WT/MIN(13)/ST/72  
5 December 2013  
(13-6739)  Page: 1/2  
Ministerial Conference 
Ninth Session 
Bali, 3-6 December 2013  Original: French  
 
  STATEMENT BY H.E. MR BEN OUSSENI SAID 
DEPUTY MINISTER IN CHARGE OF THE ECONOMY, 
FOREIGN TRADE AND PRIVATIZATION 
(Speaking as an Observer) 
COMOROS  
First of all, I would like to join other delegations in conveying to the Government and people 
of Indonesia the deep appreciation of the delega tion of the Union of the Comoros for their warm 
welcome and for the amenities and facilities placed at our disposal. 
The Union of the Comoros has entered a crucial phase in its process of accession to the WTO. 
In July 2013, the Government officially submitted its Memorandum on the country's foreign trade 
regime. This phase is the starting point of the negotiating process with a view to formal accession. 
I am very glad that the WTO Secretariat circulated this Memorandum on the occasion of the Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference. 
I wish to take this opportunity to request every support and cooperation that may 
be necessary and useful on the part of the Membership in order to facilitate the accession negotiations - considering our status as an LDC and a small vulnerable island economy - in accordance with the relevant decisions of the WTO bodies concerned. 
This is also an opportunity for me to welcome the conclusion of the process of accession of Yemen, 
our brother country, to whose delegation I extend my warmest and fraternal congratulations. MABROUK ALEIKOUM. 
As an LDC, we have a number of shortcomings that are still delaying and impeding our integration 
in the world economy. We are aware of the situation and have accordingly undertaken to rely on the main international instruments, including the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), 
to escape marginalization and increase the benefits of trade so as to foster sustainable, 
long-term growth conducive to generating employment and income for our young population, in line with the poverty reduction strategy papers and the Millennium Development Goals. 
With the support of a most valuable instrument, the Enhanced Integrated Framework, 
we have succeeded in placing trade at the centre of national development by incorporating 
a specific programme in the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper 2010-2014, as well as in cross-cutting programmes targeted at growth sectors such as agriculture and fishing, 
agro-industry and ecotourism. 
As regards the implementation of the Enhanced  Integrated Framework in the Comoros and the 
mobilization of Aid-for-Trade resources, I welcome the submission, on 29 November, 
by the EIF Board of the first Tier 2 Project aime d at improving the competitiveness of cash crops 
for export. A second project focusing on the development of ecotourism will shortly be submitted to the relevant EIF body. WT/MIN(13)/ST/72 
- 2 - 
  These two initiatives are based on a "value chain" and poverty reduction and sustainable 
development approach, combining innovative co ntributions, value added, and the necessary 
preservation of the environment and sustainable use of the rare and precious natural resources involved. 
The singular success of the EIF in the Comoros is due to the fact that the country's Government 
and UNDP have worked hand in hand to use the catalyst funds of the EIF to mobilize financial and technical resources from other partners, and we are proud to inform you that this strategic 
partnership with UNDP has enabled us to become the leading country (in per capita terms) 
under the Global Environment Facility. The environm ent is the engine for growth in the Comoros. 
The Union of the Comoros has held its round table to mobilize resources in addition to those 
of the EIF. During this round table meeting, in cooperation with the EIF Executive Secretariat, 
France and our steadfast partner UNDP our country has developed a Medium-Term Plan 
for Trade Integration, together with a capacity -building programme. The Plan has been endorsed 
by the donor community, and the Government has begun mobilizing the resources provided 
for in the Plan. 
With a view to creating complementarity with the partners' other trade-related programmes 
and projects, the EIF National Implementation Unit in the Comoros is currently developing 
an electronic platform for the management of official development assistance, taking into account 
the local Aid-for-Trade component of global assistance. This will make it possible to achieve a better coordination of efforts and to provide national stakeholders and development partners 
with accurate information on aid flows and results at global level, and on Aid for Trade 
in particular. 
I call on all the development partners to increase their contribution to the EIF programme, 
which is an indispensable instrument for countries that do not receive assistance to benefit 
from Aid-for-Trade resources, thus speeding up the integration of our small developing 
island economies. 
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