WT/MIN(13)/15  
 
3 December 2013  
(13-6610)  Page: 1/4  
Ministerial Conference 
Ninth Session 
Bali, 3-6 December 2013  Original: English  
 
OPENING SESSION 
3 DECEMBER 2013 
ADDRESS BY H.E. DR. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO 
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA 
 
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim Assalamu’alaikum Wr. Wb. 
Om  Swastyastu 
Peace and Prosperity be upon us all  
Let me first and foremost welcome you all to Bali. You are all gathered here from all corners of the 
globe for the most important event of the WTO calendar: the Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference. 
 
I wish to extend my deepest appreciation to Mr. Roberto Azevêdo, Director-General of WTO, for his 
able leadership and important role in bridging the various differing interests.  Just now in the holding room, my Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan, reminded me that this meeting is 
famously known as MC9. And he cautioned me that discussions in this MC9 Ministerial meeting 
would be much more lively than this solemn opening ceremony. Although we can all anticipate a dynamic discussion in the next four days, I do believe that we have a shared commitment to 
strengthen the multilateral trading system. 
 Our meeting today is very timely as the world economy is still struggling to recover from the 
global recession. The effects of which are adversely impacting trade and therein, world trade 
remains at historic lows.  And we are meeting today, just after we came very  close to an historic agreement in Geneva. An 
agreement that would have allowed us to harvest the “first crops” of the Doha Development 
Agenda — the DDA.  
Here in Bali, we have an opportunity to work together to achieve what we missed in Geneva. We 
have an opportunity to demonstrate to the world that we are ready to reinvigorate global trade. And we also have an opportunity to lay the path to make global trade easier, more fair and more 
inclusive for all. By doing so, we will contribute to the efforts in strengthening the credibility and 
confidence of our multilateral trading system.  Although we were still short of reaching the finish line in Geneva, still, we have gained much. We 
have agreed to carry reforms that will help op en up markets for least developed countries. We 
have also prepared the ground for far-reaching agreements that will bring new hope for the Doha Development Agenda. 
 
Therefore, I have high hope on you to make a significant progress on your negotiations in Bali. There is something about this island in the history books of international negotiations. When in 
Bali, negotiators seem able to find ways out of many tough negotiations, for example during the 
climate change conference in 2007. Likewise, here in 2003, ASEAN Leaders were also able to reach 
consensus on the way forward for the ASEAN cooperation through Bali Concord II.  
In addition to the charm of Bali, I also have faith that the groundwork that Indonesia has prepared 
for this meeting can have positive results in this MC9. In this regard, I wish to congratulate the WT/MIN(13)/15 
 
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  Chair for this Conference, Gita Wirjawan and the Co-Chairs — Mr . Stephen Green of the United 
Kingdom, Ms. Magali Silva Velarde-Alvarez  of Peru, and Mr. Francois Kanimba of Rwanda for their tireless work.   
Negotiators in Geneva have made tremendous progress identifying outcomes that could help 
unlock the Doha Development Agenda. But negotiators can only do so much.  Now, when all Ministers responsible for trade are here, we must make good use of our strong political will . We 
must put in place a work program that will deliver the outcomes the world is waiting for. And all of 
us must find more flexibility  — for the good of the WTO, for the good of our economies and for 
the good of our peoples around the world.  
It has been eighteen years since the WTO was created. For twelve of those years, we have been 
negotiating under the Doha Development Agenda, and we have yet able to complete it. But this year’s progress in tackling many difficult issues has shown us that success is within reach. Should 
w e  f a i l  t o  c l i n c h  a  B a l i  p a c k a g e ,  w e  w i l l  h a v e  l o s t  a n  o p p o r t u n i t y  t o  t a k e  a  g i a n t  s t e p  t o w a r d s  
conclusion of the Doha Round.  
Failure is not an option. Instead, let us focus on the opportunities, at times rare opportunities. The 
opportunity for us to reconcile our differing views and agree on new trade rules that will boost the global economy. The opportunity for us to strength en the WTO as an institution for a fairer, more 
open and more equitable international trading system. And, the opportunity to regain the trust, 
hope, credibility, and confidence for the WTO as a trade negotiating forum. 
 None of us has any illusion about the magnitude of our task ahead. Multilateral trade negotiations 
are, by their very nature, challenging. Meeting of  minds from many different points of view, in 
such a large membership, is unquestionably hard. But while the task may be challenging, the potential rewards are great. 
 
I believe being a negotiator, we all share the view that in negotiations, however hard they may be, one can always find an opportunity. And I stress that finding an opportunity for the benefit of 
everyone is an art of the possible. Therefore, we must build on this year’s achievements and 
deliver new outcomes in the months to come for the sake of our farmers, our businesses, and our 
peoples.  
When negotiators are wrestling with the DDA in Geneva, many countries are pursuing bilateral or 
regional trade deals as an alternative means to li beralize trade. Proliferation of these preferential 
trade deals has given rise to overlapping and of ten competing bilateral and regional agreements. 
In the absence of a successful multilateral trading system, some countries will no doubt continue 
to pursue such deals.  In the final analysis, the multilateral trading system works for all of us because it is built on 
principles of transparency, fairness and opportunity. We all share the view that multilateral trade 
liberalization offers the greatest benefit for the greatest number. Moreover, boosting trade 
multilaterally provides new and diversified sources of economic growth. This, in return creates 
employment and higher paying jobs, and benefits consumers through lower prices and wider 
product choice.  
While non-discrimination and an equal voice for all are laudable principles, we must also be 
mindful of members’ relative capa bilities, strengths and weaknesses. 
 But helping the weak grow strong will bring benefits to all. It will increase the size of the 
marketplace. It will strengthen both supply and de mand for goods and services. And it will also 
contribute to regional and global stability. Stability that is so important for the private sector to flourish. 
 
In a nutshell, what we have been doing is investing in the development dimension of international trade. This principle is enshrined in the Doha Development Agenda when it was launched in 2001. 
Now it is time for us to put our words into action. We need a rules-based multilateral trading 
system that works for developed and developing countries alike. Success in Bali will demonstrate to the world that we are not going to leave developing countries behind.  WT/MIN(13)/15 
 
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  Trade is a critical part of our global efforts to eradicate poverty. Over the past thirty years, we 
have witnessed major improvements in global prosperity and living standards. But despite our progress, poverty still scars the lives of many people throughout the world. The situation is particularly severe in developing countries. 
 
Despite our progress, 1.2 billion people continue to live in extreme poverty. In the long run, economies open to trade and investment do better than those closed ones. Trade reduces poverty 
and helps lift millions out of hardship and debt. In  developing countries, the proportion of debt 
service to export revenue has fallen to 3 percent— down from nearly 12 percent at the start of the 
millennium.  
While we welcome these trends, we need to do more. Giving poor countries an opportunity to 
trade gives them an opportunity to develop.  We must seize our opportunity. Our success here in Bali will provide the necessary impetus for an expans ion of global trade, that in the end, will help 
reduce poverty around the world. 
 As we strive to come to agreement here in Bali, we should not view one another as competitors. 
We should reject the notion of “North against South”— a term that exaggerates our differences 
rather than our complementarities. We should view one another as partners . Over the past thirty 
years, developing countries have been the main dr ivers of growth in trade. Developing countries 
now account for around half of world trade, up from only 34 per cent in 1980. Global trade 
requires the participation of all. 
 Here in Bali, and in the broader Doha Development Agenda, balance is key. Balancing the needs 
and expectations of all members, so as to create a more fair multilateral trading system. The 
WTO’s principle of special and differential treatment is critical in this regard. This principle allows developing and least developed countries the policy space they need, to develop their economies.  
 
The other key to unlocking progress in our negotiations is flexibility. Pursuing the national interest at all cost, without flexibility or compromise, is d oomed to failure. Such rigidity will lead to no 
outcome, where  everyone loses. We lose, not because the WTO will disappear, but because we 
will have lost an opportunity to make much needed reforms. And I fear that should we let this 
opportunity slip, it is developing countries that will lose out the most.  
I believe this sentiment is also shared by many world leaders. I can say this because when I 
participated in G20, and when Indonesia hosted APEC, ASEAN, and East Asia Summit, leaders have invariably asserted the significance of seeking a successful MC9 outcome in 2013. 
 
So, stay focused and finish our work successfully.  And later on, you deserve to get yourself “lost” in this beautiful island to celebrate your achievement. I believe you will not find it easy to decide, whether to go uphill or just relax on the beach. You must then negotiate within yourself. 
 
Let me conclude by calling on you — the Ministers and negotiators here in this room.   
You have worked hard. You have made more progress than many critics of the WTO thought 
possible. Now you need to translate your progress into concrete outcomes. We must build on our progress and consolidate the goodwill that has emerged over recent months. We cannot afford to 
let our hard-fought gains fade away. 
 We have already agreed to some substantial outcom es, and in particular, I refer to those that will 
benefit least developed countries. But we can do  much more. Let us work towards our common 
interest and unlock the impasse of the Doha Round. 
 The international trading system is at a critical point in its long and challenging history. In the 
event of prolonged stagnation, there is a risk that the business community could lose faith in our 
ability to conclude the multilateral trade negotiations.   
We cannot allow this to happen. We have done much of the hard work. We are close to an historic 
achievement. Together, with our collective political will, let us seize this opportunity. This is our chance to rebuild the credibility and confidence to our precious trade negotiating forum.   WT/MIN(13)/15 
 
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  And finally, I call on you all to take advantage of this rare opportunity. We must work together 
constructively, flexibly and creatively to find a win-win solution on some pressing issues, in particular on agriculture. I hope that this package is not confined to only agriculture, rather it is more comprehensive as to include issues related to trade facilitation and least developed countries 
or LDCs.  
 I am confident by working the extra miles, we will  be able to agree on a Bali package that will 
pave the way for the conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda.  
 Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti Om. 
 
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