WT/MIN(15)/20  
 
16 December 2015  
(15-6622) Page: 1/5 
Ministerial Conference  
Tenth Session  
Nairobi, 15 -18 December 2015    
 
 ADDRESS BY MR ROBERTO AZEVÊDO  
WTO DIRECTOR -GENERAL  
MC10 OPENING SESSION - 15 DECEMBER 2015  
WELCOMING REMARKS  
 
Welcome to the 10th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization.  
 
I want to pay tribute to the Government and people of Kenya for host ing this Ministerial 
Conference, and giving us such a warm and graceful welcome.  
 
To President Kenyatta, I express my sincere gratitude for your leadership and your belief in the 
power of trade to change people's lives for the better.  
 
To Cabinet Secretar y Mohamed, Chair of our Conference this week, I want to say thank you for 
your tireless efforts to provide the perfect venue for our deliberations and to make this conference 
a success.  
 
The commitment of the Kenyan government to this conference has been total. And I think this 
mirrors their commitment to trade itself as a force for growth and development.  
 
So on behalf of the World Trade Organization and each of our 162 Members, I wish to thank you 
for your generous hospitality – and for hosting us in th is ideal setting.  
 
Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on her leadership 
in advancing Liberia's membership of the WTO. I hope that Liberia's accession will be one of a 
number of positive outcomes from our work  here this week.  
 
Finally, I want to pay tribute to the outstanding agreement tha t we saw in Paris on Saturday. 
I want to congratulate Secretary -General Ban Ki -moon and the Fr ench Government in particular. 
That was indeed a global achievement.  
 
Respondin g to climate change has long been one of the most intractable problems facing the 
international community. And after many years of effort we now have a deal. We have seen the 
power of the world acting as one.  
 
We should be inspired by that breakthrough he re in Nairobi.  
 
We should be inspired to lift our sights – to reach further – to aim higher and use trade for the 
common good.  
 
Two years ago in Bali we recalled some famous words of Nelson Mandela – words which I heard 
repeated in Paris on Saturday:  
 
 "It always seems impossible, until it's done."  
 
So here, at the WTO's first ministerial conference to be held on African soil, I think we should take 
inspiration from that sentiment once again. Kenya has set the stage. Now it is time for us to 
deliver.  WT/MIN(15)/20  
 
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  ADDR ESS TO MINISTERS  
Let me once again pay tribute to the government and people of Kenya for hosting this 10th Session 
of the WTO's Ministerial Conference.  
 
I want to take this opportunity to extend a particular welcome to those members who joined since 
our last ministerial conference: Yemen, Seychelles, and Kazakhstan. We're glad to have you with 
us. And of course we look forward to welcoming Liberia and Afghanistan later this week.  
 
This is the first WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in Africa. As Cabin et Secretary Mohamed 
has said, Kenya is hosting this conference on behalf of the whole continent. I welcome that 
sentiment.  
 
As Director -General I meet a huge number of African leaders and businesspeople – and I am 
always struck by their energy and purpos e.  
 
In many African cities – including here in Nairobi – there is a rare sense of anticipation.  
 
Africa is on the rise.  It is the world's youngest continent. Its economy is the fastest growing.  
 
Its potential is unmatched. And it is clear that trade has a crucial role to play in helping to realize 
this potential.  
 
We are seeing efforts to dismantle trade barriers across the continent. And we are seeing a real 
belief that trade can make a difference.  
 
A global study by the Pew Research Centre found that, of all regions, African public opinion was 
the most pro -trade.  
 
The WTO was founded on African soil – in Marrakesh. So although this is our first ministerial 
conference in Africa, really this is a homecoming.  
 
And I hope that we will seize this opportunit y, over the coming days, to deliver for Africa.  
 
Of course, this conference also marks the 20th anniversary of the WTO.  
 
Over these 20 years, the cause of liberalised, development -oriented, inclusive, rules -based 
international trade has advanced signific antly.  
 
34 members have joined the WTO,  meaning that almost all of the world's economies are now part 
of a single trading system, covering 98% of global trade flows.  
 
Trade barriers have continued to fall over this period.  
 
It is no coincidence that aver age tariffs have been cut in half.  
 
The majority of global trade is now tariff free.  
 
And trade volumes have more than doubled.  
 
When you founded the WTO and agreed the legal texts, you effectively provided a constitution for 
global trade: a constitution  which enshrines trade's fundamental principles – and which will stand 
the test of time.  
 
Members monitor each other’s practices and regulations against those principles to improve 
transparency and avoid protectionism. And when conflicts do arise, we have  built one of the most 
effective dispute settlement systems in the world to resolve them. The system is now dealing with 
its 500th case.  
 
In this way, the organization has become established as a key pillar of global economic 
governance.  
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  Of course we al so work to negotiate new agreements and reform the rulebook.  
 
And the last time we met – in Bali two years ago – we delivered the biggest success of WTO's 
20 year history.  
 
The Bali package contained a range of vital measures on agriculture, food securit y and 
development. It brought us the Trade Facilitation Agreement which – when implemented – could 
have a bigger impact than the elimination of all remaining global tariffs, with the bulk of the 
benefits going to developing countries.  
 
We are now working to take forward all elements of the Bali package – including accelerating 
ratifications of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, so that we can begin to put it into action. I ask 
for your continued support in that effort.  
 
Bali was a major breakthrough for our  negotiating work. And after Bali everything that we were 
negotiating before – in the context of the Doha round – was back on the table.  
 
We have been working hard since then to advance these issues as far as possible. We were 
working on this up to the las t minute before leaving Geneva for Nairobi.  
 
Some issues proved to be quite difficult to tackle, and progress was impossible on many of the key 
issues, despite our efforts to be creative and open -minded. However, we come to Nairobi still 
hopeful that in s ome areas – some important areas – we might find a way to conclude 
negotiations.  
 
When we left Geneva, negotiators were still working to finalise deals that could include:  
 
 steps on agriculture,  
 measures to improve transparency,  
 a number of steps on spec ial and differential treatment for developing and least -
developed countries,  
 and some specific issues for the LDCs.  
 
I think there is a real desire to deliver here in Nairobi – particularly for the LDCs, 33 of which are 
African nations.  
 
Ambassador Mony ane of Lesotho – chair of the Africa Group in Geneva – put it very well. He said:  
 
"We need to deliver for all the people we represent. That includes those who won’t see the 
press conferences. Who won’t read the newspapers. Who don’t have a TV. We need to 
deliver real success for them – and that means delivering something which will improve their 
livelihoods."  
 
I echo that statement. That's what we must do here.  
 
And I want to welcome the generous support which was offered to LDCs yesterday by many of you 
at the pledging conference for the Enhanced Integrated Framework.  
 
I would also like to thank those members who provided funds to support LDC participation in this 
Ministerial Conference.  
 
Whatever we achieve in Nairobi, I am hopeful that it will be devel opment -oriented and that the 
LDCs are prioritized.  
 
Let me be clear, we are not looking at a perfect outcome here. Whatever the outcome, it will never 
be as comprehensive and ambitious as some may have hoped when we began our journey. And it 
would not add up to the successful conclusion of the Doha issues. But we can take important steps 
nonetheless. Steps that could help to improve the lives and prospects of many – and strengthen 
the system on which we all depend.  
 
Exactly what we can achieve will be dete rmined by your actions over the next few days and hours.  
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  We have got close to success on many occasions before and then, at the 11th hour, stepped back. 
I have seen this happen and I have always – every single time – regretted that we didn't take that 
final step. I am sure many in this room share that feeling.  
 
Let's not set the stage for regrets once again. Let's seize this opportunity.  
 
Of course, other negotiating work has been moving forward as well.  
 
Some members have been exploring issues outside the Doha agenda.  
 
For example, we have seen significant progress in negotiations to expand the Information 
Technology Agreement.  
 
This expanded agreement will eliminate tariffs on 200 IT products. Trade in those products is 
valued at over 1.3 trillion do llars each year. Therefore we will be removing tariffs on approximately 
10% of global trade. It is a big deal – and I hope that we will see progress on this front here in 
Nairobi.  
 
Work has also been moving forward on an Environmental Goods Agreement, and  I think that the 
importance of this initiative – of this issue – has been brought into clear focus by the historic Paris 
Agreement. We have seen important steps on this work in recent days – and I hope that the 
participants will continue to advance in the  New Year.  
 
While we should do everything we can to deliver meaningful outcomes in Nairobi – we must all 
recognize that this is only part of the picture.  
 
The question is not just about what we do this week – it's also about what we do afterwards. It's 
about our agenda – our vision  – for the coming years.  
 
As I have said, the WTO does important work administering the global trading system – spreading 
the rule of law, monitoring policies and settling disputes. These elements of the system are highly 
valued . And they will remain vital to keep commerce flowing.  
 
But, despite some recent breakthroughs, there is no doubt that our negotiating work is facing real 
problems.  
 
We need to consider what we want from the system – and how we can maintain it as a negoti ating 
forum.  
 
In the face of fragile economic growth, members should be looking to use the WTO to leverage 
trade as a force to accelerate growth and development. But all too often you are looking 
elsewhere.  
 
Members are increasingly focused on bilateral and regional trade initiatives. Of course this is due in 
part to the lack of progress we have seen through the WTO and the limitations on our work.  
 
But let me say this: the presence of bilateral and regional initiatives is not a cause for concern. 
They h ave long co -existed and complemented the multilateral system. And our analysis of these 
agreements shows that they all have WTO DNA. We have found no obvious conflicts with WTO 
rules.  
 
A bigger  consideration,  however,  is where  such initiatives  cover  areas  that are not currently  
covered  by the WTO.   
 
Our concern  is not that these  initiatives  ventures  into these  areas.  It is with the fact that the WTO 
is not properly  considering  how to respond  to these  developments.   
 
The greatest  value  of the WTO is that, big or small,  rich or poor, everyone  has a voice.   
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  But, as things stand today, we run the risk of the international trade agenda evolving outside  the 
WTO – and therefore that a large part of the membership will simply not be part of it. They will 
have no sa y in the shaping of the trade negotiating agenda, which may leave behind issues that 
are critical to them and that can only find adequate resolution in a multilateral forum.  
 
We need to think about  how we can allow WTO members  to have a voice – to be drivers, not 
passengers  or mere observers.   
 
So, as you consider  the future  of our negotiating  work,  I would  ask you to remember  two things.  
 
First, while we have not yet managed to conclude the Doha agenda, the issues that we have been 
negotiating all this ti me have not gone away. They have not been resolved. Those issues are still 
very much alive. They are still a problem of today's world – not of yesterday's world, of today's  
world – and they must be addressed. They cannot be swept under the carpet.  
 
Second , we should learn the lessons of our recent past – particularly the success of Bali. We 
learned in Bali that if we want to be successful we have to be inclusive. If we want to be successful 
we have to be flexible.  
 
The Trade Facilitation Agreement was suc cessful for exactly those reasons. That Agreement allows 
members to participate in a way which is commensurate with their capacity. It allows members to 
decide individually how quickly they take on commitments and, more than that, whether they need 
assista nce to implement them.  
 
We must apply those principles now in setting the agenda – and in the subsequent conversations 
we may have.  
 
As in Bali, we have future -defining moments ahead of us.  
 
There are important issues still on the table which will suppor t growth and development, and 
decisions which will determine the forward path of global trade negotiations.  
 
As we prepare for this work, I think we should recall the spirit in which this organization was 
founded 20 years ago.  
 
It represents our best ins tincts:  
 the desire to cooperate,  
 to resolve problems with discussion – not conflict, or protection and retaliation,  
 to take down walls – not build new ones,  
 to ensure that everyone – even the most powerful – are bound by common rules, and 
that the poorest are given the help they need to compete,  
 to work together for the benefit of all.  
 
These are high ideals. And like in every form of human endeavor, we don’t always live up to them. 
We fall short again and again. But we keep striving to do more – and to do better.  
 
We saw in the Paris Agreement that seemingly unbridgeable gaps can be closed if the political will 
is there. And we saw this two years ago in Bali.  
 
So I invite you all to engage over the next few days with an open mind and with your eyes on the  
future.  
 
I invite you all to roll up your sleeves and get to work.  
 
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