WT/MIN(15)/ST/84  
21 December 2015  
(15-6811)  Page: 1/4  
Ministerial Conference 
Tenth Session 
Nairobi, 15-18 December 2015  Original: English  
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. ARCHBISHOP  MR SILVANO MARIA TOMASI 
HOLY SEE 
(Speaking as an Observer) 
 
The Delegation of the Holy See wishes to begi n by expressing thanks and congratulations to 
President Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amina Mohamed and to the people of Kenya for the warm welcome and excellent arrangements that have been made for this occasion. My Delegation 
extends its appreciation also to the Chairman of the General Committee and the Director-General 
for their tireless efforts in preparation for the Conference. This Tenth Ministerial Conference of WTO represents a time of hope. But for this hope to  be realized, all present must remain faithful to 
the promises and commitments made to the poor in Doha. There has been less than satisfactory 
progress in the areas of trade for the poorest countries. As recalled by Pope Francis in his recent visit to U.N.O.N.: “while recognizing that much has been done in this area, it seems that we have 
yet to attain an international system of commerce which is equitable and completely at the service 
of the battle against poverty and exclusion. Commercial relationships between States, as an indispensable part of relations between peoples, can do as much to harm the environment as to 
renew it and preserve it for future generations.”
1   
 
On this occasion of the 20th anniversary of the WTO, we observe that in the evolution of the talks over the last years there is a sense of detachment from the issues that are perceived as relevant 
by specialists and by the general public. The high  hopes following the launch of the Doha round of 
negotiations rapidly gave way to disillusions  and disappointments. After years of lengthy 
negotiations, these hopes have been revived by the Bali agreement, only to be subsequently 
dashed by the difficulties in implementing the Bali package. 
 We clearly live in unprecedented times. Globalisation is shaping and changing the world economy at a speed that is totally unexpected; some countries, in particular emerging economies, are 
experiencing social and economic changes that are of an order of magnitude far larger than 
previous historical experiences. This is certainly positive as most of those transformations are for 
the better and have allowed millions of poor individu als to be lifted out of poverty; however, these 
developments expose the limits of the WTO and othe r multilateral institutions. They appear slow to 
adapt to change and are characterised by a decision making process that is too lengthy and cumbersome. 
 
In particular, there is the risk that the WTO, by  focusing its efforts on negotiating details of 
complex trade agreements, could miss the point of the most relevant issues.  The widespread implementation of regional trade agreements, some  of which resemble multilateral agreements on 
a small scale, is a testimony of the fact that where the multilateral approach fails, alternatives are 
pursued.  
Such rules have been among the guiding principles  of GATT’s negotiations and subsequently of the 
WTO, but over time they seem to be lost am ong the endless details of trade agreements. We 
therefore hope for the WTO to rediscover and re-emphasise its basic principles as stated in the 
preamble of the agreement that established the WTO: Recognizing that their relations in the field 
                                               
1 Pope Francis, Address to U.N.O.N., Nairobi, 26 November 2015. WT/MIN(15)/ST/84 
 
- 2 - 
 
  of trade and economic endeavour should be conduc ted with a view to raising standards of living, 
ensuring full employment and a large and steadily growing volume of real income and effective demand, and expanding the production of and trad e in goods and services, while allowing for the 
optimal use of the world’s resources in accordance  with the objective of sustainable development, 
seeking both to protect and preserve the environment and to enhance the means for doing so in a 
manner consistent with their respective needs and concerns at different levels of economic development. 
 
The Holy See hopes for a change in this approach, that it would be more aimed at fostering inclusion and development of people in an increasingly interdependent world.   
We encourage all member countries to simplify WTO procedures, guided by the principles of 
solidarity and the centrality of the human person, in order to reach a stronger and more inclusive participation.  
 
Those same principles and rules should be effectively adopted by member countries which need to comply with their individual actions to the general principles of limited sovereignty. It is important 
that this concern be shared among all members at all levels. This concern, in fact, had already 
been raised by Pope Benedict XVI: “Unfortuna tely, too much confidence was placed in those 
institutions, as if they were able to deliver the desired objective automatically. In reality, institutions by themselves are not enough, because integral human development is primarily a 
vocation, and therefore it involves a free assumption of responsibility in solidarity on the part of 
everyone.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 11).  
Modernising multilateralism could therefore be achieved by rediscovering the roots of the 
multilateral ideal, which is ultimately based on the fact that all human beings are united by a common humanity rooted in the dignity of the human person. Following this premise, both 
individual actors and multilateral institutions can work together with the goal of reaching the 
common good.  Regionalism and multilateralism 
 As stressed above, during the last decades, there has been a proliferation of regional and bilateral 
trade agreements conducted in parallel with negotiations at the multilateral level. A few weeks 
ago, twelve of the largest trading nations in the world reached agreement on the Trans Pacific 
Trade Partnership; similarly, the US and the EU are in advanced stages of negotiations to close the deal on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, a deal that contains a large set of 
measures aimed at significantly reducing tariffs and non-tariff barriers significantly. 
 Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) have several advantages: by respecting article 24 of GATT, they are a step towards trade liberalisation; moreover, they can provide a framework that allows 
developing countries a gradual adjustment to the increased degree of competition implied by free 
trade; finally, they can be a valuable instrument to develop South-South trade which could be a crucial element in the development of several developing countries. 
 
However, there are several risks associated with RTAs. The most relevant is that they risk being interpreted as a substitute to multilateral negotiations. In a sense, this is a case where pluralism is 
interpreted as being opposed to multilateralism and where the particular good is seen as opposed 
to the common good.  The Holy See strongly stresses the importance of recognising a primacy of multilateral agreements 
over bilateral and regional ones. Despite its limits and its complexity, the multilateral framework 
gives pluralism a universal dimension and facilitates inclusive dialogue.  More specifically, in a multilateral framework weaker and smaller countries are better safeguarded than in a regional and 
bilateral setting where the counterparts are large and strong countries. In such asymmetric 
settings, advanced economies inevitably have more  bargaining power with respect to LDCs, with 
the result that the latter are not able to grasp fully the benefits of the agreements. 
 
Rules of Origin 
 Rules of Origin have prevented LDCs from gras ping the full benefits of preferential trade 
agreements. These rules set requirements that are difficult to meet by developing countries. Such WT/MIN(15)/ST/84 
 
- 3 - 
 
  rules are often considered to be overly restrictive and inflexible, making it difficult for LDCs to take 
full advantage of the preferences they are granted.  In several cases, LDCs are collectively able to meet the requirements set by the Rules of Origin of 
developed countries, however, individually they fail to do so. Since the Bali conference, LDCs have 
been advocating on several occasions the need for a multilateral framework for reforming the 
design and implementation of rules of origin by advanced economies in preferential trade 
agreements. Efforts should be increased in order to reach an agreement by the Nairobi conference. 
Particular attention should be given to the possibility of tailoring the definition of Rules of Origin according to the level of development and industrial isation of the country or to the possibility that 
requirements for LDCs should be binding collectively and not individually. 
 
More generally, advanced economies should multiply their efforts to design preferential treatments 
for LDCs which are effectively accessible to them. All too often, in fact, preferential treatments 
remain only on paper and are not effectively used by LDCs because they lack the tools and the 
possibilities to comply with them. A more effectiv e dialogue between LDCs and preference granting 
countries should be encouraged in order to maximise the possibility for the former to take the 
most of the benefits of trade. 
 Agriculture 
 
The agriculture sector plays an important role in the economy of most LDCs, accounting for 24% 
of the GDP and more than a third of employment in LDCs. A key negotiating priority has therefore 
been to support reform of agriculture rules including market access, domestic support and export 
competition. 
 Accomplishing the main objectives of the agriculture negotiations, i.e. substantial improvements in 
market access, phasing out of all forms of export  subsidies and substantial reductions in trade-
distorting domestic support, would constitute a positive outcome for LDCs, who remain vulnerable to the effects of trade-distorting agricultural policies followed by other Members. WTO Members have recognized the special needs of LDCs by prov iding them with specific flexibilities. However, 
the simple removal of agricultural subsidies in developed countries is not enough and may produce 
negative consequences for the poor. Therefore, the reduction of distorting subsidies should be accompanied by international support aimed at increasing agricultural production in an inclusive 
and sustainable way. In this respect, the exam ple of cotton with its dual track approach of 
addressing simultaneously the trade and development aspects has been a unique and successful initiative by the WTO and could potentially constitute an example for other products. 
 
Service waiver 
 Following the 2013 Bali decision on the operationalis ation of the services waiver, negotiations have 
progressed in identifying the tools to be applied in this context. Among such tools, emphasis has 
been given to the expansion of the access for temporary movement of workers under the Mode 4 of GATS. Regarding negotiations on temporary migrant workers, special attention should be given 
to the selectivity of those measures. Selective measures often result in large brain drains from 
LDCs which in turn may hinder the accumulation of human capital and growth in these countries. 
Greater effort should be put in finding tools that accompany the service waiver with the 
development of the service sector in LDCs that  could potentially employ returning migrants. 
 More generally, the temporary movement of wo rkers is part of a global phenomenon of 
international movement of peoples (due to a variety of economic, environmental and political 
causes, including violent conflict) of such large pr oportions that is reshaping the societies of whole 
countries and regions. However great care should be taken when dealing with this issue, discriminating against economic migrants. As stat ed by Pope Benedict XVI: “Obviously, these 
labourers cannot be considered as a commodity or a mere workforce. They must not, therefore, be 
treated like any other factor of production. Every migrant is a human person who, as such, possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone and in every 
circumstance” (Caritas in Veritate, 62). The fundamental nature of the human being has therefore 
to be at the centre of any negotiation dealing with migration and labour movement.  WT/MIN(15)/ST/84 
 
- 4 - 
 
  Trade and development: an ecological approach 
 
It is well known that trade is in timately connected with development as it is one of the most robust 
and effective channels for enhancing economic growth. In discussing trade policies all countries 
should be aware that we are all part of the same human community and we all make use of the 
same global resources. “Whether believers or not, we are agreed today that the earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone.” (Laudato Si’, 93) 
 
The recent encyclical letter of Pope Francis is rich  with suggestions and indications on this theme. 
Here we offer to the debate two specific issues. The first is the importance of the environmental dimension of the policies implemented. It is essential to seek comprehensive solutions which 
consider the interactions within natural systems themselves and with social systems. We are faced 
not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an integrated 
approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting 
nature”. (Laudato Si’, 139)  
The second is the importance of labour. In implementing policy actions to tackle the current 
economic challenges, we need to bear in mind th at the first objective should be the increase of 
employment. Labour enhancing policies are not only important for the development of countries and regions, but mostly for the development of th e talents that each human being has. “We were 
created with a vocation to work. The goal should not be that technological progress increasingly 
replace human work, for this would be detrimental to humanity. Work is a necessity, part of the m e a n i n g  o f  l i f e  o n  t h i s  e a r t h ,  a  p a t h  t o  g r owth, human development and personal fulfilment. 
Helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution in the face of pressing needs. 
The broader objective should always be to allow them a dignified life through work.” (Laudato Si’ 128) 
 
These are clearly challenging issues that require an enormous effort in coordinating the initiatives of different multilateral institutions; however, they can be the beginning of a new approach to trade and development centred on an integral ecology respecting both human and social 
dimensions. 
 In conclusion, the Holy See Delegation remains confident that a sense of common responsibility, 
as shown in the previous Ministerial Conference, will bring us to reach an historic result in Nairobi. 
In this regard, before the Assembly of the UNON the Holy Father expressed his desire  that: “the 
deliberations of the forthcoming Nairobi Conference will not be a simple balancing of conflicting 
interests, but a genuine service to care of our common home and the integral development of 
persons, especially those in greatest need”. In th e context of a “family of nations” those countries 
economically more developed can provide assistance that will allow for attainment of the development which corresponds to our shared human dignity. 
 
__________