WT/MIN(17)/ST/124  
 
8 January 2018  
(18-0118) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Eleventh Session  
Buenos Aires, 10 -13 December 2017  Original: English  
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR  AKECH CHOL AHOU AYOK  
DEPUTY PERMANENT REP RESENTATIVE AT THE P ERMANENT MISSION OF  
SOUTH SUDAN TO THE U NOG 
SOUTH SUDAN 
(Speaking as an Observer)  
It is a great pleasure and honour for me to address the Eleventh Session of the Ministerial 
Conference here in Buenos Aires on behalf of my delegation. I would like to seize this humble 
opportunity to express my deep gratitude to the Government and the peo ple of Argentina for the 
warm hospitality accorded to my delegation upon our arrival to Buenos Aires, as well as the 
excellent preparations to make this Conference a success.   
 
Also, I would like to congratulate the Chairperson, Ms Susana Malcorra, the WT O Director–General, 
Mr. Roberto Azevê do and the WTO Secretariat for their tireless efforts and commitment towards 
making this Conference successful.  
 
This is a n historic moment for the Republic of South Sudan. Our desire to join the WTO from the 
onset of our independence has always been driven by the need for development. As a landlocked 
LDC that was born out of conflict with an inherited fragility, South Sudan has always been 
committed to promoting regional and economic cooperation with nations across the  globe. To this 
end, we have already acceded to the East African Community in March 2016.  
 
We believe and recognize the role of WTO membership in (i) providing a level -playing field in the 
multilateral trading system; (ii) contributing towards poverty erad ication by creating jobs for the 
vulnerable group; and (iii) promoting peace building.  
 
Furthermore, my country wants to attract foreign direct investment and have access to 
international markets as much as other countries have a desire to trade with us. T his cannot be 
achieved without acceding to the WTO.   
 
South Sudan is also very keen to restore sustainable peace and stability and has taken various 
measures towards achieving this objective. The Government has accepted without pre -conditions 
to fully par ticipate in the (IGAD) led High -Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) of the Agreement for 
the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (CARCSS) of August  2015, concurrently with the 
on-going National Dialogue. I call upon all of you in this gathering to supp ort the efforts of the 
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African (AU), the United Nations (UN), 
the International Partners and Friends of South Sudan to rally and support my Government in 
search for peace and security.  
 
By establishing  the Working Party on the Accession of South Sudan, the Ministerial Conference has 
encouraged us to keep up the nation -building efforts. My Government therefore stands committed 
to undertake the required reforms for WTO Accession in accordance with the pri nciples of the rule 
of law, transparency, good governance and respect for human rights.  
 
On behalf of the Government of South Sudan, I would therefore like to express our highest 
gratitude and appreciation to the entire WTO Membership for accepting South Sudan on board by 
formally establishing the Accession Working Party, hence granting us obs erver status. WT/MIN(17)/ST/124  
 
- 2 - 
 
  Our appreciation also goes to the WTO Secretariat for their guidance and the Enhanced Integrated 
Framework for their institutional support.  
 
__________