WT/MIN(13)/ST/46  
 
5 December 2013  
(13-6701)  Page: 1/2  
Ministerial Conference 
Ninth Session 
Bali, 3-6 December 2013  Original: English  
 
STATEMENT BY HON. FRANÇOIS KANIMBA 
MINISTER OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY 
RWANDA  
On behalf of the Government and the people of Rwanda, it is with pleasure and great honour to be 
here in Bali, Indonesia, to attend the 9th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation. I 
would like to join previous speakers in expressi ng my gratitude to the Government and the people 
of Indonesia for the warm welcome and the e ffective organization of this Conference. I 
congratulate you Mr. Chairman, Director General and Chair of the WTO General Council for your 
tireless efforts and leadership in helping to guide this important conference towards a successful conclusion. 
 
My delegation fully supports the package negotiated by our Geneva-based teams and subscribes to the statements made by the Ministers of Morocco on  behalf of the African Group; Nepal on behalf 
of the LDC Group and Jamaica on behalf of the ACP. 
 I agree with you, we convene here in Bali at a cr itical time in the evolution of the multilateral 
trading system. Faced with over a decade of uncerta inty, it is incumbent upon us all to seize the 
opportunity occasioned by the 9
th Ministerial Conference to send a strong signal that this system – 
our system – is still needed and has to be safeguarded.   
Rwanda is a vigorous defender of a strong, open and fair rules-based multilateral trading system. 
We believe that a trading system that is predic table and transparent – while also meaningfully 
addressing the needs of its most vulnerable Members, serves as an essential foundation for 
enhancing trade and investment, for creating more and better jobs for our people, and ultimately, 
for promoting growth, inclusive development and poverty reduction.  It is on this basis that Rwanda supports the adoption of a Trade Facilitation Agreement. I cannot 
stress enough the importance of Trade Facilitation for Africa as a whole, and for Rwanda in 
particular. Trade Facilitation is part of our national agenda. As a landlocked country, we believe that a Trade Facilitation Agreement is important, not only for its potential to increase the 
competitiveness of our private sector by reducing transaction costs, but also because it will 
facilitate our dialogue with our partner countries within our regional economic groupings to cut down the cost of trading across the borders to reach the global markets and participate in the 
global value chains.  
 Towards these broader aims, Rwanda has been impl ementing a myriad of reforms to improve the 
macroeconomic environment and to facilitate business both in goods and services, and more 
generally to support economic growth and inclusiv e development. As one of the top reformers in 
Africa, Rwanda is determined to continue these efforts and achieve our growth agenda. We have been working with UNCTAD to assess the current  capacity of Rwanda to implement the Trade 
Facilitation measures as provided for in the draft TF Agreement. I am happy to report that Rwanda 
is ready to implement this agreement in a reasonable horizon with the help of our development partners where necessary.   
 
Mindful of the role that the WTO can play in the above process, Rwanda calls on all WTO Members: 
 -  To renew and strengthen our commitment to secure a robust outcome from the Doha 
Round in the post-Bali period – one that de livers on the promise made over a decade WT/MIN(13)/ST/46 
 
- 2 - 
 
  ago of placing the needs and interests of developing countries at the heart of our work 
programme; 
 
- To ensure that initiatives aimed at assisting the most vulnerable economies, and 
particularly LDCs are fully and effectively implemented, so as to support moves away 
from traditional commodity exports and towards needed diversification and enhanced value-addition;  
 
- To further support efforts for boosting intra-African trade; and lastly; 
 
- To build on our commitment in mobilising the WTO’s Aid for Trade initiative to address 
the still-pervasive supply-side constraints faced by LDCs and to maintain the political 
momentum in support of the Enhanced Integrated Framework initiative.  
 
Allow me to close my statement by reiterating the need for collective commitment, but also 
concrete actions, to help restore global faith in the WTO as the backbone of the international trading system. I am confident that together we can move closer to this goal here in Bali, as well 
as in the post-Bali work program. I wish you a peaceful and prosperous year 2014. 
  
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