RESTRICTED  
  
WT/MIN(17)/SR/1  
 
19 February  2018 
(18-1068) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Eleventh Session  
Buenos Aires, 10 -13 December 2017    
 
SUMMARY RECORD OF TH E OPENING SESSION  
HELD AT THE EXHIBITION CENTRE OF THE CITY O F BUENOS AIRES  
SUNDAY,  10 DECEMBER  2017 AT 4.15 P.M. 
Chairperson : Her Excellency Ms Susana Malcorra  (Argentina ) 
Subjects discussed : 
 
1   WELCOMING REMARKS BY  THE CHAIRPERSON  ................................ ...........................  1 
2   PART 1 OF THE OPENIN G SESSION  ................................ ................................ .............  1 
2.1   Adoption of the Agenda  ................................ ................................ ................................  2 
3   PART 2 OF THE OPENIN G SESSION  ................................ ................................ .............  2 
3.1   Address by the Director -General and Statements by Heads of State ................................ ... 2 
 
1  WELCOMING  REMARKS BY THE CHAIR PERSON  
1.1.  The Chairperson  welcome d everyone  to the Eleventh Session of the Ministerial Conference of 
the WTO and to Buenos Aires.  
1.2.  She t hanked all Heads of Delegation a nd delegates for their presence . She also thanked 
Members for having entrusted  Argentina to host  MC11, and for having appointed  her as the 
Chairperson of the  Conference. She extended her gratitude to  Uruguay  for its cooperation  in 
ensuring that the  Eleventh Ministerial Conference  could take place in Buenos Aires.   She was also 
grateful  to the three Vice Chairpersons  of the Ministerial  Conference who would assist her  during 
the following  days:  H.E. Dr  Okechukwu Ene lamah of Nigeria; H.E. Mr  David Parker of New Zealand  
and Mr Edward Yau of Hong Kong, China . 
1.3.  She briefly explained  that the  first part  of the Opening Session  would comprise the address 
by the Chairman of the General Council  and the adoption of the agenda.  In the second part  of the 
Opening Session , the Ministerial Conference would welcome  the Presidents of Argentina , Brazil, 
Paraguay and Uruguay and the envoys of the President s of Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Guyana . In 
this second part, t he WTO  Director -General would  addre ss the Ministerial Conference. Thereafter, 
the President s of Chile,  Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay  would address the Conference  
and t he Presidential D eclaration of MC11  would be signed . The session would  then be concluded 
with remarks by  the President of Argentina .   
2  PART  1 OF THE OPENING SES SION  
2.1.  The Chairman of the General Council  and Permanent Representative of South Africa  to the 
WTO, H.E. Mr Xavier Carim , then delivered an address (WT/MIN(17)/ 43). 
2.2.  The Chairperson  thanked the General Council Chairman for the work he had done in Geneva 
and noted  that the task had now been passed to her to advance  with the negotiations.   WT/MIN(17)/SR/1  
 
- 2 - 
 
  2.1  Adoption  of the Agenda  
2.3.  The Chairperson  drew the attention  to the Provisional Agenda for the Ministerial Confe rence 
in document WT/MIN(17)/W/1 . In line with the Rules of Procedure for the Ministerial Conference , 
she proposed that the Agenda be adopted . 
2.4.  The Ministerial Conference adopted  the following  Agenda , as proposed in WT/MIN(17 )/W/1 : 
1. Overview of Activities of the WTO  
2. Action by Ministers  
3. Date and Venue of the Twelfth S ession  
4. Election of Officers  
2.5.  The Chairperson  reminded delegations that the Plenary Session would commence  the 
following day at 10.00 am. In her function as Chairperson , she would deliver a statement and  
thereafter  offer the floor to the Director -General . The Plenary Session would then continue with 
General Statements under Item 1 of the Agenda . 
2.6.  She wished the Ministeri al Conference success, and invited  all delegations to remain seated 
for the second part of the Opening Session.    
3  PART 2 OF THE OPENING SESSION  
3.1  Address by the Director -General and  Statements by Heads of State  
3.1.  The Director -General  delivered his address (WT/MIN(17)/45).  
3.2.  H.E. Mr. Jorge Faurie , Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship of the Argentine Republic , read, 
on behalf of the Governments of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guyana, Mexico, Paraguay, 
Peru, Suriname and Uruguay , the "Buenos Aires Declaration". The declaration was subsequently 
circulated in  document  WT/MIN(17)/53.  
3.3.  The special envoys of the Presidents of Suriname  (H.E. Mr.  Reggy  Nelson, Permanent 
Representative of Suriname to the WTO), Mexico  (H.E. Mr. Ildefonso G uajardo Villarreal, Secretary 
of Economy of Mexico), Guyana  (H.E. Dr. John Ronald Dipchandra Ford, Permanent Representative 
of Guyana to the WTO) and Colombia  (H.E. Ms Maria Lorena Gutierrez, Minister of Commerce, 
Industry and Tourism  of Colombia) signed t he declaration on stage. The representatives of Chile 
and Peru signed the declaration after the Opening Session . 
3.4.  The President of the Republic of Chile , H.E. Ms Michelle Bachelet , addressed the Ministeri al 
Conference via video message  (WT/MIN(17)/78 ). 
3.5.  The President of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay , H.E. Mr. Tabaré Vázquez , signed the 
declaration  and addressed the Ministerial Conference (WT/MIN(17)/ 76). 
3.6.  The President of the Republic of Paraguay , H.E. Mr. Horacio Cartes  Jara, also signed the 
declaration an d addressed the Ministerial Conference (WT/MIN(17)/72).  
3.7.  The President of the Federative Republic of Brazil , H.E. Mr. Michel Temer , thereafter signed 
the declaration and addressed the Ministerial Conference (WT/MIN(17)/ 77).  
3.8.  Finally, t he President of the Argentine Republic , H.E. Mr. Mauricio Macri , signed the 
declaration and addressed the Ministerial Conference (WT/MIN( 17)/75). 
3.9.  The meeting adjourned  at 5.50 p.m.  
__________