economy and life of the population of Mali? 
As the second largest cotton producer in Sub-Saharan Africa, Mali has produced 
some 191,000 tonnes of cotton lint during the 2012-2013 crop year. Cotton is estimated to 
account for 15% of Mali's GDP. This product provides a direct or indirect livelihood for approximately five million people in Mali. 
Our commitment to the objectives of the C-4 need no further demonstration, insofar as they relate 
to securing an agreement on the development and trade components and the implementation 
of that agreement. 
The most recent objectives pursued by my country relate essentially to: 
- improving cotton output and productivity; 
- improving the competitiveness of cotton; - increasing the level of domestic processing of cotton; and 
- increasing cotton revenues. 
In order to achieve these objectives, the African cotton-producing countries should follow the 
example of the C-4 by devising and submitting, for development partner financing, integration 
projects directly relating to the cotton sector. WT/MIN(13)/ST/50 
- 2 - 
  I cannot avoid giving vent to my frustration and deep disappointment at the insignificant results 
obtained, which fall far short of the legitimate hopes inspired by the 2005 Hong Kong Declaration 
for an early harvest in favour of cotton, pending the eventual conclusion of the Doha Development 
Round negotiations. 
Despite the difficulties it faces, my country continues to make heavy sacrifices for the sake 
of implementing the reforms required to make the cotton sector competitive and to integrate Mali's trade into the multilateral trading system. This will make the commercial sector a powerful lever 
in the fight against poverty. 
Unfortunately, my country's efforts are at the same time being undermined by the distortions 
created on the international cotton market by the policies of domestic support and subsidization followed by certain WTO Members on behalf of their cotton producers. 
Mali asks only that the multilateral trading system be reinforced and that the rules of free 
competition on the international market be observed. 
Pending the restoration of transparency and free competition, the development partners should 
support the implementation of collaborative projects linked to the cotton sector, with a view 
to salvaging the livelihood of millions of people living directly or indirectly from the production, processing and marketing of cotton and related services. 
In the meantime, we continue to nurture the hope that the ongoing negotiations will result in the 
conclusion and implementation of the Doha De velopment Agenda. We are closely following the 
negotiations being conducted by our representative s in Geneva, particularly with regard to trade 
facilitation, agriculture and specific development issues of concern to the least developed 
countries (LDCs), including Mali. 
As regards trade facilitation, paragraph 4.5 of se ction II of the draft agreement before us remains 
of fundamental importance for Mali's full and effective participation in the multilateral trading 
system, and we echo the statements already made on this point by other speakers. It is thus 
essential that our countries receive substantial back-up through appropriate technical and financial assistance prior to the implementation of the trade facilitation agreement under negotiation. 
As a poor and landlocked country, Mali fully appreciates the scale and importance of the efforts 
devoted to the thorny issue of food security an d trade facilitation. Poverty reduction is central 
to my Government's development policy. This fight will not be won unless food self-sufficiency is achieved for the benefit of all populations, hence our support for the G-20 and G-33 proposals. 
 
Similarly, my country, which is one of the main beneficiaries of financing under the integrated framework, welcomes the commitment of donors to extending the activities of the programme 
until 2015. 
Thanks to the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), two products (mango and gum Arabic) 
are on the way to occupying a prominent posi tion in the schedule of Mali's exports. 
Mali places great hope in aid for trade as a means of improving the quality of its infrastructures 
and reducing commercial transaction costs. 
I cannot hide my satisfaction and enthusiasm with regard to the strong support shown by 
all our partners, which made it possible to extend the transition period under Article 66.2 of 
the TRIPS Agreement until 1 July 2021. 
Regarding the accession of LDCs to the WTO, Mali remains supportive and is unreservedly 
in favour of any provision intended to facilitate the process for the applicant countries. In this 
connection, let me take this opportunity to warm ly congratulate Yemen on having been admitted 
to the WTO as its 160
th Member. WT/MIN(13)/ST/50 
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  I cannot conclude without acknowledging and welcoming the exceptional support received by Mali, 
the C-4 and other African cotton-producing countries from a number of partners, including Brazil, China and the European Union.  
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