WT/MIN(15)/ST/36  
18 December 2015  
(15-6755)  Page: 1/2  
Ministerial Conference 
Tenth Session 
Nairobi, 15-18 December 2015  Original: English  
 
STATEMENT BY HON. ETIENNE SINATAMBOU 
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIR S, REGIONAL INTEGRATION 
AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE 
MAURITIUS  
I first wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Government and People of the Republic of Kenya 
for organizing the 10th Ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation in Nairobi and for the 
warm hospitality extended to my delegation and myself. 
 
I thank the Director-General, Mr Roberto Azevêdo and the WTO Secretariat for their valuable assistance in the preparation of this Ministerial Conference. 
 
It is my firm belief that the holding of this 10th WTO Ministerial Conference on the African Continent in Nairobi highlights Africa’s growing potential in the world economy and its proactive 
role in consolidating the Multilateral Trading System. 
 The year 2015 has set the pathway for a new Development Agenda with the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals 
in New York and more recently in Paris, the Agr eement at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the 
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.  
Here in Nairobi, we need to give a new boost to the Multilateral Trading System and to agree on a 
process to reposition trade as a catalyst for sustainable development.  
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.  
Whilst our quest to advance our individual country interests remains legitimate, we however need 
to find innovative ways of working together to achieve concrete deliverables on the key pillars of 
the Doha Development Agenda, namely developmen t, agriculture, non-agriculture market access 
and services. 
 We believe that a recalibration of the level of ambition and building on what has already been 
achieved, including on the flexibilities may be  a way forward towards a balanced outcome. 
 For Mauritius such a balanced outcome includes:  
• Tariff reductions on an asymmetrical basis for agricultural and industrial goods based on 
agreed averages for Developed and Developing countries respectively, rather than on the 
Swiss or the tiered formula. 
 
• Maintenance and strengthening of the acquis on addressing preference erosion.  
• Maintenance of agreed flexibilities for Small and Vulnerable Economies, Net Food Importing 
Developing Countries and Least Developed Countries. 
 WT/MIN(15)/ST/36 
 
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  • Elimination of subsidies in the fisheries sector with regard to IUU and over fishing, while 
preserving the necessary policy space for Small Island Developing States to provide support to develop the sector which is so vital for their development. 
 
• The timely implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement and the extension of 
necessary support to address capacity bu ilding needs as provided for therein. 
 
• Addressing the issue of food security in its broadest sense on a permanent basis, including 
by reinstating the provisions of Article 9(d) of the Agreement on Agriculture for developing countries. 
 
• The further opening up of the services sector across all modes of supply. 
 As part of the Development Agenda, we are in favo ur of an LDC package that would help the LDC’s 
integrate the multilateral trading system.  However, such a package must be assessed from the 
perspective of its impact on other vulnerable deve loping countries so that appropriate mitigation 
measures may be agreed upon. 
 
Mauritius would also like to see an acceleration of the work program for small economies and for the timely implementation of measures that would support their integration into the global economy.  In addition the specific situation of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) needs 
recognition at the WTO. We also require a dedicated aid for trade envelope to support their 
development.  
Last but not the least we wish to welcome our sister country Seychelles and Kazakhstan as the 
newest members of the WTO. We congratulate Liberia and Afghanistan for completing their accession process to the WTO. 
 
This Conference is probably the last chance to inject a much needed momentum into the Doha Development Agenda.  History will judge us by the stand we take during this ministerial conference.  It is up to us to take the right decisions NOW. 
 
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