RESTRICTED  
  
WT/GC/M/152  
 
9 October 2014  
(14-5745)  Page: 1/69  
General Council 
24-25 July 2014    
 
 MINUTES OF THE MEETING 
HELD IN THE CENTRE WILLIAM RAPPARD ON 24-25 JULY 2014 
Chairperson: H.E. Mr Jonathan T. Fried (Canada) 
At the outset of the meeting, the Chairman, on be half of all the Members, welcomed the Republic 
of Yemen, which had formally become the 160th Member of the WTO on 26 June. The Director-
General and several delegations also welcomed Yemen during the course of the meeting. The Chairman and the Director-General also welcomed H.E. Axel Addy, Minister of Commerce and Industry of Liberia, who was present at the meeting. H.E. Axel Addy
1 and the representative of 
Yemen2 spoke.  
 In the course of the meeting, the Chairman and several delegations bade farewell to Amb. Syafri 
Baharuddin (Indonesia), Amb. Shahid Bashir (Pakistan), Amb. Joakim Reiter (Sweden), 
Amb. Norbert Frick (Liechtenstein), Dr István Béla Pokorádi (Hungary), Mr François Riegert 
(France), Amb. Walid Mahmoud Abdelnasser (Egy pt) and Amb. James Manzou (Zimbabwe) who 
were leaving their post at the WTO, and expresse d appreciation for their valuable contribution 
during their time as Permanent Representatives.  The General Council took up items 5-13, and Ot her Business, on 24 July and items 1 to 4 on 
25 July. 
 Subjects discussed:
3 
1   REPORT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE TRADE NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE .................... 3  
2   PREPARATORY COMMITTEE ON TRAD E FACILITATION – REPORT BY THE 
CHAIRMAN ..................................................................................................................... 30 
3   WTO TRADE FACILITATION AGREEM ENT FACILITY – STATEMENT BY THE 
DIRECTOR-GENERAL ...................................................................................................... 33  
4   IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BALI OU TCOMES – STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN ......... 36  
5   WORK PROGRAMME ON SMALL ECONOMIES – REPORT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF 
THE DEDICATED SESSION OF THE COMMI TTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT ............. 37  
6   WORK PROGRAMME ON ELECTRONIC COMMERCE – REVIEW OF PROGRESS .............. 38  
7   TRADE AND THE POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA – STATEMENT BY THE 
DIRECTOR-GENERAL ...................................................................................................... 39  
8   TENTH SESSION OF THE MINISTERIA L CONFERENCE – DATE AND VENUE................. 42  
9   IMPROVING THE GUIDELINES FOR GRANTING INTERGOVERNMENTAL 
ORGANIZATIONS PERMANENT OBSERVER STATUS IN THE WTO – 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE ARAB GROUP .................................................................... 43  
10   WAIVERS UNDER ARTICLE IX  OF THE WTO AGREEMENT ......................................... 44  
                                               
1 The full statement can be found in Annex 1. 
2 The full statement can be found in Annex 2. 
3 The Proposed Agenda was circulated in document WT/GC/W/684. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  10.1   SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR RICE OF THE PHILIPPINES – DRAFT DECISION ....................... 44 
10.2   REVIEW OF WAIVERS PURSUANT TO  ARTICLE IX:4 OF THE WTO AG REEMENT ................. 45 
10.2.1   LDCs – Article 70.9 of the TRIPS Agreement with respect to pharmaceutical 
products, granted on 8 July 2002 until 1 January 2016 .......................................................... 45 
10.2.2   Preferential treatment for least-developed countries, granted on 27 May 2009 
until 30 J une 2019  ........................................................................................................... 45 
10.2.3   United States – Former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, granted on 
27 July 2007 until 31 December 2016 ................................................................................. 45 
10.2.4   United States – Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, granted on 
27 May 2009 until 31 December 2014 ................................................................................. 45 
10.2.5   United States – African Growth and Opportunity Act, granted on 27 May 2009 
until 30 September 2015 .................................................................................................. 45 
10.2.6   United States – Andean Trade Preference Act, granted on 27 May 2009 until 
31 December  2014  .......................................................................................................... 45 
11   DERESTRICTION OF HISTORICAL BILATERAL NEGOTIATING 
DOCUMENTATION OF THE KENNEDY ROUND – DRAFT DECISION ................................... 46  
12   COMMITTEE ON BUDGET, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION – REPORT ON 
MEETING OF JULY 2014 ................................................................................................. 46  
13   WTO PENS ION PLAN ............................................................................................... 47  
13.1   ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT BOARD AND REPORT OF THE EXTERNAL 
AUDITOR THEREON FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2013 AND LETTER OF FINAL 
COMMENTS ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  OF THE WTO PENSION PLAN FOR THE 
FINANCIAL YEAR ENDE D 31 DECEMB ER 2013  ...................................................................... 47 
13.2   AGREEMENT ON THE TRANSFER OF PE NSION RIGHTS OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE 
WTO PENSION PLAN (WTOPP) AND IN THE COORDINATED AG ENCIES PLANS ........................... 48 
13.3   ELECTION OF A MEMBER – PROPO SAL BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GENERAL 
COUNCIL ....................................................................................................................... . 49 
14   UNITED NATIONS DESIGNATED IN TERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE SIDS – 
STATEMENT BY BARBADOS ............................................................................................ 49  
15   WITHDRAWAL OF INVOCATION OF ARTICLE XIII WITH RESPECT TO CHINA 
– STATEMENT BY EL  SALVAD OR ..................................................................................... 50  
16   TRADE RESTRICTIVE MEASURES OF CERTAIN MEMBERS – STATEMENT BY 
THE RUSSIAN FE DERATION............................................................................................ 51  
17   CHAIRMANSHIPS OF THE WORKING PARTIES ON THE ACCESSION OF 
BELARUS AND ON THE ACCESSION OF BHUTAN – STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN ........ 52  
18   CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE CO UNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS ....................................... 52  
19   ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES FOR MEMBERS IN ARREARS – STATEMENT BY 
THE CHAIRMAN .............................................................................................................. 53  
ANNEX 1  - H.E. AXEL M. ADDY'S ADDRESS TO THE GENERAL COUNCIL OF THE 
WORLD TRADE ORGA NIZATION ..................................................................................... 54  
ANNEX 2  - STATEMENT BY YEMEN ON THE CHAIRMAN'S WELCOMING REMARKS 
TO THE  160TH MEMBER OF THE WTO.............................................................................. 55  
ANNEX 3  - TNC CHAIRMAN'S REMARKS AT THE INFORMAL TNC MEETING AT THE 
LEVEL OF HEAD OF DELEGATION HELD ON  25 JUNE 2014 .............................................. 56  
ANNEX 4  - STATEMENT BY MEMBERS AT THE INFORMAL TNC MEETING AT THE 
LEVEL OF HEAD OF DELEGATION HELD ON  25 JUNE 2014 .............................................. 59  
ANNEX 5  - STATEMENT BY LESOTHO ON BEHALF OF THE AFRICAN GROUP AT 
THE LAUNCH OF THE WTO TRADE FACI LITATION AGREEMENT FACILITY ON 
22 JULY 2014 ................................................................................................................. 69 WT/GC/M/152 
 
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1  REPORT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE TRADE NEGOTI ATIONS COMMITTEE 
1.1.  The Chairman invited the Director-General, as  Chairman of the TNC, to report on the TNC's 
activities since his last report to the Council. 
1.2.  The Director-General, Chairman of the TNC4, recalled that since the last meeting of the 
General Council in May, the TNC had held one informal meeting on 25 June 2014. At that meeting, 
Members had continued their discussions on the DDA work programme, focusing on the three 
pivotal and interlinked areas of agriculture, NAMA (non-agricultural market access) and services. 
His statement and the oral reports of all the Negotiating Group Chairs had been issued in 
document JOB/TNC/39.  
1.3.  In giving Members the report at the meetin g, he was not going to discuss the implementation 
of the Trade Facilitation Agreement. What would happen there would have a significant influence 
on the progress that they would be able to make in their other post-Bali work, and particularly on the DDA work programme. But that would be dealt with under a separate item on the agenda. He 
would focus solely on the encouraging engagement  that he had been seeing on the DDA — and 
which had been increasing throughout the year.  
1.4.  He thought it had been clear from the di scussion they had had at the TNC in June that 
Members remained committed to advancing the Doha negotiations on all fronts. At that meeting 
they had heard from all the Chairs on their consultations and plans for future work. The Chairs had each expressed their readiness to continue to provide a forum for Members to engage at a more specific level. Since then, the Chairs had continued to consult delegations in different formats and 
configurations. His own consultations with Members on the DDA issues had been encouraging.  
1.5.  In addition to the work he had outlined at the TNC, he had been engaging with many 
delegations, including the regional coordinators, to  seek their views and hear their ideas. This had 
confirmed his view that Members needed to focus on the three key areas of Agriculture, NAMA and 
Services in the first instance — but that they also needed to remain mindful of how to move other negotiating issues forward as well.  
1.6.  He wanted to be clear that the attention on Agriculture, NAMA and Services was not at the 
expense of other issues. Members had been telling him that that was where the critical logjams were. They would need to be addressed before other negotiating issues could also come into play. 
1.7.  His discussions with regard to each of the 3 areas had been positive and encouraging, but 
were still at an early stage. He had welcomed the willingness of Members to think creatively and to 
be open to new ideas. They also recognized and took account of the significant progress that had already been made in the negotiations thus far, mu ch of it had been reflected and consolidated in 
the 2008 texts.  
1.8.  A major challenge would be striking the right balance between Agriculture, NAMA and 
Services in an overall sense. Members could no lo nger sidestep the tough negotiating issues — for 
example, the need to tackle all forms of trade di storting agricultural subsidies; to find market 
access solutions on agriculture and NAMA; and to l ook at services in greater depth. They needed 
to recognize that the 2008 texts would need some adjustment, notwithstanding his belief that much of what was in those texts, including the overall architecture and goals contained in those 
texts, could still be maintained. 
1.9.  By talking about Agriculture and NAMA together, he believed Members would be better able 
to find a way through that conundrum. Trying to sequence the conversation, expecting to solve 
one issue before they tackled the other, was not go ing to work. They needed to recognize that the 
level of ambition in Agriculture would be related in part to the level of ambition in NAMA, and vice versa. The balance would inevitably have some kind of impact on overall ambition. 
                                               
4 The Director-General's statement was subsequently circulated in JOB/GC/69. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  1.10.  The Chairs had also been actively advancin g the work in the negotiating groups. They would 
circulate fuller reports to Members, as they deemed appropriate, but he provided a brief overview based on the reports of the Chairs to him: 
1.11.  On Agriculture, since the last TNC on 25 June, the Chair had pursued his informal 
consultations aimed at clarifying the perspectives that Members had on the way forward for 
unresolved issues in that area. The Chair had held two open-ended meetings of the Special Session, on 3 July and 23 July to provide for transparency and full participation concerning 
discussions on the agriculture negotiations, and to  provide for an exchange of views on progress 
towards the work programme mandated at Bali. Two technical workshops had been held by the Secretariat to help deepen understanding at the te chnical level of issues that had come up in the 
course of the negotiations so far. 
1.12.  During the Special Session on 23 July, three proposals had been officially introduced by the 
G-33 — one on Public Stockholding, one on Special Products and one on SSM. Most Members had used the opportunity to confirm and reaffirm thei r readiness to engage without delay on the work 
programme towards the identification of a permanent solution for the public stockholding for food 
security issue.  
1.13.  Members had also had a first opportunity to answer questions circulated by the Chair, in 
advance of the meeting, seeking to further clarify Members’ views on key elements in the domestic 
support and market access pillars, particularly as th ey related to levels of ambition and flexibilities. 
The questions concerned those two pillars as rece nt discussions had highlighted that both areas 
required more in-depth consideration by Memb ers. The fact that Members had addressed the 
questions constructively, sometimes in significant detail, had been positive and set the stage for 
more concrete discussions after the summer break, including on the most challenging issues. 
1.14.  The focus did not exclude Export Competitio n or Cotton. Rather, all of the elements within 
the DDA Agriculture framework were inter-related and there seemed to be a general acceptance 
that they would need to be dealt with as an overall package.  
1.15.  In NAMA, an open-ended meeting of the Negotiating Group had been convened on 9 July. 
The purpose had been for the Chair to report on his consultations and to have an open discussion 
on the way forward. The Chair's report had been circulated to Members in document TN/MA/26. The focus of his recent consultations had mainly been on those Members that had previously been described as the "formula applying members".  
1.16.  The Chair had reached the conclusion that, in  order to strengthen the process, a meeting of 
minds among Members on the goal of those negoti ations would first be required. For example: 
were Members striving to level the playing field in respect of concessions granted by different 
Members?  Did Members want substantial reductions in trade impediments?  Or were they seeking a 
result which would bring more homogeneity and strength to the multilateral trading system?  The 
Chair had stressed that in establishing such goals Members had had to take into account the 
assumption of trade-offs between the different negotiating pillars. Some Members had underlined 
that the aims and ambition of Members had often b een different in the 3 key areas of Agriculture, 
NAMA and Services — which could potentially cause difficulties.  
1.17.  On Special and Differential Treatmen t, the Chair of the Committee on Trade and 
Development Special Session had convened an info rmal open-ended meeting on 21 July. At that 
meeting the proponents had informed Members that  they had still been working on an overall 
assessment and review of all the Agreement-specif ic proposals with the objective of identifying 
those which they would like to bring to the Spec ial Session. The proponents had indicated that 
they hoped to complete the exercise soon and to  table the results of the work just after the 
summer break.  
1.18.  In the other negotiating areas, the Chairs had continued to make themselves available to 
any delegations wishing to discuss issues or make their views known. 
1.19.  He was pleased to report that Members had been engaging and, increasingly, they were 
talking about substance. But, as he saw it they  w e r e  t a k i n g  o n l y  v e r y  s m a l l ,  t e n t a t i v e  s t e p s  
forward. There was an old saying — you cannot cross a chasm with small steps . Sometimes one WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  should take a leap. They needed to be prepared to do that — to go further into the substance of 
the issues that they had before them and explore possible trade-offs.  
1.20.  There was a great deal still to be done. He urged Members again to engage directly with 
each other. They had to start having those tougher conversations — to discuss what they could 
put on the table that would make trade-offs possibl e. He asked them to reflect long and hard on 
what the next steps would be. As they moved forward everyone should be involved in those conversations about the future.  
1.21.  Members had had a very good level of engagement so far. Whether, and how, that 
continued was likely to depend on other items on the agenda of the meeting. How they moved 
forward was in their hands.  
1.22.  All delegations which spoke thanked th e Director-General, Chairman of the Trade 
Negotiations Committee, for his report. 
1.23.  The representative of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, speaking also on behalf of Cuba and 
the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, recalled th at they had expressed their disappointment on 
several occasions on the results of the Ninth Ministerial Conference. Developed countries had 
harvested freely a binding Agreement on Trade Facilitation with the commitment to prioritize issues in the Bali Package where legally binding outcomes could not be achieved. However, 
Members were witnessing once again that the Trad e Facilitation Agreement was almost ready to be 
implemented without evidence of real progress in  other areas in the DDA, especially on issues 
pending from Bali. Therefore, she said that these delegations had serious concerns in joining the consensus for the adoption of the Protocol of Amendment. The TFA could not be considered an 
independent agreement whilst there had been no progress on matters of interest to the majority of 
developing countries. The TFA should be part of  the Single Undertaking within the framework 
Paragraph 47 of the Doha Declaration. Adjusting an imprecision which had not been addressed at 
MC9 did not constitute re-negotiating what had been  agreed upon in Bali, since there had been no 
mention about whether the TFA would come into force provisionally or on a permanent basis in accordance with the Doha mandate.  
1.24.  On post-Bali work, she stressed that th e DDA was a Round for development, as clearly 
stated in Paragraph 2 of the Doha Declaration. The work program that Members were to design had to be consistent with that basic principle and objective. Unfortunately, the real concerns linked to development had been set aside on multiple occasions throughout the years.  This situation had 
to be rectified as Members advanced towards completing the Round. Issues related to 
Development should be prioritised.  Development was the objective, and issues related to market access had to be at the service of developmental needs. S&D treatment for developing countries in 
all areas of the negotiations continued to be crucial and had to be strengthened. Key issues 
pertaining to development such as S&D treatment and matters relating to implementation, being vital elements of the Single Undertaking, had to be prioritised. In market access negotiations on 
Agriculture, NAMA and Services, the robust elem ents of S&D should be considered and agreed, 
and tariff reduction methods should be in line with the asymmetries and the different levels of development. 
1.25.  In Agriculture, she reiterated that the Rev.4 of the Modalities Text should be used as a 
reference point. Developed country subsidies should be effectively disciplined. Export subsidies 
should be eliminated without any delay as had been agreed in the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration whilst taking into account the particular situation faced by developing Members in the 
area of export credits. In some developed countries domestic support translated into the green 
box and disciplines should be designed so that th is did not become trade distorting. The principles 
aiming at ensuring food security and the subsiste nce of small farmers should be operative in the 
Agriculture Modalities. A permanent solution to publ ic stockholding for food security for developing 
Members should be agreed upon as soon as possible and immediate attention should be given to Cotton. 
1.26.  Article XXIV of GATT should be amended to allow the insertion of solid S&D rules for 
developing countries when they entered into FTAs with developed countries. The high subsidies 
granted to industrial fisheries should be reduced. Developing countries should have S&D treatment allowing them to protect the livelihood of their sm all fishermen. Issues related to LDCs should be WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  prioritised in the Round and by the Organization. Sh e welcomed the list of requests in the area of 
Services submitted by the LDCs which she hoped would be looked into rapidly and effectively. 
1.27.  NAMA should be guided by the principle of less-than-full-reciprocity and the level of 
ambition should be guided by that in Agriculture. The economic development and the specific 
needs of developing countries should be considered in agreeing on tariff levels. The flexibilities in 
the recognized tariff reduction formula should no t be called into question. Rev.3 should be the 
starting point of the negotiations while observing the less-than-full-reciprocity principle. The 
sectoral negotiations should take place on a voluntary basis. To achieve a balanced result in NAMA, 
focus should be given on the mandate to eliminate NTBs. All the proposals submitted by Members, especially by developing countries, should be examined. 
1.28.  In Services, she reiterated that each developing country was entitled to choose its 
commitments in GATS given its sovereign right to regulate. Thinking otherwise should be avoided 
for being prejudicial to development. If Services negotiations were to take place, S&D should be fully taken into account. Developing countries should maintain their public policy areas and their 
right to regulate their services. Public services including water, health, education, among others, 
being human rights, should not be part of th e commitments in the GATS. TISA should not be 
negotiated under the auspices of the WTO as it contained elements which run counter to GATS 
including the negative list approach and the hybrid approach in the standstill clause. 
1.29.  In the DSU negotiations, proposals submitted by a group of developing countries aimed at 
improving the implementation of DSB recommendat ions and decisions should be considered to 
avoid the extended non-compliance with its decisions.  This would contribute to the efficiency of the 
system and help majority of developing countries which could not resort to retaliation. 
1.30.  She warned against the risk of plurilateral negotiations which ran counter to the Multilateral 
Trading System. She reiterated that as long as ef fective responses to the imbalances left by the 
Uruguay Round, one could not discuss the so called "21
st century issues".  Including new issues in 
the WTO agenda would deviate the attention that priority issues, such as Agriculture, deserved. 
1.31.  The representative of Indonesia, on behalf  of the G-33, emphasised that 'development' was 
the core of the DDA with S&D treatment as an integral part necessitating the provision of 
meaningful flexibilities for developing countries " to pursue agricultural policies that are supportive 
to their development goals, poverty reduction strategies, food security and livelihood concerns " as 
enshrined in the July Framework Agreement of 2004.  
1.32.  The G-33 underscored the need to preserve the Members' hard-won gains under the Rev.4 
Agriculture Modalities text of 2008, and to issue a post-Bali work program based on this. As time was of the essence, the G-33 urged Members to begin re-engaging on the so-called few 
outstanding issues of the Rev.4 text. The Group was concretely leading the way in the current 
Agriculture talks by introducing proposed compromises for Special Products (SP) and the Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) and its priority elements for a post-Bali work programme.  
1.33.  The Group urged early engagement on the i ssue of Public Stockholding for Food Security 
Purposes, an independent outcome in Bali, to arrive at a permanent solution not later than MC11. It looked forward to and supported the reactiva tion of their substantive work and intensive 
engagements right after the summer break, and renewed its commitment to continue making 
constructive contributions for a post-Bali work program. 
1.34.  The representative of Brazil, speaking on behalf of the G-20, reiterated its commitment to 
advance the Agriculture negotiations in accordance with the Doha Mandate and with full respect of 
the principle of S&D treatment for developing Members. He recalled that the G-20 had always 
made it clear that the revised draft modalities for Agriculture contained in document Rev.4 were the basis for a successful agreement. A balanced, development-oriented work programme in 
Agriculture should be aimed at results in all three pillars: Domestic Support, Market Access and 
Export Competition and should include all of their essential elements. The Group was open, ready and willing to do and urged Members to engage co nstructively in the discussions of finalising the 
work programme by December 2014. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  1.35.  Speaking on behalf of Brazil, he restated Brazil's active commitment to the implementation 
of the Bali outcomes with a sense of priority ac ross the board and within the agreed timeframes. 
He announced that Brazil had concluded its internal review of the TFA and would notify its Category A Commitments to the Preparatory Committee on the same day, leaving out only a very 
limited number of commitments from that Category. 
1.36.  On the post-Bali work program, the fu ture of the WTO and of the MTS depended on 
Members producing significant results in line with the DDA. Brazil was ready to take part in the 
collective effort to design a roadmap that could lead  to positive and balanced results by the end of 
the year, as close to negotiating parameters as it could be accomplished while preserving the importance of development objectives. It was widely accepted, as the Director-General had said, that the work program would have to address the three core areas of Agriculture, NAMA and 
Services. For Brazil, as stated before, the 2008 modalities had expressed a balance in terms of 
ambition, a natural reference against which Members could gauge the level of ambition of the work program in all three pillars and among them. Brazil stood for ambitious outcomes in all three 
pillars of Agriculture. Any adjustment in the level of ambition in Agriculture would necessarily 
generate adjustment in the same direction and of at least the same magnitude in the ambition of the other components of the work program.  
1.37.  He said that it was clear that a wide and diverse majority of Members considered that the 
Rev.4 Modalities text should be the basis for th e exercise. All relevant elements in each pillar 
should be addressed. In Market Access, for exam ple, Members should deal with important issues 
such as TRQs, Special Safeguards, Tariff Peaks, and Tariff Escalation. Those realities should be 
approached head on. They should overcome the asymmetries which existed between the level of 
trade distortion in Agriculture and the other areas of international commerce – the core challenge in moving ahead within a true development round and a necessary accomplishment on their way 
to reinforcing the MTS, increasing its legitimacy an d ensuring that the benefits of trade served the 
fundamental cause of more equitable development. 
1.38.  The representative of Kenya, on behalf of  the ACP Group, recognized the Director-General’s 
tireless efforts that led to the establishment of the TFA Facility and was deeply grateful to all those 
donor partners that had signalled their interest in voluntarily contributing resources towards the full realisation of the Facility. The Group suppor ted the statements of the LDC Group, the African 
Group and the SVEs and wished to emphasize a few points for consideration in the work to define 
a post-Bali work programme.  
1.39.  First, the data showed that, for Agriculture, NAMA and Services, very little had changed for 
most ACP States, including the continued marginalisation of some of its members. Agriculture was 
a clear priority for its members; accordingly, th ere were a number of flexibilities which had been 
supported and negotiated by the Group that should  be preserved, including those related to the 
SVEs, preference erosion, special products and the special safeguard mechanism, among others. A 
satisfactory solution on Cotton was long overdue an d the fast-tracking of the issue in the post-Bali 
work program should be a priority.  
1.40.  In NAMA, no significant change had taken pl ace and vulnerability was eminent in relation to 
preference erosion, the increasing impact of non-tariff barriers, and approaches that could 
undermine national development and regional integr ation efforts. There should be full clarity on 
those issues. The Group looked forward to benefi ting from the work of the WTO Secretariat on 
Non-Tariff Barriers which would provide a complete  picture of the elements affecting market 
access for its products.  
1.41.  In Services, while the Group's aggregate exports remained flat since 2008 compared to 
world trade, the sector continued to grow in impo rtance in its economies. The sector was critical 
for the diversification of its trade and had a clear linkage to global value chains, particularly those 
with a comparative advantage such as travel and tourism, transport, other business services, and professional services across all modes of supply,  especially in Mode 4. Accordingly, the DDA 
negotiations in Services should be done under the auspices of the CTS-SS. The flexibilities for 
developing countries and LDCs found in GATS Articles IV and XIX, in the Negotiating Guidelines 
and Procedures and the architecture of GATS, shou ld be adhered to. The ACP Group was mindful of 
the negotiations on domestic regulation and other rule-making areas.  If work advanced in those 
areas, the Group would continue to engage on th e development aspects. On domestic regulation, 
disciplines which were of importance to the Group and that had an impact on market access in WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  Mode 4 and the provision of professional services, such as qualification requirements and 
procedures and licensing requirements, should be addressed. The new ideas that had been heard so far for the three market access areas raised concerns, as they appeared to undermine the flexibilities. Nevertheless, the Group was comfor ted that the Director-General had acknowledged 
that flexibilities for developing co untries and LDCs would be key to the conclusion of the DDA.     
1.42.  Second, the Single Undertaking should be observed in accordance with paragraph 47 of the 
Doha Ministerial Declaration. Third, as affirmed in the Bali Ministerial Declaration, Development 
and LDC outcomes should be prioritised, along with Agriculture. 
1.43.  The Doha Declaration mandate in Paragraph 44 on S&D treatment remained central in 
concluding the Doha Development Round. This should be observed with the resolution of the original 88 proposals still on the table representing clear value to developing countries and 
integrating LDCs into the MTS. On LDC outcomes , the Group urged Members to ensure meaningful 
participation in the high-level meeting in six months' time and to provide specific preferences in response to the LDC collective request submitted pursuant to the Bali LDC Waiver Decision. 
1.44.  Speaking on behalf of Kenya, he supported the G-33 statement issued by Indonesia. 
1.45.  The representative of Uganda, on behalf of the LDC Group, said that the LDC Group was 
committed to only one thing – the conclusion of the Doha Round with development at the centre. 
He recalled that in the past seven months no substantive movements had been made on the 
second track of the Bali mandate and that Members were at a critical stage, where they had entered plurilateral engagements that were preo c c u p y i n g  t h e m  m o r e  a n d  t h a t  w e r e  p r o m i s i n g  
more value than the Organization. The Group's co ncern was that the work program that Members 
were trying to develop should have facilitated LDCs in achieving special and differential trading 
rights that contributed to development. Ministers in Doha had recognized the need to benefit from 
the increased opportunities and welfare gains generated by the MTS. The post-Bali work 
programme could yield those benefits by facilitating LDCs in achieving S&D trading rights. 
However, for the past seven months, no substantive movement had been made on the second track of the Bali mandate with Members preoccupied in plurilateral engagements that promised 
more value. The Group urged Members, majority being developing and least-developed countries, 
to put their needs and interests at the heart of the post-Bali work program. 
1.46.  The Group noted the positive indication  and commitment from Members to advance the 
negotiations under the DDA. Focused discussions on the work program on the remaining DDA 
issues should begin particularly on its elements and structure. It was clear from consultations that 
Agriculture, NAMA and Services would be impo rtant and indispensable elements of the work 
programme but LDC specific issues and development should also be part of it. He stressed that the 
Secretariat should be asked to initiate a draft of the areas that had been identified by the 
Members, which required additional information, and the type of information needed, to dedicate 
the period beginning in September to filling the gaps and recalibrating the level of ambition where 
necessary. Not much progress had been made on the public stockholding mandate for a 
permanent solution. Work should be initiated to begin to define the contours of possible compromises in that important topic of food security.  
1.47.  The Rev.4 and Rev.3 Add.1 Modalities Texts should be the basis of the negotiations. Some 
Members had expressed difficulty on the issue and th e onus laid on them to explain their reasons. 
There should have been balance among Agricultur e, NAMA and Services in the broader game of 
the DDA. However, LDC issues should be fast-tracked and not be held hostage to the balancing 
game. Development should be the centre of all th e negotiations and the principle of the Single 
Undertaking should be preserved in line with Paragraph 47. Members should focus on concluding the DDA without introducing new issues. Language on S&D treatment for LDCs and developing 
countries should be preserved or improved upon. Further, the Group was interested in discussions 
on domestic support, especially those that distort the market, and export competition in line with 
the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration. Solutions on food security should not impede in any way the capacity of LDCs to secure food for their people at any point in time. 
1.48.  With regard to NAMA, LDCs  were not required to make any tariff cuts. However, any market 
access scheme embodying tariff cuts should be designed in such a way that was commercially meaningful to LDCs. A credible outcome on non-tariff barriers and related initiatives, particularly WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  rules of origin, would be vital in ensuring market access for LDCs. Negotiations should result in 
boosting the supply capacity of LDCs. Any initiative in breaking the stalemate in NAMA negotiations had to insure that policy space necessary for the growth of the Group's infant industry was preserved. The fundamentals of Rev.3 had to  be preserved, particularly in keeping the 
sectorals voluntary.  
1.49.  On special and differential treatment, wo rk should proceed along the lines enshrined in 
para. 44 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration.  The Group looked forward to continue reviewing S&D 
provisions to strengthen them and make them precise, effective and operational.  
1.50.  The Group welcomed the first dedicated m eeting of the Special Session of the Committee on 
Agriculture on trade-related aspects of Cotton, hoped that those negotiations would lead to tangible results giving greater confidence in the MTS, and invited the key players to remain 
engaged in a constructive manner. Cotton was the human face of the MTS. 
1.51.  The LDCs focused on the content of the agreements that should translate into positive 
outcomes for their trade and trade balance, impr ovement in production and supply capacity, and 
increased employment and incomes of their people. This Organization should emulate an inspiring 
ASEAN philosophy – Prosper thy neighbour ! The WTO should deliver for all. 
1.52.  The representative of Lesotho, on behalf  of the African Group endorsed the statements 
delivered by Uganda for the LDC Group and Keny a for the ACP Group. He stressed that the 
development dimension should be at the heart of every negotiated outcome. The launch of the TFA Facility had marked WTO's recognition of its share of  responsibility in particular in following up on 
the implementation of the negotiated outcomes fo r the benefit of developing countries and LDCs. 
This was a welcome step not only for responding to the call by the Malabo Summit of the African 
Union for clear funding mechanisms, but also because it integrated the development dimension into the heart of WTO's work.  
1.53.  Nevertheless, since the inception of the DDA, the prominence of the development dimension 
had been gradually fading away with each passing WTO Ministerial Conference. The recent post MC8 oscillation of LDC issues from being at the centre of negotiated outcomes to being at the 
periphery of Members' priorities bore testimony to that fact. A paradigm shift was necessary to 
bring back the development dimension to the centre of negotiations underlying every negotiated outcome for the benefit of developing and LDC Memb ers, particularly the African Countries. Like a 
baton, development should be carried through and not be dropped at any point along race. 
1.54.  The mandate for the DDA negotiations should be fully respected and implemented. For the 
African Group, the Doha Ministerial Declaration remained the custodian of both the guiding principles on the conduct of DDA negotiations and th e share of responsibilities to be shouldered by 
Members. Once again, the Group cautioned against attempts to rewrite the Doha Ministerial 
Declaration under the guise of developing a DDA work programme. The WP should be characterised by the principles of less-than-full-reciprocity, S&D treatment and Single Undertaking. 
Those principles should remain indelible as long as the Doha Ministerial Declaration continued to 
subsist. 
1.55.  The 2008 texts, in particular Rev.4 of the Agriculture Modalities and Rev.3 NAMA Modalities, 
should be the basis for the negotiations. The Af rican Group joined the majority of the Members 
who shared the position but was not in denial of the negotiation gaps that existed amongst 
Members. It would be inconceivable to expect a changed position in the absence of credible and convincing alternatives by Members who had questi oned the validity and legitimacy of both Rev.4 
and Rev.3 texts. The Group had taken note of ideas flagged by some Members albeit leaving a lot 
to be desired owing to clear deficiency of conc rete details and justification on what was being 
proposed. On the surface, those ideas raised some concerns as they seemed to point to a low 
ambition outcome of the DDA negotiations. Some implied changing the rules of engagement on 
which market access negotiations and other pillars of negotiations had long been premised since the GATT days. The priority of the Group in that context was that the flexibilities captured in the 
2008 texts should be fully preserved. 
1.56.  Full priority should be given to Bali  outcomes where binding outcomes had not been 
achieved. Once again, the African Group wished to sound a clarion call to all Members to translate WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  the commitment by Ministers in Bali into constructive engagement on non-binding Bali outcomes. 
The Group welcomed the submission by the LDC Gr oup of the Services Waiver Collective Request 
and entreated all Members to respond positively  and meaningfully to that ground-breaking 
initiative by the LDCs Group. By the same token, the need for a positive and meaningful response 
to other non-binding issues of interest to developing countries could not be overemphasised. 
Forum-shifting remained a concern, particularly to  the extent that the DDA negotiations had been 
compromised and that was still a grey area. Mega RTAs and plurilateral negotiations undertaken 
outside the DDA framework would inevitably affect the DDA negotiations and developments in 
those areas should be closely monitored. 
1.57.  The integrity of the WTO as a forum for principle-based negotiation should be preserved. 
Full inclusiveness and transparency should be ensured in the negotiations. Falling short of that, 
suspicion and lack of faith in the consultation process would be the order of the day. Therefore, 
pre-emption of negotiations should be avoided at all costs and outcomes should be fully negotiated 
and based on consensus. Adhering to those principles would be sine qua non to guaranteeing that 
every Member mirrored oneself in the negotiated outcomes. 
1.58.  A spectre of market imperfections, some of  which had been codified in the architecture of 
international trade rules, had riddled the international trading landscape. The Ministers had judged 
it prudent that the DDA negotiations should result in overarching reforms that would level the 
playing field, particularly in the area of Agricult ure. The existence of NTBs was an area that was 
rendering securement of a significant market share in international trade by developing and LDC Members – a red herring. An outcome in that area would go a long way in ensuring profitable 
participation by African Countries in international trade. 
1.59.  The representative of the Dominican Republic, on behalf of the IGDC, said that the 
developing countries agreed that in the negotiat ing work in the WTO, three important thoughts 
s h o u l d  a l w a y s  b e  k e p t  i n  m i n d :  f i r s t ,  t h e  i m p o r t a n c e  o f  t h e  W T O  f o r  t h e  M T S .  A c c o r d i n g l y ,  a l l  
efforts should be focused on strengthening the institution. Second, developing countries attached the utmost importance to a successful conclusion  of the DDA. Third, with development being a 
central element of the round, the Group hoped to see a balanced outcome with due regard to the 
development dimension of the negotiations on all three pillars – Agriculture, NAMA and Services. 
The Group urged Members to engage seriously in fi nalising the work programme for the conclusion 
of the DDA including all elements of the Bali Pa ckage taking into account the concerns of all 
developing and LDC Members. The Group also congratulated the Director-General for the launch of 
the TFA Facility which would greatly benefit developing countries. 
1.60.  The representative of Chinese Taipei, on behalf of the RAMS Group, reaffirmed its 
commitment to the MTS and looked forward to working closely with all Members to drive ahead 
and make progress on the post-Bali work program in the second half of the year. Speaking on 
behalf of Chinese Taipei, she expressed appreciati on for the efforts of the Director-General, the 
Chairs of the relevant bodies and fellow Members in  getting the post-Bali work in the right track. 
She said that although the pace varied according to the issues, they were signs of movement in the right direction. For example, she welcomed the lis t of collective requests tabled recently by the 
LDC Group designed to act as a catalyst to accelerate the Bali Decision on the Operationalization of 
the LDC Services Waiver. She appreciated the progress made on the Preparatory Committee on 
Trade Facilitation under the Chairpersonship of Amb. Conejos and the tireless efforts of the Director-General at integrating all resources in materialising the TFA Facility initiative. It had been 
seven months since the Bali Ministerial Conference, where Members had demonstrated to the 
world that the MTS was working and that the Organization was capable of responding to the changes and challenges that global economy had to face. Members should keep the spirit and 
momentum going, redouble their efforts to respect the mandated timeframes and continue 
working towards the holistic implementation  of the Bali Ministerial Decisions. 
1.61.  The representative of Guatemala, on behalf  of the SVEs, reiterated the SVEs' interests and 
expectations on the way forward and thanked a ll the delegations that had demonstrated their 
support to the SVEs throughout the process, recogn izing the special and difficult challenges they 
had had, were having and would be facing. In spite of the undeniable circumstances, SVEs remained committed to work in the MTS with an active, constructive and pragmatic approach. In 
moving forward the post-Bali work programme and the successful conclusion of the Doha Round, a 
more sustainable and helpful approach would be to gain continuous support from the Membership WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  in recognizing S&D Treatment and maintaining the necessary flexibilities for the SVEs. The Group 
would continue with its active engagement in the process. 
1.62.  The representative of Saint Lucia, on be half of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said 
that the Caribbean Community placed utmost prio rity on the completion of the entire DDA as 
Ministers had instructed, in addition to the fu lfilment of the MC9 mandate. Therefore,  the 
achievement of a well-defined post-Bali work program by the end of the year was critical. CARICOM was aware of on-going small group meetin gs of major delegations, and in that regard 
appreciated the transparency efforts of the vari ous negotiating Group Chairs. However, based on 
those reports, the Group continued to be concerned by the little progress made concerning the development of a work programme since substantive work had yet to materialise.  
1.63.  CARICOM placed utmost significance on the centrality of development in the Round. The 
Group had maintained the position that the stabilised flexibilities for SVEs in the current 
Agriculture and NAMA draft texts and the reflection  of appropriate SVE flexibilities in the other 
negotiating areas should be preserved. On the SV E NAMA flexibilities, at the previous Negotiating 
Group Meeting, CARICOM had been concerned by comments by one major Member regarding its 
reluctance at that stage, to agree to SVE flexibilities unless commitments from larger developing countries were attained. As small economies, the SVEs had expended a lot of negotiating capital to 
arrive at those flexibilities, and CARICOM urged that they not be reopened. Moreover, adherence 
or preservation of the SVE flexibilities thus far agreed would be a sign of good faith and commitment, and a down payment on the principle of development as built in the DDA mandate.  
1.64.  On Development, CARICOM reiterated the importance of work therein in line with paragraph 
44 of the Doha mandate. The Group looked forwar d to positive engagement on addressing the 
Cancun and other S&D proposals, and their prioritisa tion in the work program that needed to be 
developed. Despite remaining positive on the outcomes for work on the Monitoring Mechanism in 
the CTD Dedicated Session, based on written submissions, CARICOM had started experiencing 
some inertia owing to some comments prejudging  the outcome of the MM process, well ahead of 
any actual submissions.  
1.65.  On Services, CARICOM preferred a multilateral approach towards the negotiations, and 
reiterated the GATS framework, in particular Article XIX. The Rules dossier did not feature in the current core negotiations, but as majority island economies, it would be remiss of the Group not to highlight the importance of the fisheries sector on poverty eradication, employment generation 
and rural development. Thus, fisheries subsidies should also be given due consideration.  
1.66.  Time was not on Members' side but CARI COM remained hopeful that meaningful progress 
on the core issues would be made swiftly in an effort to establish the Work Programme by the 
timeline specified towards the fulsome completion of the DDA, restoring the WTO's waning 
credibility. The Group associated itself wi th the statements by the ACP, G-33 and SVE 
Coordinators. 
1.67.  The representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia thanked the Director-General for his 
tireless efforts and for his valuable report 
1.68.  The representative of Nigeria agreed with the Director-General that implementing the Bali 
Decisions and the early conclusion of the Doha Round with balanced outcomes should remain a top 
priority for all Members. He believed in the ability of the MTS under the Director-General's dynamic 
and focused leadership to promote global trade th at would impact positively on the economies of 
all Members, especially the developing Members, LDCs and the SVEs. He reaffirmed Nigeria's 
commitment to engage constructively and producti vely with other Members to come up with a 
clearly defined post-Bali work programme by Decemb er 2014 as directed by the Ministers at MC9. 
To that end, he urged Members to build on the outcome of the MC9 by implementing the decisions 
as a matter of priority. Members should build on  the momentum and focus on the post-Bali work 
programme with an open mind. He  agreed on the need to a realistic and pragmatic approach, 
bearing in mind the centrality of development an d underlined the importance Nigeria attached to 
the principles of inclusiveness, transparency an d bottom-up approach. Balance should be struck 
considering the interests of all Members. Given the commitment of the Round to development, the 
specific needs of developing countries particularly the LDCs should be at the core of the post-Bali work programme including the deliverables.  WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  1.69.  He reiterated the following: the need for horizontal balance across the three core pillars of 
the DDA negotiations – Agriculture, NAMA, and Serv ices; the relevance of the principle of Single 
Undertaking as the only principle that could ensu re the right balance among the outcomes of the 
Doha Round as confirmed under Paragraph 47 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration; the need to 
acknowledge and preserve the work that had been  accomplished since the beginning of the Doha 
Round, in particular the 2008 Modalities texts Revs.3 and 4 on Agriculture and NAMA, including their respective flexibilities for developing countries; while Nigeria was open to exchange ideas or 
information on wider global issues impacting trad e, no new issues should be added to the WTO 
mandate before concluding the Doha Round; and, the centrality of Development and Agriculture.  
1.70.  On Agriculture, Nigeria believed that the Rev.4 Modalities Text should form the basis for 
negotiations prioritising Cotton consistent with the 2005 Hong Kong Mandate. Despite differences 
in agricultural systems, which should be respected, Members should also pursue agricultural 
policies supportive to development goals, poverty reduction strategies, food security and livelihood security as provided in the July 2004 Framework.  The preamble of the Agriculture Agreement also 
acknowledged that S&D treatment for developing  countries was an integral element of the 
negotiations taking into account the possible negative effects of the implementation of the reform programme on least-developed and net food-importing  countries. He observed that there were still 
diverging views on the appropriate provisions for S&D treatment, including the extent and the 
ways of taking into account non-trade concerns such as food security, livelihood and poverty alleviation as well as rural development.  
1.71.  On Services, he noted with concern the lack of negotiating traction in the Services pillar and 
the disengagement by Members. His delegation coul d not overemphasise the critical importance of 
Services to its economy, following the recent reba sing of its GDP, with the sector accounting for 
50.22% of its GDP. To that end, he shared the view  that Services negotiations, as one of the core 
pillars, should be resuscitated in the CTS-SS in accordance with the 2001 Negotiating Guidelines 
and Procedures, while at the same time preserving the architecture of the GATS. It was by doing so that a balanced and horizontal assessment across the three core pillars could be meaningful. 
1.72.  On Trade Facilitation, he thanked the Director-General for addressing the specific concerns 
and challenges that some of the developing countries, LDCs and SVEs could likely face in implementing the TFA, not minding the provision of  Section 2 and its associated flexibilities. The 
launching of the TFA Facility testified to the Dire ctor-General's creativity, responsiveness to the 
genuine concerns of the Members and unwavering commitment to the MTS. His delegation joined 
others in commending the Director-General for this unique and laudable initiative and in thanking the donors for their generosity. He expected th e launch of the Facility to provide reasonable 
comfort to developing countries and LDCs in implementing the TFA upon its entry into force. With 
the support of the WTO Secretariat and EU through GIZ, Nigeria had held a National Validation Workshop in Abuja on 9-10 July 2014, to re view the previous Trade Facilitation Needs 
Assessments conducted in 2008 and 2013. That had kick-started the process of notifying Nigeria's 
Category A commitments to the WTO in a timely manner. He hoped to notify in due course after securing cabinet approval.  
1.73.  Nigeria, as a friend of the system, support ed the joint statement released the previous day 
by a group of some developed and developing co untries, reaffirming the need to implement what 
Members had agreed in Bali, including the timeframes. Efforts should be redoubled to find a way of moving the process forward to adopt the protocol relating to the TFA by 31 July 2014 as agreed in 
Bali enabling Members to move ahead with the ot her elements of the Bali Package and put them 
back on track towards concluding the DDA negotiations.  
1.74.  Confidence and trust within the entire WTO Membership should be built by ensuring that all 
issues remained on the table, while technical work, based on consensus, should continue especially 
in the areas lagging behind. Nigeria was therefore committed to advancing work in all areas particularly on development and other core issues and reaffirmed Nigeria's position that agricultural trade reform remained central to the development mandate of the DDA. All the major 
players should show leadership and exercise the requisite flexibilities to unblock the persisting 
stalemate and allowing a successful and early conclusion of the DDA negotiations. Nigeria supported the statements by the Coordinators of  the African Group, ACP Group, G-33 and G-20. 
1.75.  The representative of Solomon Islands aligned with the statements made by the 
Coordinators of the ACP and LDC Groups. The reason why most LDCs and developing countries like WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  Solomon Islands had agreed to launch a development round in Doha soon after the conclusion of 
the Uruguay Round was because of S&D, Implementa tion Issues and Agriculture. To correct the 
imbalances and asymmetries brought forward from  the previous round, Members agreed on the 
DDA - the Declaration where everyone had agreed having a stake in, the source of the mandate to 
negotiate the TFA, and Paragraph 47 of which un derlined the Single Undertaking Principle. 
1.76.  Everyone knew what had happened in 2008 and then Bali had come. Months before Bali, the 
message was that the Bali Package was important to bring back confidence in the MTS. Members 
had agreed on a Bali Package with a legally binding full-fledged TFA. The 28 Cancun proposals had 
been dropped at the last minute because Members could not come to consensus. LDC issues had been non-binding and with best endeavour language  and the Public Stockholding for Food Security 
only had a temporary solution. Ministers in Bali instructed the TNC to prepare within the next 
12 months a clearly defined work program on the remaining DDA issues, building on the decisions 
in Bali especially on Agriculture, Development and LDC issues. She sincerely hoped that after the 
preoccupation on Trade Facilitation for the previous six months, Members should seriously turn 
their attention to more focused discussions on the other issues in the Bali Package. The 
committees overseeing the other Bali decisions should therefore begin serious negotiations to arrive at legally binding outcomes and the PCTF should continue the discussions in drawing up the 
Protocol of Amendment. Six months after Bali, Members were hearing that it was either TF or 
nothing despite Paragraph 1.11 of the Bali Ministerial Declaration stating " Issues in the Bali 
Package where legally binding outcomes could not be achieved will be prioritised ." Even after Bali, 
the imbalances were still glaring. She asked how much more would developing countries, 
especially the poorest, have to pay before they could integrate into the MTS and get some share of 
those promises? 
1.77.  The LDC Group had submitted to the Chair of the Council on Trade in Services a collective 
request to operationalise the Services Waiver. She hoped developed and developing Members in a 
position to do so could display commitment to provide meaningful market access for LDC service providers and suppliers under the Waiver. On the other LDC decisions, she looked forward to any 
movement on Rules of Origin and continued to extend her appreciation to Members who had 
already given 100% DFQF market access for LDCs. The simplification of Rules of Origin would 
greatly aid LDCs in benefitti ng from that opportunity. 
1.78.  On the post-Bali work program, Development should remain central to the round. Her 
delegation underscored its importance to the vast majority of Members. At the 25 June 2014 
informal TNC, the Chairman had mentioned that the core issues emerging from discussions were 
Services, Agriculture, and NAMA. S&D and the implem entation issues should also be core elements 
of the post-Bali work program in line with Paragraph 44 of the Doha Declaration. Solomon Islands, 
as an island country, wished to see in the work program Rules Negotiations on Fisheries Subsidies and Non-Tariff Measures, those being issues of significant national interest. Work of the TNC 
should be transparent, inclusive and Member-drive n, and decisions should be done by consensus 
being the only way effective engagement could be had by minute delegations like Solomon Islands. 
1.79.  The representative of Qatar realized that the momentum achieved at Bali was starting to 
fade. Members should be optimistic in moving towards the December deadline. Ongoing 
plurilateral approaches risked being a cause fo r imbalance going forward with the Doha Round 
negotiations. While Members were at the stage of outlining desirable and doable outcomes, 
inclusiveness and the spirit of the multilateral ap proach at the heart of the WTO needed to be 
preserved. 
1.80.  On the work programme, he encouraged Me mbers to start serious discussions on the final 
status of the modalities texts especially in Agriculture and NAMA. Special attention should be given 
to S&D treatment and flexibilities for developing countries. His delegation believed that with the adoption of the TFA, the fundamental equation of  negotiations had changed. Members should not 
fall back to the same methods which had yielded limited results, especially in tabling concrete 
proposals for the work programme. Moreover, there should be an innovative approach in 
sequencing the negotiations and issues embe dded in the work programme. Furthermore, 
discussions should progress on outlining the level of  ambition required for a balanced and fruitful 
D D A  a n d  o n  t h e  c u r r e n t  s t a t u s  o f  P a r a g r a p h  4 7  i n  l i g h t  o f  t h e  T F A .  H i s  d e l e g a t i o n  r e g a r d e d  
Paragraph 47 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, the basis of Single Undertaking, as the most balanced and just principle that would lead to a successful conclusion of the DDA. Members should WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  agree on a balanced approach among and within  the three pillars – Agriculture, NAMA, and 
Services - and across other negotiating issues. 
1.81.  Trade Facilitation continued to serve as a reminder that if Members did not push red lines 
and instead worked collectively, they could get results. He informed Members that the State of 
Qatar had notified the Preparatory Committee of its Category A commitments designating all but 
one provision under said Category. The State of Qatar re-emphasized its commitment to work actively with all Members to come to a bala nced, constructive and doable work programme. 
1.82.  The representative of Papua New Guinea expressed his delegation's commitment and 
support to expedite the implementation of the TFA following the Ministerial Decision in Bali. 
However, the Chairperson of the TF Preparatory Committee, Amb Esteban Conejos (Philippines) was still being challenged in securing convergence from few Members to move the work forward 
on the Amendment Protocol. This concerned Papua New Guinea given its potential to compromise 
the progress for the timely implementation of the TFA as Trade Ministers had directed. Paragraph 47 of the DDA provided Members the opportunity to progressively address all 
outstanding issues in a gradual manner as seen in the TFA. This momentum should allow Members 
to move forward in addressing the core elements of the DDA including Agriculture, Services, NAMA 
and other DDA issues. Paragraph 47 should be respected with a firm intention of achieving 
something in the DDA. 
1.83.  He informed Members that his delegation was preparing to implement the TFA on a 
definitive basis being important to its self-improvement. The developed and some developing countries were already at par with their Trade Facilitation compliances, which had significantly 
reduced the cost of doing business at and behind their borders. Similar positive stories had been 
shared by some developing countries in a TF implementation workshop held in May at the WTO confirming that TFA could also address his delegation's concerns. He thanked the Director-General 
for launching the WTO TFA Facility that would greatly assist developing country Members including 
Papua New Guinea in implementing their Category C obligations.  
1.84.  With respect to the post-Bali work progra m, he urged Members to build on the success of 
Bali and work along the guiding principles as pr ovided by the Director-General in his various 
statements in the past. He subscribed to the DG's  call for the collective efforts of Members in 
finding solutions that would timely conclude the Doha Round. While pondering on what to include in the post-Bali work program, he encouraged developed countries and emerging economies to 
favourably consider workable solutions that the ACP, SVE and LDC Groups would be putting on the 
table. His delegation looked forward to the positive conclusion of the TFA ratification and subsequent implementation, the implementations of  the other Bali Decisions, and constructive 
progress on the post-Bali work program. 
1.85.  The representative of Argentina endorsed the statement by the G-20. Trade Facilitation was 
not the only agreement from Bali that had dead lines – the deadline for establishing a post-Bali 
work programme was at the end of the year. Even though it had been obvious that the post-Bali 
work programme's level of ambition would be determined by Agriculture, a real process that would allow Members to achieve that goal still awai ted. The extent Members should adjust their 
agricultural policies to the Round's agricultural mandate remained unclear. Consultations in 
Geneva should accelerate to start defining co ncrete aspects of the post Bali work program. 
1.86.  He welcomed the fact that most Members, including some of the largest ones, agreed that 
export competition was the most stable pillar. On  domestic aid and market access, the Chairman 
had asked for alternative approaches, on whether some aspects of the previous negotiations 
s h o u l d  b e  r e v i s i t e d .  A s  t o  d o m e s t i c  a i d ,  h e  h o p e d  t o  h e a r  c o n c r e t e ,  s p e c i f i c  a l t e r n a t i v e s  t o  t h e  provisions of the fourth revision, as up until that point, he had been confronted with generalities. 
On to market access, even though a Member had mentioned a "simplified approach" based on 
average cuts, concrete details had yet to be seen. Did the approach mean, for example, that Members would not designate "sensitive" products? That quotas would not be created? He believed that market access negotiations under the three pi llars of the Round should be held in a single 
forum for negotiation, enabling the evaluation of a request and offer approach. Argentina favoured 
a permanent solution to public stockholding for food security purposes and would like an efficient process that would not duplicate efforts or undermine the negotiations on the three pillars. The 
mandate referred to a specific programme on public stockholding for food security purposes in WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  accordance with the Bali mandate. An outcome on the issue could not be part of a deal that would 
lead to greater flexibilities for developed countries. 
1.87.  On NAMA, in the meeting of the Negotiating Group held on 9 July, some delegations put 
forward for the first time issues they would and would not be willing to consider under the work 
program. In his report to the General Council dated 14 March (JOB/GC/62), the Chairman of the 
Negotiating Group had suggested beginning a process based on the question " How and under what 
circumstances could Members contribute to a meaningful NAMA result? " taking into account past 
experiences, current realities and instruments that could be used. On tariff reductions Argentina 
favoured a menu of options instead of a gene ral formula and preferred a request and offer 
approach. He reiterated that the development focus meant enabling developing countries to exercise their right in adopting decisions on the commitments they believed were in line with their 
developmental, financial and trade needs. The developed countries had had a significant amount of 
time during the successive rounds of negotiation to  gradually reduce their tariffs in accordance 
with their own economic growth from the launch of trade negotiations in 1947 until the 1970s, and 
had never been subjected to a Swiss formula until the Doha Round. The post-Bali work program 
should offer flexibility to the developing countri es allowing them to choose between alternative 
methods of reduction, and should not be expected to make commitments conflicting with their 
needs, situation and particular problems. 
1.88.  On Services, Argentina had placed utmost importance to the link between Services and the 
other pillars. In the Hong Kong Declaration, Members agreed that the final draft of services commitments could be submitted only after agreeing on the modalities in Agriculture and NAMA 
and submitting the final commitments. Consequently, Services negotiations would conclude only at 
the same time as in the other pillars, when Members' level of commitment had been made clear. Lack of progress in its areas of interest, such as Agriculture concerned Argentina. Agriculture was 
not comparable to NAMA or Services in terms of the level of liberalisation. For similar results in 
those three areas, the greatest effort would have to be made in Agriculture. The post-Bali work program should be drawn up based on the DDA aimed at determining how to tackle the 
outstanding issues from the Doha Agenda not addressed in Bali and considering the needs of the 
developing and LDC Members. To work constructi vely with the GC Chairman, the TNC Chairman 
and the Negotiating Group Chairs, discussions should  begin. Argentina was prepared to contribute 
ideas for Members to achieve a balanced outcome consistent with the Doha mandate and its 
development focus. 
1.89.  The representative of Paraguay noted that the recent meeting of the Special Session of the 
Committee on Agriculture had been rich in contributions and sincere discussions – a positive trend 
which could have begun sooner but which clearly showed Members' renewed sense of urgency and 
readiness to engage in detailed discussions on the content of the work programme. The elements 
of the programme should be defined within the next three months ensuring the fruitfulness of 
negotiations leading to substantial and predictable improvement in market access, equal reduction 
in trade distorting support across the board and elimination of all forms of export subsidy. 
1.90.  In market access, the cutting formulas shou ld be maintained to even out Members' tariff 
structure. Paraguay was concerned about recent proposals affecting the Uruguay Round 
commitments and ring-fencing trade from any progress made in Doha. The development concept 
was broader than mere flexibilities not to appl y rules. To promote development and alleviate 
poverty, the WTO could offer the creation of trade opportunities, and more effectively, new trade 
flows. The Doha Round should increase Members' business opportunities. The increasingly fewer 
distinctions in business between North and South an d the vast potential offered by the developing 
countries should be reflected in the trade rules that could be adopted in the years to come. 
1.91.  Discussions should be sufficiently informed, enabling Members to take firm steps and 
provide necessary flexibilities in all areas especially in the work concerning public stockholding. The proposals should be consistent with the reform objectives leading to fair and market-oriented rules. Paraguay was ready to work in search of a balance between Agriculture, NAMA and Services 
aiming at improving market access in all three p illars and promoting predictability that could be 
achieved only by reducing and/or  eliminating distorting measures. 
1.92.  The representative of Egypt associated with the statements made by the African Group and 
the G-20 and supported those made by the LDC and ACP Groups. Egypt remained committed to 
the MTS. A successful conclusion of the DDA would ensure the integrity and credibility of the WTO. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  Streamlining of development into the architecture of the MTS, being the main objective behind the 
initiation of the Doha Round should be reflected in the post-Bali work program.   
1.93.  The negotiations on the three pillars - Agriculture, NAMA, and Services - should be guided 
by the Single Undertaking principle – the only way to ensure an equitable balance among the 
potential outcomes of the Round. The tendency to  neglect the 2008 Modalities Text in Agriculture 
and NAMA concerned Egypt for they addressed some  systemic imbalances such as those inherent 
in the Agreement on Agriculture. A successful and development-oriented outcome of the DDA 
would need concrete and tangible results on Agricu lture. Egypt appreciated that the architecture of 
the 2008 Modalities Text in NAMA incorporated the principle of less-than-full-reciprocity and the S&D treatment for the developing countries and LDCs, and did not prescribe a one-model-fits-all-approach. NAMA negotiations should be conducted within that framework. On Services, the 
relevant negotiations should tackle the areas of interest for the developing countries, particularly 
Mode 4. Egypt could not go along with any selective approach to identify specific sectors for liberalisation that did not include the developing countries’ priorities. The negotiation in CTD-SS 
should be guided by Paragraph 44 of the Doha Declaration stipulating the strengthening of S&D 
treatment provisions in the multilateral trade agreements making them more effective, operational and precise. The African Group was conducting internal consultations to identify S&D provisions 
that could be included in the post-Bali work program. 
1.94.  The WTO could not be viewed only from the narrow perspective of Bali implementation – 
DDA being broader than Bali. Members' concerns should be seriously and fully considered, and the "blame game" should be avoided. Egypt stood committed to constructive discussions on the 
elements of the post-Bali work program and would work on "doable deliverables" provided that the 
basic developmental objectives be inherently integrated and adequately addressed in all negotiating areas. 
1.95.  The representative of Zimbabwe associated with the statements made by the African Group, 
the ACP, G-33, G-20, LDCs and the IGDC. Zimbabwe was deeply concerned about the uneven 
progress and overall imbalance between work on Trade Facilitation and the drawing up of a DDA 
work programme as mandated by Ministers in Bali. Despite being more than halfway through 
2014, Members still had not found common ground on elements of the work programme within the three main pillars: Agriculture, Services and NAMA. While data was useful for information, it should not be a precondition for substantive work on DDA tasks mandated. The development 
objectives in the form of S&D treatment provisions within the NAMA and Agriculture pillars could 
not be met as some Members had relegated the importance of the 2008 Modalities Texts in Agriculture and NAMA to mere reference documents.  It was important for Zimbabwe to stress that 
the elements and flexibilities for developing countries already stabilised in the two Modalities Texts 
were not a new phenomenon and should be preserved. They were a translation of the DDA mandate, and therefore a legitimate and valuable basis for future work, and should be 
operationalised. It was imperative that the DDA work programme should have a development 
phase and discussion should wholly be reopened on outstanding issues in the modalities text. Not using these modalities texts as bases for future work could jeopardize an effective and successful DDA outcome as the aspirations of the majority of developing countries would not have been taken 
into account. 
1.96.  Agriculture being central to the Doha Round, Zimbabwe looked forward to constructive 
engagement by Members in seeking an effective pe rmanent solution to the food security problem, 
the preservation of the special products prov ision and the development of an effective and 
operationally usable SSM as proposed by the G-33. The LDC issues, including Cotton, remained important and should be prioritised. His delegati on remained committed to implementing all Bali 
Decisions while maintaining the centrality of Development and Agriculture in the Doha Round and 
the balance between development issues and trade facilitation. Ministers in Bali prioritised the 
implementation of non-legally binding outcomes, namely LDC and Cotton issues, a permanent solution for public stockholding for food security  purposes, and export competition issues. It was 
however regrettable to note that no priority had been given to the implementation of these Bali 
outcomes. Thus, the G-33 proposal on public stockholding should be prioritised to find a permanent solution to the food security proble m. On export competition, the December 2013 
deadline to eliminate all forms of export subsid ies and the January 2005 deadline to conclude the 
DDA had both been missed demonstrating lack of commitment to development issues and lack of 
overall balance in the negotiations. Members should implement all Ministerial Decisions giving WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  priority to outstanding deadlines. It was time to correct the imbalances without introducing new 
issues to the negotiating table during the lifespan of the DDA. 
1.97.  The representative of India said some Memb ers spoke of a credibility crisis facing the WTO 
but India's diagnosis of the cause was quite different . India believed that the failure of the WTO to 
work in the interest of all its Members and to deliver meaningfully on the "development" mandate 
of the Doha Development Round would pose a far more serious risk to its credibility than any other factor.  
1.98.  In Bali, Members had signalled to the rest of the world that the WTO was capable of 
delivering outcomes – an objective of strong systemic importance. Developing countries had accepted the Bali package in good faith, reassu red by the renewed affirmation of commitment to 
the Doha Development Agenda and its development dimension. But India's expectations had been 
completely belied by the developments after the Bali Ministerial. As it had been consistently 
pointing out, India was seriously concerned by the lack of progress on some of the Bali outcomes and minimal movement on the others. Although discussions on the DDA work programme - the 
timeline for which was December 2014 - could have started for the sake of form, Members seemed 
to be repeating past mistakes. A clear will to engage in areas of interest to developing countries was conspicuously absent. To make matters worse, persistent efforts were being made to subvert 
the mandate by divesting it of its core elements.  
1.99.  While meetings had taken place on some of the Bali issues, they had not even resulted in 
the contours within which those issues were to be further discussed and resolved. Discussions on the Bali Decision on public stockholding had not even commenced despite repeated requests by 
the G-33 and the proposals already on the table. So me of the LDC issues had been similarly left 
behind. Members had just heard similar concerns be ing raised by the LDC, ACP and Africa Groups. 
As a consequence, even seven months after Bali, they did not have the required confidence and 
trust that there would be constructive engagement on issues that impacted the livelihood of a very 
significant part of the global population.  
1.100.  Having signed on to the Ministerial Decisions in Bali, there should be no doubt about 
India’s commitment to those Decisions including the Trade Facilitation Agreement. All India was 
asking for was that the public stockholding issue, as well as other decisions of Bali, be taken forward in the same timeframe as Trade Facilitation . The issue relating to public stockholding was 
an agreed part of the 2008 text and represented a life and death situation for a number of 
developing countries and LDCs. There were already proposals on the table – reiterated recently in 
a fresh submission by the G-33 – on the basis of which discussion could begin immediately.  
1.101.  India believed that it was a simple issue which could be addressed very quickly. That was 
important, so that the millions of farmers and the poor families who depended on domestic food 
stocks would not have to live in constant fear. To  jeopardize the food security of millions at the 
altar of a mere anomaly in the rules was unacceptable. India was of the view that the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement should be implemented only  as part of a single undertaking including the 
permanent solution on food security. 
1.102.  In order to fully understand and address the concerns of Members, India was of the view 
that the adoption of the TF Protocol should be  postponed until a permanent solution on public 
stockholding for food security was found. In that  context India had suggested a modification to the 
Protocol in the Preparatory Committee and stood by that proposal. The Bali outcomes had been negotiated as a package and had to be concluded as such. Timelines were important but they 
could not afford to act in haste in the WTO, ignoring the concerns expressed by Members. 
1.103.  India wished to make some concrete suggestions to ensure the delivery of outcomes on 
those issues in a time-bound manner and suggested the following course of action: first, establish 
immediately an institutional mechanism such as a dedicated Special Session of the Committee on 
Agriculture to find a permanent solution on pub lic stockholding for food security. Second, there 
should be clear-cut procedures, timelines and outcomes under this institutional mechanism so as to arrive at a permanent solution by 31 Decemb er 2014. Third, a similar approach had to be 
adopted on all other development and LDC issues. In that regard, India welcomed the submission 
of the collective request on Services by the LD C Group. Lastly, the progress of those accelerated 
discussions had to be reviewed in October 2014 by the General Council. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  1.104.  In conclusion, if WTO Members demonstrated the same energy and commitment on the 
other Bali issues as they had done on TF, they would not only find a permanent solution on the issue of public stockholding for food security, but would also be able to implement TF in the agreed time-frame and deliver favourable outcomes on all development and LDC issues. 
1.105.  The representative of Jamaica associated with the statements of the Coordinators of the 
ACP, G-33, CARICOM and SVE Groups. His delegation did not wish to dwell on the indisputable fact 
that Members' work was based fundamentally on the Doha Mandate, which was not diminished by 
the passage of time and advanced through their wo rk and the Decisions of Ministers. He saw no 
incompatibility between the faithful implementation  of the Bali Decision and compliance with the 
Doha Mandate. All Ministers in Bali had been fu lly seized with the content and context of that 
Mandate and had aligned their Decisions accordingl y. Jamaica therefore did not feel the need to 
discuss further the matter of Paragraph 47 and the Single Undertaking as he considered the 
matter settled in his understanding. Faithful implementation of the Bali Decisions in line with the timelines set by Ministers was a duty imposed on all Members.  
1.106.  Jamaica thanked the Director-General for emphasizing the need for intensified work when 
Members resumed in September but questioned whether Members had worked as intensively as they could have in the past several months, especially on those matters which Ministers in 
Paragraph 1.11 of the Bali Decision had called on them to prioritise, and on the framing of the 
work programme to conclude the DDA. It was arguable that Members had not taken those steps to intensify work amid urgent deadlines. The pre-Bali dynamic of buzzing activity, lights on in the 
building overnight, papers and counter papers, debates in the corridors and meetings in small and 
large rooms day after day even in the PCTF remained unseen, probably causing some Members to 
suggest the presence of an imbalance in the po st-Bali implementation agenda. However, Members 
should recognize that the WTO was a Member-driven organization and that is was the Members 
who set the priorities and the pace for their own work. No-one else was tasked to do that for the 
Members. 
1.107.  In the lead up to Bali, Members had a clear understanding that it would be a proponent-led 
process and that all concerned Members had a duty  to engage on proposals once made. Members 
had also ensured that process should be the serv ant of substance, and that was where the Room 
W process – a process that Members seemed to have forgotten - had made its impact. He asked who had been tasked to calibrate the intensity required to convince Members and their capitals 
that they had been complying with Minister's Decisions in good faith - whether it had been the 
Director-General as Chair of the TNC, or each Gr oup of proponents of key subjects, such as the G-
33, on the issues that it had put forward including food security. He wondered on what basis and 
when Members should have taken stock of that an d set the benchmarks to make a reasonable and 
actionable assessment of good faith compliance with the decisions of the Ministers.  
1.108.  While Members should fully take into account the remainders of a sad record of failures of 
implementation in the Organization, this could not be the benchmark for Members' work at that 
moment. Indeed, if Members had decided that on that basis of failure, respect of all decisions was optional, Members had an insurmountable problem. The feeling on all sides was that Bali should 
reflect a break with the past. Indeed Jamaica felt that the hard bargaining to align decisions with 
Members' capabilities had been done with that in mind. Clearly, if Members did not change that 
attitude to decisions – and not just Ministerial decisions – they would risk irreparable harm to an Organization already considerably weakened by a history of lack of respect for its own decisions 
and an inability to find and implement solutions to simple and to difficult problems alike.  
1.109.  Finally, Jamaica echoed the call of the ACP Coordinator to elaborate a focused work 
program on all issues before Members. Jamaica trusted that it was not too late to call on the 
Director-General as Chair of the TNC to propose a work program for intensive negotiations on all 
issues with emphasis on those covered by Pa ragraph 1.11 of the Bali Decision. Jamaica also 
trusted that it was not too late for Members to join the Director-General in constructing such a programme of work with parameters giving confidence that Ministers' decisions would be given 
equal weight and that the goals they had set would be pursued in good faith – including the 
faithful implementation of their Decision  on the Trade Facilitation Agreement. 
1.110.  The representative of the European Union made three observations on the TNC Chair's 
report: First, the report confirmed that based on  the success of Bali, Members had been able to 
actively engage and follow up on all areas conc erned. Second, the statements by the Members at WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  the meeting showed an overwhel ming commitment of the vast majority of the Membership to 
continue to negotiate, and to do so with the willingness to move forward towards Members' objective of finalizing the post-Bali work and th e DDA. Third, the report and the statements made 
at the meeting illustrated that useful work had taken place since Bali and in some cases Members 
had advanced to a common understanding on specific themes and issues.  
1.111.  Wide understanding had been reached to focus work on the three areas of Agriculture, 
NAMA and Services as a first step towards concluding the DDA. At the same time there was a 
strong understanding that other DDA issues were not dropped and that they would be considered 
at the right moment. The discussions had allowed wide convergence on basing the final outcome to be based on the right balance of ambition amon g the three areas. Even on the difficult issue of 
the Revs. 3 and 4 texts it became clear, as the work advanced, that the existing texts remained 
useful references in many areas. But in order to make possible what had not been possible in the 
past, an open mind would be needed.  
1.112.  The Agriculture group had done useful work on transparency and had held substantive 
exchanges on all three themes of Agriculture. In NAMA substantive work had taken place with 
focus on the formula applying members. Clearly, useful discussions had also started on Services, as in the CTD-SS. In response to some comme nts on CTD-SS made at the meeting, the EU 
reiterated its firm commitment to fully consider the development dimension of the Round – 
particularly the interests of the LDCs. Overall the work done in the committees clearly set the 
stage for more concrete discussions after the holiday s. A lot remained to be done. The EU agreed 
with the Director-General when he had said that Members were very close to a stage necessitating 
leaping forward and not just small steps and added that such a leap seemed possible provided that 
Members maintained their commitment to the task at hand. 
1.113.  Over the past six months, the Organization had come back to life as Members discussed 
that post-Bali work program on the DDA and al l issues addressed in Bali, including public 
stockholding for food security. However, the EU was concerned about the slowing down of the process since the beginning of July as the commitments and outcome of MC9 were being 
questioned by some.  
1.114.  Members' ability to move forward in the process enormously depended on the successful 
implementation of the TFA. As to the second poin t of the agenda, the EU had listened carefully to 
the Indian statement at the meeting. More time  would be needed to examine it in depth, 
particularly because important aspects of it had just been discovered. The EU was convinced that 
there was only one positive way forward allowing  Members to ensure the implementation of the 
Bali package and giving Members a realistic chance to succeed in the post-Bali effort to deliver the 
DDA. The decisions of Ministers in Bali needed to be strictly respected and followed by all. Some 
proposals at the meeting would take Members from post-Bali back to pre-Bali. If that was the case, it simply could not work. The EU was not ready to renegotiate the Bali package and 
Ministers' decisions. 
1.115.  A timetable to move forward had been jo intly decided in Bali including an unambiguous 
mandate to the General Council to adopt the Tr ade Facilitation Protocol by 31 July 2014. All 
Members had to respect the commitments made by Ministers and let work go forward in 
accordance with those commitments. So far, Members had all jointly respected and honoured their 
commitments. Since Bali, they had all engaged to advance the DDA negotiations in accordance with the Ministerial decisions, by finalising the TF A protocol and by engaging in work to follow up 
on other decisions. They had made good progress, and the membership had demonstrated its 
resolute determination to make headway in all areas.  
1.116.  He stressed that any suggestions that food security had not been taken seriously were 
simply inaccurate. In Bali, Ministers had provided an open-ended solution and proponents' 
concerns were addressed until a permanent solution  was in place. The EU was ready to work and 
help find a permanent solution to that issue. The EU was ready to intensify, if needed, and accelerate work for such a solution and was open to suggestions for work as in all other areas of 
the Bali and post-Bali implementation, but the Bali  decisions should be respected. The 31 July 
deadline was near and the EU was ready to make every possible effort to intensify work and jointly find a solution to allow for the adoption of the Trade Facilitation Protocol that month as Ministers 
had instructed Members to do. He added that confidence and trust could not be built by not WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  respecting previous commitments. What Members had to do was to build positively on the existing 
Bali decisions, eventually accelerate them or perform better, but not change or undermine them. 
1.117.  The representative of Norway said that as a staunch supporter of the WTO, Norway was 
extremely worried that Members seemed unable to follow up on the commitments they had 
undertaken in Bali. Together with a group of developed and developing member countries: 
Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Hong Kong China, Iceland, Korea, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zeal and, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Papua New 
Guinea, Paraguay, Singapore, Switzerland, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Vietnam, Norway had 
issued a statement to express their concern about the consequences for the overall DDA if Members would fail to adopt the Protocol by the agreed timeline. 
1.118.  In that statement they stressed that the Bali Ministerial Conference had been crucial for 
the WTO but it had only been the first step in co nvincing the world that WTO Members could, after 
nearly 20 years, agree on and then implement ou tcomes in the MTS. The package of decisions 
reached in Bali had been finely balanced. It had reflected a consensus on the part of all WTO 
Members. It would not be possible to reopen one of those decisions without unravelling the entire 
package. That package was central to concluding the Doha negotiations and, ultimately, to the negotiating function of the WTO. That was why they and many other Members, recognizing the 
benefits of WTO negotiations, had been reaffirming the need to implement what Members had 
agreed in Bali in the timeframe Members had agreed in December 2013. All WTO Members had committed to work constructively on all elements  of the Bali Package. In their view, that 
commitment would not survive a decision to step away from any element of the package approved 
by Ministers in Bali, such as the adoption of the TFA Protocol. A decision to step away would be in 
no one’s interest. It would seriously undermine the ability of the WTO to deliver in the future. In 
practice, it would also block the new capacity building initiatives to assist WTO Members to 
implement the TFA. The new economic growth and jobs that were expected to flow from the TFA 
implementation would not become a reality. It would fundamentally undermine the prospects for progress on the post-Bali work programme for the Doha negotiations and on the other decisions 
that Ministers had taken in Bali. Against that background, they believed all Members should 
redouble their efforts to find a way forward in Geneva to adopt by 31 July 2014 the Protocol relating to the TFA, as had been agreed in Bali . Doing so would allow Members to press ahead with 
the other elements of the Bali Package, and put Members back on track to concluding the Doha 
negotiations. 
1.119.  Norway remained committed to the work and was happy that the vast majority of 
Members who had taken the floor at the meeting confirmed that they too remained committed to 
the WTO and the post-Bali work and that they we re willing to go ahead to prepare the work 
program by the end of the year. Norway support ed the comments made by Jamaica. Being a 
Member-driven Organization, Members bore a colle ctive responsibility for completing the work 
assigned to them by the Ministers. This work had to be proponent-led and Members should keep 
an open mind, be creative and enga ge in good faith in discussions on issues of importance to all. 
1.120.  The representative of the Bolivarian Repub lic of Venezuela endorsed the statements by the 
Group Coordinators of the G-33 and the IGDC. Ve nezuela had signed a statement with Bolivia and 
Cuba but wished to stress a few points in its national capacity. Unfortunately, the Bali Package – 
as Venezuela had stated in the past and at MC9 – remained unbalanced, even with respect to its implementation. Tremendous efforts had been made to bring the TFA, a legally binding agreement, 
into force yet many Members showed little or no in terest in beginning discussions on the post-Bali 
work program, especially on the issues where legally binding outcomes could not been achieved which had been declared priorities in the Ministerial Decision. 
1.121.  It would seem that initiating discussion s on the work programme was contingent on TFA 
implementation. Venezuela rejected the idea for being at odds with the mandate of the Ninth Ministerial Conference and undermining the legitimate demands of a significant number of developing countries waiting for a definitive solution to their long-standing demands on, inter alia, 
Agriculture, Cotton and Public Stockholding progra mmes for food security purposes in developing 
countries, as well as the concerns of the LDCs. 
1.122.  On the TFA, the imbalance in the discussions was obvious. Venezuela understood the 
concerns of India, South Africa, Bolivia and Cuba. Highly sensitive issues had not been properly 
addressed, and only few indications had been shown that they would be dealt with in the short WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  term. Trust should be built between all Members. There should be verifiable certainty that all of 
the items on the post-Bali work programme, espe cially those of interest to the developing 
countries, would be on the table in the near future as provided by the single undertaking. Without guarantees, it was impossible to proceed in the discussions on the Protocol of Amendment. 
1.123.  On the post-Bali work program, Members were still discussing how to move forward 
despite the Ministerial Decision already indicating the path to follow. The programme should include only unresolved issues from the Doha Agenda, prioritising issues where no legally binding 
outcomes had been achieved. New approaches or ideas detrimental to what had already been 
achieved or secured should have no place in the discussions. Development should be at the forefront of the programme focusing on the real concerns of the developing countries. S&D treatment in all areas of the negotiations was still sacrosanct to those countries. On Agriculture, 
substantial reductions in domestic support, export subsidies, tariff escalation, tariff simplification 
and maintaining flexibilities for the developing countries were key components of the post-Bali work programme. The NAMA negotiations should be  guided by the principle of less than full 
reciprocity, and the level of ambition should be guided by progress in the agriculture negotiations. 
Venezuela considered them highly sensitive negotiations and hoped that its particular situation would be considered. Although the world had ch anged, as some delegations had been saying, 
flexibilities still had the same, if not more, importance. Approaches such as that of Agua por Agua 
adhered to the principle of less than full reciprocity, but favoured the developed countries. Sectoral approaches should remain voluntary, in accordance with Rev.3 Add. 1. 
1.124.  Venezuela warned of the risks posed by th e plurilateral negotiations such as TISA and the 
environmental goods initiative. Their content, process and systemic repercussions operated to the 
detriment of the MTS, the successful conclusi on of the Doha Round and the development 
dimension. Inasmuch as Members did not have e ffective responses to the imbalances inherited 
from the Uruguay Round, they would not be able to address the so-called 21st century issues. To 
include new issues on the WTO agenda would divert attention from unresolved issues of priority, such as Agriculture. 
1.125.  The representative of Mexico said that Ministers in Bali mandated Delegations to have the 
work programme ready by December to successfully conclude the Doha Round. The Director-
General's report showed that significant progress had been made but they would not fully ensure 
its achievement unless they devoted every effort to the task in the little time remaining. The work 
programme should provide clear guidance for their work over the following year to make 
substantial progress in all three core areas – Agriculture (and its three pillars), NAMA and Services, and the other DDA issues including those part of the Bali Package. Progress in the three 
core areas should not be made at the expense of the other issues but those three pillars were 
clearly key to reaching to reaching the ultimate objective, which was the successful conclusion of 
the Doha Round soon, with a balanced outcome and the development dimension at its centre, 
meaning in particular that the LDCs should fully benefit from the MTS. 
1.126.  The success of the Doha Round depended on  appropriate and timely implementation of the 
Bali Decisions, as established in and without disr upting the timetables approved by the Ministers. 
Failure to meet those deadlines, including in Trade Facilitation, would raise systemic risks not to be 
underestimated such as the failure of the Doha Round and the crippling of the Organization's 
capacity to serve as a negotiating forum. Delegations in Geneva could not change what Ministers had adopted in Bali. Mexico reiterated its readiness to work and explore solutions that would 
enable Members to achieve what had been decide d in Bali and to design a work programme to 
successfully conclude the Doha Round. 
1.127.  The representative of Oman expressed concern about the way the substance of the work 
program was shaping up. Oman had acceded to the WTO by making extensive commitments on 
goods and services believing that trade liberalization was in the interest of all Members. Oman joined the Doha Round negotiations believing that its trading partners and other Members would see the benefits of liberalisation as Oman had done when it joined the WTO. Unfortunately, 
Members were faced with the rise of protectionism and resistance from some Members to make 
liberal and meaningful commitments. As a sma ll developing country and a Recently-Acceded 
Member, Oman favoured an ambitious package of re sults in the Doha Round negotiations fulfilling 
the objectives agreed at the Doha Ministerial Conference. Oman was disappointed that some 
Members were trying to confine negotiations to only a limited number of DDA issues. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  1.128.  Oman urged Members to match the commitments made by Oman and other RAMs by 
substantially reducing tariffs on agricultural and non-agricultural products, by binding tariffs on all tariff lines without exceptions, and by opening services and making meaningful market access 
commitments. Oman also urged developed countries to eliminate export subsidies on Agriculture 
as Oman had done. Oman strongly felt that the principle of equity and fairness should guide the 
market access negotiations in NAMA. Oman congratulated the Director-General for the launch of the TFA Facility which would greatly benefit developing countries and wished Members a happy 
and peaceful Eid Al-Fitr. 
1.129.  The representative of Japan welcomed the ongoing discussions at various relevant 
committees and the new ideas and proposals submitted reflecting the seriousness of a vast 
majority of Members to follow up the Bali outcomes. Japan continued to work constructively to 
reap all the outcomes including the post-Bali work program consistent with the agreed timelines. 
In this regard, Japan was puzzled and annoyed to hear some Members trying to revisit the agreement, including the timelines reached at Bali, in other words trying to return to the pre-Bali 
period. Those Members should engage themselves in the collective work in accordance with the 
Bali Ministerial Declaration, including the adoption of the TFA Protocol by the end of the month. The following days would decide the future and the fate of Members' work – it was then or never. 
1.130.  The representative of Barbados aligned with the statements made by the ACP, G-33, SVEs 
and CARICOM. Barbados noted that the mandated  deadline for the development of the DDA work 
programme was fast approaching. Barbados reiter ated that the crafting of the work programme 
had to respect the core principles outlined by the ACP in its May submission, including adherence 
to the development dimension and respect for the pr inciple of less than full reciprocity. Barbados 
hoped that the program would be developed in an inclusive and transparent manner, taking into account not only the concerns and interests of the la rger players, but also any specific concerns of 
small countries such as Barbados. In that rega rd, Barbados stressed that S&D treatment should 
remain an important principle and urged continued support for SSM flexibilities. 
1.131.  Small economies did not subscribe to the view that the playing field was levelled. 
Therefore Barbados urged an acceptance of the need for flexibilities and for that reason Rev.4 
should be the basis for Members' continued discussions. Flexibilities were necessary for SVEs and LDCs in order to ensure that they would be able to survive in a more liberalized environment. In 
that regard, the SSM was very important for SVEs.  Furthermore, the economic climate of several 
small States had since deteriorated. Barbados joined other Members in underlining the primary 
importance of Agriculture for most developing countries; in particular, Barbados supported the proposals of the G-33. In a similar vein, it supported LDCs issues, especially Cotton. On Services, 
Barbados reiterated its support for the MTS and urged caution lest new approaches applied in 
plurilaterals were imposed in the Services negotiations in the WTO. 
1.132.  Going forward, an unbiased look at accessi ng Global Value Chains by small economies and 
the reform of the Dispute Settlement Mechanism in particular as it affected small countries, were 
areas which Barbados wished to see addressed. It would be important to take forward work on NTMs, as those could constitute significant barriers to trade for developing countries. Barbados also looked forward to overcoming remaining hurdles to agreeing in the CTD on actualising the 
unfulfilled instruction from Ministers at MC8 to operationalise the mandate of the CTD as a focal 
point for development in the WTO. Difficulties th ere seemed to symbolise the weak commitment to 
development and the tendency to cherry pick the Ministerial directives, and to choose, or not to 
choose, to implement them. Being a Development Ro und, Members should remain faithful to their 
commitment to development in all the pillars – Agri culture, NAMA and Services - and give greatest 
priority to the DDA work programme. Barbados th anked the Director-General for his efforts in 
establishing the TFA Facility as proposed by the ACP, and the donors for their generosity. 
1.133.  The representative of South Africa support ed the statements made by the Coordinators of 
the African, ACP and LDC Groups. His delegation also associated with the G-20 statement and in 
that respect underscored the important element of preserving the 2008 texts as a basis for further 
negotiations. The Doha Round had been launched in 2001 with an explicit commitment to place 
the needs and interests of developing countries at the heart of its work programme. In the Doha Mandate, Members made a commitment to address a number of implementation problems of 
developing countries recognizing that the agreements inherited from the Uruguay Round had been 
unbalanced and biased against developing countries. In South Africa's view, those imbalances WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  persisted and in Bali South Africa cautioned against concluding an outcome that was unfair and 
lacked balance.  
1.134.  In his address in the Bali Conference, Minister Davis stated that South Africa had been 
more deeply concerned on not establishing an adequate balance between the three pillars making 
up the Package – namely development and LDC issues, agricultural issues, and trade facilitation. 
Minister Davis had further observed that the LDC pillar remained weak again postponing the legitimate demands of the poorest countries with uncertain promises of delivery in the future and 
added that the Agriculture pillar contained no more  than best endeavour on the critical issues of 
export subsidies and an opt out clause for an impo rting Member on the issue of tariff rate quotas. 
Finally, Minister Davies had stated that South Africa saw the critical need to find a meaningful and permanent solution to address the food security needs of people in poor countries and in 
developing countries.  
1.135.  South Africa had been consistent in expr essing profound concern on WTO's inability to 
deliver on the promises made to developing countries and LDCs. South Africa remained committed 
to the Bali Decisions including the decision on Trade Facilitation and to all declarations and 
decisions of previous WTO Ministerial Conferences. In that regard, Members should respect all mandates equally. There was no hierarchy of importance of Members and the Bali Mandate was 
not the only mandate of the WTO. South Africa remained fully committed to implementing all 
decisions that had been reached in Bali notwithstanding the lack of balance which it had continuously been pointing to.  
1.136.  The challenge confronting Members was not simply Trade Facilitation and the Protocol. 
Indeed, the TFA had been negotiated and agreed to in Bali. The challenges that arose were a 
direct result of a lack of balance in progress across all the Bali Decisions. In the Bali Declaration, Members had committed to prioritise the issues where no legally binding outcomes had been 
achieved. There was little or no evidence that such prioritisation had been given effect half a year 
after the Bali Conference. The question of balance also arose on how the burden of implementing 
the TFA would be shared. All Members would be required to implement the TFA, but those 
countries that would disproportionately bear the cost of implementation did not at that stage have 
clarity either on the scope of their commitments they would undertake or on the availability and 
adequacy of capacity support need ed to meet such obligations. In the context of a decision that 
Members would need to take as to the relationship between the TFA and the WTO dispute 
settlement mechanism, those open questions should be settled satisfactorily and urgently in an 
open and transparent manner. The credibility of the WTO was indeed at stake due to repeated 
failure to deliver meaningful outcomes on issues of interest to the poorest Members of the 
Organization. A down-payment for development wa s precisely what the WTO needed to provide 
credibility, to restore its legitimacy, and to buil d confidence amongst the majority of its Members. 
The poorest developing countries, especially the LDCs, had waited too long for Members to deliver 
on the promises made at the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in December 2005. South Africa 
therefore asked why the WTO could not deliver on the promises made in Hong Kong to provide DFQF market access to LDCs and to remove the trade distorting subsidies that destroy jobs in cotton farms in poor African countries.  
1.137.  Decision-making by consensus had been a pillar of the WTO since its establishment. 
Consensus could only be reached by negotiation and it guaranteed inclusivity in decision-making and strengthened multilateralism. South Africa emphasized that it would not support any move to 
depart from that core underpinning of the WTO. South Africa was a democracy founded on values 
of fairness, justice, and equity that were informing its approach to multilateral trade negotiations. When President Mandela had addressed the 50
th Anniversary of the GATT, he had emphasised on 
the importance of fairness in the MTS. Indeed, South Africa's priority remained redressing the 
imbalances and inequities that continued to exist.  Members still had a chance to put the MTS back 
on track to fulfil its historic destiny of being fair, balanced, development-oriented, and inclusive. Failure to correct the course in the little time available after the summer break, would make 
history judge them poorly. 
1.138.  The representative of Ecuador said that the post-Bali work program should be based on 
the results already achieved. More concretely, the 2008 Agriculture and NAMA modalities texts, 
Revs.4 and 3, respectively, were the basis on which to move work forward and to build final 
agreements. Qualifying or marginalizing those gains or, worse still, disregarding them, would not lead to a successful conclusion of the Round. Ecuador also emphasised the issue of liberalisation WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  for tropical products and diversification, on which concrete forms of trade treatment had already 
been agreed. From a broader perspective, Ecuador stated that it would be necessary to move forward and build future agreements on the ba sis of the balance between trade and non-trade 
concerns, as reflected in the Marrakesh Agreement particularly important in Services where room 
would have to be effectively preserved for national regulation, in a functional way consistent with 
Members' constitutional principles and development goals. 
1.139.  The negotiation and provision of flexibili ties and the application of S&D treatment for 
developing countries aimed at ensuring that the MTS generated conditions necessary for effective 
participation by all its Members. They were indispensable tools in a world where deep inequalities were basic to the system. Ecuador had attached particular importance to the flexibilities for RAMs and SVEs. Any result that could be achieved should consider the flexibilities that had already been 
established in the 2008 modalities texts. Finally, on the DSB-SS, in light of the discussions held 
between June and November 2012, a large group of  developing countries had submitted proposals 
together with revised legal texts on timeframes, mitigation of high litigation costs and effective 
compliance. Any outcome should include those issues especially those concerning effective 
compliance to give substance and concrete significance to the S&D provisions already contained in the DSU. Ecuador supported a prompt conclusion of the process. 
1.140.  The representative of Switzerland said that it was not helpful to play with deadlines. 
Members should not introduce links and conditionalities into what Ministers had decided in Bali but 
they should rather respect what had been decide d only few months earlier. Not respecting the 
decision would be like stepping the branch on which they were sitting. Switzerland associated with 
the statement issued by a group of developed an d developing Members and introduced by Norway 
at the meeting. Switzerland supported that stat ement because its economy needed a functioning 
WTO with a performing negotiating arm. That was also why Switzerland considered itself a friend 
of the system. It was important for Switzerland that Members deliver on TF and all the other 
decisions taken in Bali. With much effort, the Organization had been able to conquer some breathing space in Bali which Members could not afford to spoil. 
1.141.  The representative of the United States said  that this was a discussion that boiled down to 
a simple question. And though it was simple, the answer each Member gave would have profound 
consequences. Would Members of the WTO keep their commitments? For all the complexity of issues like trade facilitation and food security, the core issue was quite direct. In Bali, all Members 
had made commitments to each other, and to the institution. The United States stood behind its 
word, followed through in good faith on ev ery commitment it had made, and was ready to 
continue to do so. The United States believed that the vast majority of WTO Members took their 
obligations seriously. All of the Bali decisions were important, none more so than those focusing on 
LDC issues.  At the recent G-20 Meeting in Sydney, the United States had joined others in making a concerted effort to provide additional assurances  on its commitment to the full implementation of 
all Bali decisions according to their agreed timelines. The United States had worked to address 
concerns about capacity for TFA implementation, including through the new TFA Facility.  
1.142.  The United States spoke very directly ab out the issue of public stockholding for food 
security, because it had been a focal point of a ttention. Repeated misstatements had been heard 
about activities in the past seven months, and so it was important to examine the facts in some 
detail. The United States wished to recall very clearly what had been agreed in Bali: " Members 
agree to establish a work program to be undertaken in the Committee on Agriculture to pursue 
this issue with the aim of making recommendations for a permanent solution ." Members had also 
agreed specifically and by consensus on the timetable for developing those recommendations. Specifically: " Members commit to the work programme mentioned in the previous paragraph with 
the aim of concluding it no later than the 11th Ministerial Conference ."  The 11
th Ministerial 
Conference would take place in December 2017. There had been a further commitment for an interim check in by the 10
th Ministerial Conference, which wo uld take place in December 2015. 
Those substantial commitments had been made in the context of an intense negotiation. As 
Members in the room remembered well, the agreed  time period for reaching recommendations for 
a permanent solution on food security had reflected a lengthy deadlock before Bali, and the wide recognition that progress on the complex issue would have taken time. 
1.143.  Since Bali, the United States had followed through on its commitments as one of the most 
active contributors to the food security discussion. Back in March, the United States had been the first Member to put forward a written contribution, a paper outlining its domestic experiences with WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  the issue. On 14 July, the United States had cont ributed a second paper, outlining ideas for the 
elements of a process to make the food security discussion informed and productive. While complaints had been heard about a lack of activi ty on food security, proponents had not come 
forward with their first proposal on that topic until nine days prior. The United States accepted that 
it took time for them to coordinate an internal position, but it was odd for that fact to be 
juxtaposed against the complaint that work had not proceeded with sufficient pace.   
1.144.  At Bali, Members had also agreed by consensus to work with fellow WTO Members to 
"prepare within the next 12 months a clearly defined work program on the remaining Doha 
Development Agenda issues ." Many Members, including the United States, had followed through 
on that commitment scrupulously, meeting in a broad spectrum of formal and informal configurations, all with the goal of meeting the Members' collective commitment to a work 
program by the end of 2014. It was well known that there were deep differences regarding the 
core Doha issues. The United States was working in good faith to bridge those differences, but of course could not guarantee to Members that consensus would be found, any more than others 
could make that commitment to the United States.    
1.145.  There were specific commitments, though, which Members had made to each other, 
including the implementation deadlines for the TFA. A small number of WTO Members had 
indicated at the meeting that they could no long er stand by their commitments to implement the 
TFA or that they would honour their commitments only if they could renegotiate the terms and receive new trade-offs – additional to the ones they had negotiated in Bali. It was profoundly disappointing that Members had arrived at that moment. It had only been seven months, 
7 December 2013, that the people in the room had sa t together in an even larger room at the Bali 
Conference Centre. Members were exhausted by months of round-the-clock work. Each of them had made difficult compromises toward the ultimate deal. Like all compromises, the deal itself had 
been no piece of art, certainly no piece of great literature, yet all of them had embraced it. They 
had known they had been a part of something bi g, something important for its terms, but also 
vital for the life it had injected into the institution. From far-away Bali, they had flipped a switch 
that had turned the lights back on at the WTO. 
1.146.  The United States was extremely discouraged that a small handful of Members in the 
Organization were ready to walk away from their commitments at Bali, to kill the Bali agreement, to kill the power of that good faith and goodwill Members had shared, to flip the lights in the 
building back to dark. It was no use to sugar coat the consequences of such action or to pretend 
that there would be business as usual in the af termath. Many Members, including developing 
country Members, had noted that, if the Bali Packag e failed, there could be no post-Bali. It was 
with regret that the United States agreed with them. Perhaps it was not too late to avoid that 
outcome. The deadline they had agreed was 31 July. They still had a few days.  But while the deadline was fixed and firm, time was not the real issue. Rather, would all Members keep their 
commitments and live by their word? Members would soon find out. The whole world was 
watching. 
1.147.  The representative of Australia noted th at Norway had read out the statement by the 
26 Members of the WTO about the link between some  of the proposals on TFA implementation and 
the rest of the agenda, which also set out Aust ralia's views very clearly. Australia agreed 
completely with Jamaica's very erudite and clea r assessment of where Members were at. If there 
was a decision by some Members to step away fr om the adoption of the TFA Protocol by 31 July, 
that would be seen as a step away from the entire Bali Package. It would undermine the trust 
among Members that Bali had restored and which had been necessary to reach agreement on the way forward. Why would other individual Members feel that they had not been any longer bound 
by decisions taken in Bali if others had decided that they had not been bound to the ones they 
had? The clear question that was before Members, and as stated very clearly by the EU, was: were all Members ready to work over the following da ys to find a way forward which respected the 
decisions and deadlines agreed in Bali, including 31 July for the TFA Protocol? Were Members 
prepared to look at solutions to the problems that had been raised? Australia thought that those 
solutions were genuine, but also that Members needed to find solutions consistent with the outlined framework. 
1.148.  The representative of China supported th e statements by the Group Coordinators of the 
G-33, G-20 and RAMs Group. China believed that there should be substantive discussion after the 
summer break, and that work program should be co ncluded by the end of the year as required by WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  the Bali Ministerial Declaration with development at the centre of the process. Due attention 
should be paid to the views and concerns voiced by developing countries at the meeting to prevent 
the Organization from being in a more difficult situation. The Bali Package including the TFA represented an important outcome achieved with th e joint efforts of all Members making full and 
timely implementation of great significance. Current divergence should be faced squarely. 
Members should settle such differences appropriately in light of the spirit enshrined in the Bali Ministerial Decisions. The TFA Protocol should be  adopted as scheduled. All Members had to do was 
to refrain from renegotiating the Bali Decisions made by the Ministers in December. 
1.149.  As one swallow could not make a summer neither a single flower make a spring so should 
it always be remembered that all Bali Decisions belong to one indivisible package. He hoped it was not only the case for China. Members should make sure to treat all issues equally and to make 
tangible progress at every front – the only way to  complete the work programme by the end of the 
year. It was China's expectation that the rights and concerns of developing Members and the LDCs under the TFA should also be taken seriously. China welcomed and supported the launch of the 
TFA Facility which would give timely help to boost the implementation capacities of developing 
Members. China would continue to help other developing countries on a bilateral basis within the framework of South-South cooperation and at the same time would look into the provision of funds 
to the facility according to its domestic procedures. 
1.150.  The representative of Canada associated with the statement by Norway on behalf of the 
group of middle grounder Members of the WTO comprised of both developing and developed 
Members. Members should faithfully implement th e Bali Package based on the guidance of their 
Ministers, their shared interest in strengthening the MTS and their collective desire to move 
forward with further negotiations to conclude th e DDA. The consensus reached by Members in Bali 
had been a watershed moment for the WTO, which had helped reinforcing its credibility as a forum 
for multilateral trade negotiations and creating a momentum to resume negotiations on the core 
DDA issues. However, all that could be lost if Members would fail to implement the decisions based on the agreed timelines. Like others, Canada was deeply concerned by the decision by a very small 
group of Members to backtrack on commitments m a d e  i n  B a l i  a n d  t o  p r e v e n t  w o r k  o n  T F A  
implementation from proceeding based on agreed ti melines. That position neglected the explicit 
establishment of different deadlines for different issues and that the TFA had to be implemented on expedited timelines. Canada remained fully co mmitted to the expeditious implementation of the 
Bali Package including working on a permanent solu tion on public stockholding for food security 
purposes. Canada had engaged in discussions on various proposals related to the post-Bali work plan and the implementation of the Bali Packag e that had been submitted to date and would 
welcome a discussion on public stockholding for food security purposes in the CoA.  
1.151.  Canada had stood by its commitments made in Bali and called on all Members to do the 
same. Failure to abide by the commitments agreed  in Bali jeopardized the post-Bali work plan 
including the provision of assistance to LDCs and developing countries for the implementation of 
the TFA, seriously diminished concluding the DDA and presented a systemic risk to the WTO as a 
multilateral negotiating forum. Canada called on all Members to allow for the implementation of the TFA and of all elements of the Bali Package to proceed according to the agreed timelines. 
1.152.  The representative of Costa Rica said that the conclusion of agreements in various areas in 
Bali had been a highly significant step for Me mbers and the Organization in confirming their 
capacity to serve as a multilateral negotiating forum. Members should not go back on the crucial 
step they had taken. Those agreements had enab led them to reach the end of July with Trade 
Facilitation under their belt, thanks to the work of the Preparatory Committee and other bodies, the efforts of the Director-General and the launch of the assistance Facility, and the work of all 
concerned. A growing number of delegations had notified their commitments under Category A and 
many more would do so in the coming days leaving only the adoption of the protocol. Results from other areas of Bali had also moved forward in accordance with the Bali timetable giving cause for satisfaction. As a result of the Bali Agreements , work and commitment had been seen in the three 
major areas of market access: Agriculture, NAMA and Services. The commitment shown by 
Members to develop the DDA work programme befo re the end of the year also satisfied Costa 
Rica. Trying to change what had been agreed upon  in Bali would not only undermine the credibility 
of the system, but the system itself. Costa Rica saw in the TFA enormous opportunities for 
reducing trade-related costs, promoting the compet itiveness of its businesses – in particular small 
and medium-size enterprises from developing countries such as Costa Rica. He believed that a 
swift adoption of measures for the entering into  force of the TFA would be beneficial to all WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  developing countries. Costa Rica trusted that the constructive spirit of Bali would prevail and that 
the Bali agreements could be respected. 
1.153.  Costa Rica saw Bali and post-Bali from the perspective of a small developing country 
whose economic growth and development depended on foreign trade and FDI. The smallness of its 
market had obliged Costa Rica to bind its economy to the global economy. To benefit from the 
global economy and the opportunities it offered, such as global value chains, Costa Rica had followed a policy of opening up trade through autonomous decisions, RTAs and plurilateral 
agreements such as the ITA. Just as those deci sions had facilitated economic and social growth, 
the results of the broadening of the ITA, thos e of the TISA and the agreement on environmental 
goods would also be beneficial. Even though it was reaping benefits from the broad platform of 
regional agreements, trade liberalization in the multilateral framework remained crucial to Costa 
Rica. There were markets in which Costa Rican tr ade was governed by the MFN clause, there were 
agreements between its partners which could ca use distortions in trade and there were areas 
where the solutions lied on the MTS and not in the RTAs, such as subsidy elimination, 
strengthening of rules, trade facilitation or dispute settlement. Only in the MTS could it gain 
greater access at the global level, together with new trade flows, for its agricultural exports, its exports of manufactures and its services. It was for that reason that Costa Rica resolutely 
supported the launch of the Doha Round thirteen years ago and continued to support the efforts to 
move the negotiations forward and bring them to a successful conclusion in the short term, which would help Members achieve growth and development in small developing countries such as Costa Rica. 
1.154.  The representative of the Russian Federation regarded the Bali outcome as a unique 
chance for accelerating the pace of negotiations to conclude the Doha Round based on the 2008 
modalities. The goals set up in the DDA were ambitious with the Bali Package as the only real 
stepping stone created by Members to help them  reach the Doha-heights. The Bali outcomes had 
proven to the Members, and those not yet, th at the WTO was capable to deliver. The current 
uneasy and even dangerous state of the TFA implementation could have negative and far-reaching 
consequences for the future of the MTS. However, the inability to implement what had been 
agreed after overcoming hurdles would be devastat ing if not deadly. Russia therefore thought that 
what had been agreed upon should be respecte d. Otherwise, deals would become peels.    
1.155.  Russia understood concerns by some WTO Members who wanted to secure balance and a 
simultaneous process in implementing the Bali Package. Russia valued all the elements of the 
Package equally and reiterated that tactics to block the TFA or reduce the level of commitments contained therein should be considered as not helpful in moving forward the other issues of the 
Bali and post-Bali agenda. It could lead to the failure of Members' joint efforts to revive the role of 
the WTO as a forum for developing new trade rules. Russia strongly believed in the common w i s d o m  o f  t h e  W T O  m e m b e r s h i p  a n d  r e m a i n e d  r e a d y  t o  c o n t r i b u t e  a c t i v e l y  t o  u r g e n t l y  f i n d  a  
mutually acceptable way out from the ongoing stalemate. 
1.156.  The representative of Uruguay supported the G-20 statement. Uruguay remained strongly 
committed to the WTO. It had worked with the Memb ership to strengthen and ensure transparency 
in the MTS for it to have clear, balanced and fair rules and to consider all Members regardless of 
size. Despite those efforts, the current state of play was not the situation Uruguay would have 
wanted. Uruguay had been warning Members for some  time and thought they should consider the 
interests and concerns of all Members in a balanced fashion if they wanted to move forward in the 
different negotiating areas of the Doha Round. Nobody could deny the fundamental role played by 
the WTO to avoid an escalation of protectionist measures throughout the world and a new global trade war with possible disastrous effects on world trade especially for the LDCs.  
1.157.  The WTO as an institution had an importan t role to play in the development of Members 
through trade. Uruguay urged Members to contin ue working in a process led by the Director-
General, as the TNC Chairman, to find a balanced solution from them which would give new trust in the system. Uruguay was aware of the efforts made but Members should step up their efforts. 
Bali had given new momentum to the work and the conversations of the Doha Round which had 
become bogged down. Members could not afford to lose it and should make as much effort as possible in contributing to the post-Bali work program to achieve positive results in all areas. 
Diplomacy called for optimism throughout the process even at times when all seemed lost. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  1.158.  The representative of Colombia said that there was still a lot of work before Members. The 
previous months had been useful to identify a coho rt of principles on whic h to build the work plan, 
to refresh positions and to start exploring new possible alternatives. Members needed greater doses of optimism, trust and goodwill if they were to reach results. Furthermore, alongside what 
had already been said by Norway and representa tives of a number of developing and developed 
countries, Colombia also agreed with several other delegations. Implementation of all Bali Decisions should be completed within the mandate and the timeframes decided by the Ministers. 
Their task was neither to change what the Ministers had decided, nor to interpret the mandate 
given to them. Rather, they should implement them . Stepping away from the task would seriously 
harm the WTO since it would just lead them to halting their work with nobody benefiting. The agreement reached by the Ministers in Bali should be respected for being the minimum basis to 
continue working in a constructive environment bound by trust with each other. Work procedures 
could be adapted if that was required but they could not revise the mandate before them. 
1.159.  The representative of Korea said that Me mbers had worked for the implementation of the 
Bali Package and had discussed the post-Bali work program over the past seven months. However, 
progress was too slow and not enough to celebrate at that stage. On the post-Bali work program, 
Korea was disappointed by the slow progress. Me mbers needed to intensify discussions after the 
summer break with a fresh look. The six parameters proposed by the Director-General should 
guide them. In addition, Korea wished to stress three points. First, Members needed more concrete proposals. Members who had concerns or particular interests should present them in writing on the table to stimulate more dynamic and focused discussions. Second, there should be 
trust and open-mindedness. Korea hoped that the major players would open their mind and 
engage more seriously in the discussions on the wo rk program. Third, Korea continued to back up 
the Director-General in his role as an honest broker in bridging the gaps and building confidence 
and trust among the key players.  
1.160.  The successful implementation of all th e elements of the Bali Package including trade 
facilitation should continue to remain the highes t priority of the WTO. At Bali, Ministers agreed 
with the 10 issues. Each decision had clear built-in implementation timelines, all agreed by 
consensus, which had to be respected. Korea wa s also frustrated by the slow progress in the 
notification of Category A Commitments in the TFA, even though it recognized some progress was made on the notifications by a number of developing countries. Members were also about to miss 
the timeline which Ministers had agreed and instructed for the adoption of the Protocol of 
Amendment to insert the TFA in the WTO Agreemen t. The failure of finalizing a Protocol of 
Amendment by the end of July could only undermi ne the momentum for the DDA negotiations and 
the credibility of the MTS which had barely been gained through the historic success in Bali. Korea 
had joined the statement of the WTO middle-grounder Members read out by Norway. Korea also commended the Director-General along with donor Members and Coordinators from the ACP, LDC 
and African Groups for the launch of the TFA Facility and hoped that the Facility would play a 
significant role as a necessary catalyst in addressing the concerns of developing Members. 
1.161.  The representative of Hong Kong, Chin a said that Hong Kong, China (HKC) had been 
following the work of the Preparatory Committee on Trade Facilitation (PCTF) very closely having 
prepared itself for the full implementation of the TF A as soon as it entered into force. The work of 
the PCTF should have been very technical: to conduct a legal review which should not involve any changes in substance; to draft a Protocol which should be a simple legal instrument; and to 
receive Members' Category A notifications as submitted. All the technical work had been done 
through the good efforts of the PCTF Chairman and many Members who had contributed to the process. Yet HKC remained frustrated since Member s were still stuck for other reasons. Adopting 
the Protocol before 31 July was a deadline that had to be met to prove their commitment to the 
MTS and to prove that the expeditious implementati on of the Bali Package – an important stepping 
stone to complete the Doha Round - was not just empty talk. The TFA – for Developing Countries in particular – was significant in itself for a number of reasons: for being the first WTO Agreement 
to directly link the requirement to implement with the capacity to implement, for the 
unprecedented emphasis it placed on the provision of technical assistance, and for the respect it paid to individual Members’ right to self-designate their commitments. But none of those could 
materialise without the Agreement first coming into operation. 
1.162.  In the Bali Declaration, different timelines had been set for different tasks. Although 
Members could think otherwise, Hong Kong, China did not see any conditionality in that design or 
any good reason to re-open negotiations on wh at all Members had already committed to. The best WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  way to ensure that the Bali Decisions were implemented in their entirety was to faithfully adhere 
to the timetable, not to try to alter it. A delay in the first step would hinder progress in subsequent ones. Therefore, Hong Kong, China joined other Memb ers in calling for an adoption of the Protocol 
without further delay. Having achieved that milestone in the Bali package, Members should 
continue to work very intensively on the rest  of the Bali Package and other DDA issues and 
prepare a meaningful work programme by the end of the year. Hong Kong, China remained 
committed to that process and would engage constructively in all the negotiations. 
1.163.  The representative of Turkey informed the Members that Turkey had notified its Category 
A Commitments. Turkey shared the views and co ncerns expressed by a group of middle-ground 
countries concerning the entry into force of the TFA as had been agreed in Bali. Turkey believed that honouring commitments was directly related to the credibility of the organization and the 
MTS. Each and every Member had the responsibilit y to implement the agreed outcomes at Bali, 
including TFA, respecting the determined timelines . With reference to the EU intervention, other 
issues of the Bali Package had to be duly addressed in order to find solutions acceptable for all. As 
a candidate for hosting the 10
th Ministerial Conference, Turkey was ready to engage in intensive 
negotiations to that end. 
1.164.  The representative of Benin associated with the statements made by the Group 
Coordinators of the African, LDC and ACP Groups. The spirit of participation and cooperation was 
part and parcel of that work and should continue to be promoted. Being at a crossroads of their work, the General Council meeting was important for enabling Members to sketch the ways and means of avoiding getting bogged down. They shou ld keep on contributing to other results in 
parallel to those obtained in Bali in the different areas of negotiation – Agriculture, NAMA, 
Services, Trade Facilitation, LDC issues including Cotton, and Development issues. Benin remained convinced that a post-Bali work program could be defined. At the WTO, the balance between rights 
and duties was essential and could be reached. Therefore, work aimed at making the provisions of 
the MTS had to be pursued and stepped up. Benin hi ghlighted that no delegation wished the Round 
to slow down since they wanted to benefit from it and see a strengthened MTS rising from the 
process. Thus, Members had to remain within an approach of attentive listening and had to 
analyse together the different proposals put forwar d, even if sometimes they could seem very far 
from each other. What was fundamental in the inte rest of all was that Members accepted to act in 
a direction which would enable a balanced movement preserving the interest of all. Issues put 
forward should be considered and taken on as such. By acting in this fashion, they would be able 
to focus their efforts on what was still to be done and on how to do it. Benin remained committed and would make all efforts required to contribute to  their work to reach the results expected by all. 
Benin hoped that consensus would be reached as soon as possible on the items under discussion 
given the emphasis placed on dialogue and consensus at the WTO.  
1.165.  The representative of New Zealand said that New Zealand was among the Members 
Norway had spoken on behalf of expressing se rious concern about the current situation. He 
underlined that the diverse range of countries that had supported and identified with the statement and many who had spoken – large, small, all with diverse interests and priorities within 
the Organization – highlighted that this was not a North-South issue but one that raised more 
fundamental questions about the approach take n to decisions of WTO's highest body – the 
Ministerial Conference. It was clear that if Members sought to reopen the decision recently taken by Ministers it would have a profound impact on th eir capacity to deliver for the future on all the 
unfinished business important to a number of Member s. They had until 31 July to meet the first of 
the key deadlines agreed by Ministers in unambiguous terms in Bali regarding the Trade Facilitation Protocol. That was obviously the essential priority that should be secured if they were 
to maintain their credibility. 
1.166.  The representative of Pakistan said that  the situation had reminded him of the pre-Bali 
preparatory phase where Members were still negotiating most of the issues. A critical balance 
painful for many Members on different accounts had been nevertheless achieved to save the MTS 
and to restore the credibility of the WTO. However, Bali began to feel unreal. The MTS train had 
moved one station before Bali. The danger that the downslide would not take them back to the Doha station could be avoided but repairing the engine could take time. Developing and Least-
Developed Members would face major repercussions for being unable to participate in high-level 
plurilateral and bilateral deals. S&D treatment in the TFA was an old endeavour. Donors had been prepared to put out resources to empower developing countries and LDCs to implement reforms to 
upgrade their customs procedures and trade policy initiatives. The WTO had also launched the WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  facility to achieve the objective with elaborate and well thought out terms of reference. This 
endeavour would be difficult to move forward.  The Ministers had mandated the Preparatory 
Committee to draw up a Protocol not to amend th e TFA but to amend the Marrakesh Agreement to 
make the TFA as a covered agreement. The TFA had been gavelled at Bali and would be part of 
WTO law after ratification by Members. Pakistan believed that Members still had a few days to 
work before 31 July as they had done in Bali under  the leadership of the Director-General and the 
General Council Chairman. 
1.167.  The representative of Cuba said that Cuba's general and specific positions were reflected in 
the joint statement with Bolivia and Venezuela. She stated she was optimistic. Contrary to what a 
very small number of Members had said, Cuba was not disappointed. Cuba became more optimistic since the developing countries had learned from their mistakes. Fortunately, Cuba did 
not share the fatalism that had been heard . What was disappointing for Cuba were double 
standards, and the fact that  some had said that Members could not build trust on current 
commitments if they undermined or called into question what had been agreed in Bali. What could 
then be said about the commitments prior to Bali that had been entirely unfulfilled, such as the 
elimination of cotton subsidies, among others? What about the systematic US violations for more than 12 years of the recommendations and rulings of the DSB? Did they not count? Were they not 
also WTO obligations? Was it the case that in WTO some could take the liberty of selecting which 
obligations to comply with? An alleged consensus could not sacrifice basic elements and principles that most developing countries had promoted for years. 
1.168.  The General Council took note of the Director-General's report and of the statements. 
2  PREPARATORY COMMITTEE ON TRADE FACILITATION – REPORT BY THE CHAIRMAN 2.1.  The Chairman recalled that, in their Decision on the Agreement on Trade Facilitation 
(WT/L/911–WT/MIN(13)/36), Ministers had conclude d the negotiations of the Agreement, subject 
to legal review for rectifications of a purely form al character that did not affect the substance of 
the Agreement. Ministers had established a Preparatory Committee under the General Council, mandated with very specific tasks – to conduct the legal review of the Agreement, to receive 
notifications of Category A commitments, and to draw up a Protocol of Amendment in order to 
insert the Agreement into Annex 1A of the WT O Agreement. Ministers had also directed the 
General Council to meet no later than 31 July 2014 to annex to the Agreement notifications of Category A commitments, to adopt the Protocol drawn up by the Preparatory Committee, and to 
open the Protocol for acceptance until 31 July 2015.He invited Amb. Esteban Conejos (Philippines), 
Chairman of the Preparatory Committee, to report on the work in the Committee to fulfil those mandates. 
2.2.  Amb. Conejos, Chairman of the Preparator y Committee on Trade Facilitation, said that the 
work on Trade Facilitation had seen mixed develo pments since his last report. On the one hand, 
Members had been able to complete the legal review of the TF text agreed upon in Bali, leading 
them to the formal adoption of the scrub agreem ent in all official WTO languages in 10 July. The 
final version of the TFA had been subsequently circulated as WT/L/931 on 15 July, thereby complying with the Ministerial task within the given deadline. As far as the second component of the Bali Mandate was concerned, the receipt of Category A notifications, there had been 
communications from 22 Members to date. They had been duly received by the Preparatory 
Committee and circulated as WT/PCTF/N documents. Although an important step, that was clearly less than many had hoped. He urged delegations to  present the outstanding notifications as soon 
as possible. One of the possible reasons for the rela tively slow pace of the process related to the 
state of affairs on the third element of their mandate, the Amendment Protocol.  
2.3.  While some progress had been made on the item, in fact, two dedicated sessions in the 
Preparatory Committee had been held to review the proposed language several times, he had to 
inform the Council that Members had not yet been able to agree on a Protocol. This was very unfortunate and a cause of serious concern, not ju st for the implementation of the TFA but also 
from a broader systemic point of view. 31 July 2014 was not just another deadline that could be 
missed without consequences. The approach should not be based on the expectation of business 
as usual if they failed to comply with the Bali Mandate. He urged delegations to re-double their efforts and to reach out to each other in an effort to find common ground. He remained available 
to support the process in any way he could. This should not be a very complicated exercise. The WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  actual matter was essentially fairly straightforward. They had come too far in the Committee and 
had made too much progress to fail a step, just one single step, from the finishing line. 
2.4.  The representative of Chile raised concerns about the current situation. As a Member 
committed to the MTS, Chile welcomed the outcom e of the Ninth Ministerial Conference and was 
very concerned by a possible going back on what  had been agreed. The Agreement in Bali had not 
only been an important step to the successful completion of the Doha Round. It had also been a powerful sign that the WTO had sent out to the international community on its ability to move 
forward with the strengthening of the MTS linking trade to development, contributing to the 
governability of globalisation. Chile had played an active role in the negotiations of that agreement upon seeing the value of the instrument to streamline trade of developing countries. Chile had already notified its Category A commitments within the stipulated timeframe. It had notified the 
laws and regulations which made it an obligation to have duty-free-quota-free access in its 
country. While not all developing countries were in the same economic or trade-related situation, they shared common challenges. Since greater obstacles, barriers, costs, customs procedures and 
general problems of the access affected their expo rts, with the implementation of the agreements, 
they would require institutions which not all of them had. Chile welcomed the initiative launched by the Director-General with the ACP countries, the African Group, LDCs and the Donor Countries 
to setup a facility for improving customs, infrastructure, and systems making administration 
procedures swifter and more transparent once the Protocol had been adopted,. Those would 
undoubtedly contribute to new dynamism in the international trading environment and lead to tangible results in terms of the growth of th e world trade and employment. The Bali Agreements 
were key basis to continue with the challenge of trying to successfully conclude the Doha Round. 
From Chile's point of view Bali had not just been a trade agreement. It had been an expression of 
political will in the strictest sense of the word. Politics was the art of governing in the interest of 
the common good balancing diverse interests and looking at it from the perspective of human 
development in general. At the same time, it was the capacity to move the limits of the possible which Members had done in Bali. They needed to do that from that point on. Chile understood the 
concern of a number of Members but they could do it without altering the timeframe and the 
process Ministers in Bali had established. Chile had supported the statement by Norway and reiterated the call to Members to honour the commitments in Bali and to meet the timeframe agreed for adopting the Protocol.   
2.5.  The representative of Myanmar, on behalf  of ASEAN, reaffirmed the strong commitment of 
ASEAN to the expeditious implementation of all the MC9 Decisions and in particular to each of the 
agreed timelines for Agriculture, the TFA and LD C-related decisions. However, ASEAN was deeply 
concerned about the current state of work on the Protocol of Amendment for the TFA. The 31 July 
deadline to adopt the Protocol was the first deadline set by Ministers in Bali. All Bali decisions needed to be implemented, and the TFA decision wa s the first in the pipeline. Failure to implement 
the TFA as agreed by Ministers at MC9 would result  in grave consequences for the credibility of the 
WTO as a body for negotiating multilateral trade agreements and the entire post-Bali work program. Adhering to that deadline did not mean that they were giving less priority to other MC9 decisions, for which there were separate timelines. On the contrary, it would demonstrate their 
seriousness not just about the TFA but also in concluding the DDA. While they were developing 
Members at various levels of development, ASEAN was united in viewing the fundamental importance of the TFA for reducing trade costs, increasing transparency, attracting investors and 
facilitating its integration into the global econom y. ASEAN extended its deep appreciation to the 
Director-General for the successful establishment of the TFA Facility, which would be extremely 
useful for Members with concerns on accessing technical and financial assistance. ASEAN called on 
all Members to work expeditiously together in g ood faith to implement the TFA. Time was running 
out. The world was closely watching to see if succe ss in Bali had been genuine. They should not let 
their hard work go to waste. 
2.6.  The representative of Paraguay, on behalf of  the LLDCs, said that after many meetings with 
regional development partners and the private se ctor, LLDCs had come up with a proposed draft 
programme of action. In its chapter on Internat ional Trade and Trade Facilitation the following 
recommendations for action were made: LLDCs call ed for the coming into force of the TFA on a 
definitive basis and urged Members to ratify the TFA to ensure its entry into force in 2015 and 
implement it as per its provisions. LLDCs needed to establish or strengthen, as appropriate, national committees on trade facilitation involving all major stakeholders including the private 
sector as an important tool for analysing. LLDCs should also scale up and implement trade 
facilitation initiatives such as single stop inspections, single windows for documentation, electronic WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  payment, transparency, modernisation of bord er posts and customs services, among others. 
Complete financial support and capacity building to LLDCs and transit countries for an effective implementation of all provisions of WTO agreem ents especially where the measure comes with 
high maintenance costs, such as trade facilitation  measures for perishable goods, single window, 
among others. Those illustrated the importance of TFA for LLDCs and the importance its members 
placed on it. The LLDCs thought that the TFA Facility would be of great assistance to their needs. 
2.7.  The representative of Mauritius aligned with the statements made by the Coordinators of the 
ACP, African, G-33 and SVE Groups and reaffirmed that development should remain the core issue 
in line with the DDA. As a Small Island State, Mauritius attached great importance to the MTS and reaffirmed its commitment to the decisions taken in Bali. There would be no default in its commitment as it had shared responsibility and obligation to implement within the agreed 
timeframes in the Bali Decisions including the DDA work programme. Members should be guided 
by the Bali Decision on TFA and by the AU Malabo Summit Declaration which had called for the TFA implementation as agreed in Bali. The TFA should be implemented on a definitive basis on its own 
merit for predictability, legal security and sustainability. Mauritius had held a national workshop on 
TFA implementation with all the stakeholders, bo th private and public sectors and a validation 
conference to identify its Categories A, B and C TFA Commitments. Mauritius had already notified 
its Category A Commitments to the Preparatory Committee on Trade Facilitation. Being a Small 
Island Economy dependent on external trade, trade facilitation was highly important not only to cut cost of trade and increase trade flows but also  to improve ease of doing business, investment 
climate, and economic competitiveness. Mauritius would be hosting a regional business forum from 
4-5 August 2014 and improving trade facilitation with in the countries of the region would be on the 
agenda. Mauritius welcomed the launch of the WTO TFA Facility and looked forward to predictable 
and sustained flow of resources and assistance to developing countries and LDCs. There should be 
coherence and coordination in the delivery of assistance and technical resources. Unfortunately, 
Members had not yet concluded the discussion on th e amendment protocol – a hard work that had 
to be pursued to achieve a solution. The challeng e remained how best to address the legitimate 
concerns of Members on the developing issues. The Bali decisions had chartered the path for 
addressing the Bali and other DDA issues. Mauritius looked forward to meaningful progress in discussing the work programme on outstanding DDA issues, on Agriculture including a permanent solution on public stockholding for food security purposes, an issue which had a direct bearing on it 
as a small island developing state and a net-food importing country. 
2.8.  The representative of Thailand associated with the ASEAN statement and supported the 
statement made by Norway on behalf of a group of  like-minded Members. Thailand had notified its 
Category A Commitments to the PCTF on 23 July 2014 and was highly committed to the TF 
deadline. Members should respect the Bali Mandate by showing good faith in adhering to the first TF deadline and other MC9 decisions.  Completing the first task of the Bali mandate would not only 
benefit all Members in terms of trade cost reduction and customs procedure simplification, but 
would also preserve the credibility of the WTO and the MTS as a whole. Members should work 
together in high spirits with trust and confidence  to prove to the global trading community their 
successful collaborative effort at Bali to conclude the DDA.  
2.9.  The Chairman said he had listened to th e discussions at the meeting, including under the 
previous item, where Members had shared their thoughts on the Protocol, and the report of 
Amb. Conejos completed the picture. The General Council was not in a position to adopt at the 
meeting the Protocol mandated by Ministers in document WT/L/911. He had also heard from 
several delegations the potentially serious situation that could be triggered, systemic implications that could be carried. He urged Members to reflect carefully on those potential consequences and 
to make every possible effort to talk to each othe r, to take advantage of the limited time they had 
in overcoming differences to fulfil the letter and the spirit of the Bali Mandate not just in Trade Facilitation but in all the other decisions. He proposed to suspend further consideration of the item. 
2.10.  Later, at the end of the meeting, the Chairman recalled that Members still had an open item 
in their agenda. In light of the views expressed,  he proposed that the meeting be suspended to 
explore if differences could be bridged. The General Council would reconvene at a propitious moment if there were positive developments, anytime until midnight of 31 July. He would 
reconvene the General Council only if there was progress that would enable Members to take 
necessary action. He said that it should be understood that if the meeting would not be WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  reconvened by that time, the discussion on the it em would be considered closed and the General 
Council would consider the meeting itself to have been adjourned5.  
2.11.  The representative of Zimbabwe asked whether this was the last General Council meeting 
before the summer break.  
2.12.  The Chairman said that the meeting was not adjourned, but suspended. The meeting could 
be reconvened should there be a signal that progress was possible.  
2.13.  The representative of Jamaica was concerned about what would trigger the formal 
adjournment of the meeting Would Members by as senting to the Chairman's announcement allow 
the meeting to formally close at midnight on 31 July if there had been no further action and therefore their acquiescence in his statement would be the basis for that decision? 
2.14.  The Chairman said that that was his intent  and way of proceeding. He stressed that he was 
the servant of the Membership and that he was in Members' hands as to if progress would be 
made or not. It would be up to the delegations themselves to talk to each other between 25 July and 31 July. What would trigger the formal adjournment was the clock. He appreciated the 
engaged manner in which everyone had participated  in the challenging discussions at the meeting. 
He declared the meeting suspended
6. 
2.15.  The General Council took note of the repo rt of the Chairman of the Preparatory Committee 
on Trade Facilitation and of the statements.  
3  WTO TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENT FACILITY – STATEMENT BY THE DIRECTOR-
GENERAL 
3.1.  The Director-General recalled that the new WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility had 
been launched on 22 July, with the Coordinators of  the ACP, LDC and African Groups. The Facility 
was a response to concerns which the Coordinators had raised about LDCs and developing Members being able to access the necessary support under section 2 of the TFA. Its purpose was 
to answer those concerns and ensure that thos e Members received the support they needed in 
order to reap the full benefits of the Trade Facilitation Agreement.  
3.2.  The Facility did not seek to replace existing assistance programs. Rather, it was meant to 
complement and enhance them and to ensure that no one was left behind. Partner organizations 
had been very supportive of the initiative and th e WTO planned to deepen its dialogue with them 
in the months ahead. He had mentioned during the launch that the WTO had been working particularly closely with the World Bank. The WTO and the World Bank were planning to hold an 
event together in Washington in the autumn. The aim would be to ensure that their trade 
facilitation work operated in an efficient and ex pedited way, so that their support reached those 
developing countries that needed it and to ensure that their work and the work of the WTO Facility 
complemented each other fully. More information on the event would be provided in due course.  
3.3.  Other institutions were also getting engage d with, and excited about, that work. In fact, the 
Annex D Plus Organizations had issued a joint statement on 22 July, recognizing the development 
potential of the TFA and pledging their co-operation  and support for its implementation. In addition 
to the World Bank Group, the statement was signed by the ITC, OE CD, UNCTAD, The World 
Customs Organization, and the United Nations Economic Commissions for Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, and Western Asia. As Members began their work and 
mobilise resources he had no doubt that more Organizations would get involved. The initiative had 
been conceived just a few weeks prior, and he th ought it had been clear that Members had been 
off to a great start. The WTO Facility would add value to the trade facilitation funding and support 
that was currently available. He invited them to look briefly at some of its specific functions: 
                                               
5 See also footnote 6. 
6 The General Council meeting was not reconvened. In line with the Chairman's statement, discussions 
under item 2 were considered closed and the meetin g adjourned. On 31 July, the Director-General, as 
Chairman of the TNC, convened an Informal TNC me eting. His statement can be  found in JOB/TNC/40.  WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  a. First, the Facility would support LDCs and developing countries to assess their specific 
needs and identify possible development part ners to help them meet those needs. In 
that way, their current needs assessment work would be brought under the Facility – as would their other TFA-related technical assistance programs. And they would expand 
those programs – to include, for example, assisting Members with preparation of 
notifications and scheduling. 
b. Second, the best possible conditions for the flow of information between donors and 
recipients would be ensured by creating an information-sharing platform for the demand 
and supply of TFA-related technical assistance. They would compile information on assistance providers, share implementation experience and collate training materials. And they would continue to organize periodic meetings to facilitate exchanges between 
beneficiaries and donors. Put simply, they  would ensure that Members knew what 
assistance was out there and how to access it. 
c. Third, they would do everything they co uld to match Members with donor funds to 
implement their projects. And if the process proved difficult, under the Facility Members 
would be able to formally request him, as Director-General, to act as a facilitator in securing funds for project implementation. 
d. Fourth, the Facility would provide funds for the exceptional cases where countries had 
made thorough attempts to find assistance but had failed to receive the support they needed. The facility provided for two types of funds to fill the gap. The first was a grant 
to help in the preparation of projects. Those funds could be given when a Member had 
identified a potential donor but had been unable to develop a project for that donor's 
consideration. In that case, funding of up to  30,000 US dollars could be provided to fund 
expert support to help prepare the project proposal. The second type of fund was for 
project implementation – specifically for "soft infrastructure" projects, such as 
modernisation of customs laws through consulting services, in-country workshops, or training of officials. If a country found itself in the situation where it simply could not find 
a donor – even with their help – then they could apply to the Facility for a grant of up to 
200,000 US dollars to implement their project. 
3.4.  So, in simple terms, that was what the Facility would do. He had set that out at the launch 
event on 22 July and he had been very pleased with the response. The Group Coordinators had 
made strong statements of support and he had received very positive feedback from a wide range 
of members and donors. The Facility would be funded on a voluntary basis by WTO donor Members. A number of Members had already pledged funds – and he was delighted to say that 
more funding had been pledged even since the even t on 22 July. So Members were in a very good 
position. They had momentum. The Facility was ready to start work. It would become operational the moment the Protocol of amendment was adopted.  
3.5.  The representative of Swaziland associated wi th the statements to be made on that item by 
the Coordinators of the African and ACP Groups. Swaziland joined other Members who had 
welcomed the successful establishment of the TFA Fa cility to give assurance to Members, including 
Swaziland, who needed some predictability in giving effect to Section II of the TFA. Swaziland had 
long shown commitment to the trade facilitation agenda in Geneva but more importantly, in its 
region. As a landlocked developing Custom s Union member, Swaziland’s development and 
economic competitiveness relied disproportionately on the time it took to get products to markets 
and the relationships it engendered with its neighbouring transit countries. In that regard, its 
government through the reformed Swaziland Revenue Authority had embarked on several 
modernisation activities at all its border posts and on an overhaul of its customs legislation to 
better synchronise it to that of other SADC Countries and make it useful and intelligible to traders. 
However, challenges of resource prioritisation and shortfalls in implementation persisted. Swaziland was therefore actively looking to engage  competent Annex D Organizations to assist in 
the revival of its Trade Facilitation Committee, to validate its needs assessment report and to 
categorise its commitments under the TFA – a first step. With the added assistance and input of 
cooperating partners such as the WTO Facility, Swaziland hoped to develop a comprehensive programme to identify needs and secure donor support for not only soft assistance but also 
tangible and bankable trade facilitation projects. Swaziland therefore looked forward to learning, in 
greater detail, about the modalities of access and functioning of the facility. Swaziland hoped it would be executed in a transparent and fair manner to avoid the marginalisation usually faced by WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  middle income developing countries in trying to access trade and other development finance on 
preferential terms. 
3.6.  The representative of Lesotho, on behalf of the African Group, requested for his statement 
during the launch of the TFA Facility on 22 July to be included as part of the records of the 
meeting.7 He indicated that the launch of the TFA Facility was important. For Africa, it flowed from 
the decision taken by their Heads of State on 25 June in Malabo Section 3 (iv) of which stated "reiterates in this regard that assistance and su pport for capacity-building should be provided as 
envisaged in the Trade Facilitation Agreement in a predictable manner so as to enable African 
economies to acquire the necessary capacity  for the implementation of the agreement ." The 
Facility was important for Africa and it should be  all inclusive covering everyone who needed it. 
3.7.  The representative of Kenya, on behalf of  the ACP Group, thanked the Director-General for 
launching the TFA Facility and for his statement which had clearly stated his vision on how the 
Facility would operate in supporting the developing and least-developed Members to undertake commitments to be made under the TFA. The ACP Group had shown strong interest in the facility 
because it knew the challenges that ACP Members would encounter in implementing their 
commitments in TFA. The ACP was glad that the consultations that it had been holding with the Director-General and his consultations with the rest of the Members had finally led to the launch of 
the new WTO TFA Facility which would be part of the decisions to be taken at the meeting of the 
General Council. The ACP welcomed the Facility and was ready to work with the Director-General and the Members to ensure that it fully responded in a concrete and substantive manner to the concerns of developing and least-developed Members in their efforts to implement the TFA. The 
ACP needed a Facility with a simple operational structure that responded efficiently to the requests 
by Members in dire need of support. The General Council decision would certainly build the confidence of Members in striving to finalize wo rk on the Protocol of Amendment and in embarking 
on the implementation of the TFA. Confidence  would be boosted as Members engaged in the 
ongoing negotiations of drawing up a work progra mme on outstanding DDA issues expected to be 
completed before the end of the year. The ACP sincerely thanked its development partners who 
had already stepped up to announce resources they would be directing to the WTO to assist in the 
implementation of the TFA and looked forward to other partners to come on board.  
3.8.  The representative of Uganda, on behalf of the LDC Group, recalled with delight the events of 
22 July 2014. The Director-General had been able to announce to the world the launching of the 
TFAF, an instrument that would guarantee access to assistance and support for Capacity Building.  
It affirmed the fact that indeed without assistance and support for Capacity Building, however good the intentions were, they remained just that, good intentions. The LDCs welcomed the 
recognition of the validity of the concerns of th e most vulnerable Members of the MTS. The LDCs 
congratulated the Director-General and the Member s for having found merit in its arguments, and 
the Coordinators of the ACP Group and the Africa n Group who together with the LDCs had worked 
with the Director-General to put TFAF in pl ace. The LDCs recognized and expressed its 
appreciation to the donors who had committed seed money to the Facility and was confident that the silent majority would find the courage and the will to do as well. The issue had never been the 
TFA as such, but rather the prohibitive cost of implementation. The challenge had always been and 
continued to be the lack of a sense of clarity, pred ictability and sustainability of funding. That was 
the issue! The TFAF offered a ray of hope, knowing fully well that it was not an end in itself but 
rather a stepping stone in continuing on the quest of creating a sense of full assurance to its 
members, the Least-Developed Community of nation s, that when the TFA would come into force 
there would be requisite assistance to address not only the soft projects but in fact facilitate the full implementation of all measures within the TF A. The LDCs appealed that a specific amount of 
resources be earmarked for them given their structural and capacity constraints. In that way they 
should avoid trouble and difficulty in explaining to their Parliaments as they sought to ratify the TFA on where the source of the funding was, and the terms under which it would be accessed. The 
LDCs were confident that with the good will create d so far, that should not be a difficult task to 
accomplish. Members should continue in an information sharing mode to address the information 
gaps that still existed. Furthermore, it would be  useful to have in place of a process which to 
inform and update Members on the contribution s and replenishment of the Facility. The LDCs 
thanked the Director-General for his personal and relentless efforts in ensuring that the TFAF 
would see the light of day. The LDCs commended those partners that had made it possible and 
                                               
7 The full statement can be found in Annex 5. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  looked forward to a more detailed discussion on the same in the near future and a harmonious 
implementation of the TFA. 
3.9.  Speaking on behalf of Uganda, he stated that  his capital had held consultations in light of the 
establishment of the TFA Facility launched on 22 July 2014, that would enable LDCs to effectively 
implement TF measures in Categories B and C. Consequently, Uganda's stakeholders gave the 
mandate to the government to pursue the definiti ve implementation of the TFA. Uganda thanked 
partners who already committed funds to the Facility and called upon those who had not done so 
yet to emulate those who did it already. The Facility gave some clarity and predictability on how 
and where funds for TF implementation could be obtained. In conclusion, as stated by Uganda's Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives: "it sh ould be recalled that during the Bali Ministerial 
Conference Members were unanimous in their decisions on the DDA negotiations, including the TFA 
and they upheld the Bali consensus as a foundation for moving the DDA negotiations to 
conclusion". 
3.10.  The representative of Niger welcomed the initiative, which dispelled some of the fears and 
doubts as to LDCs possibilities of having appropriate facility in acquiring technical assistance and 
capacity building in line with the decision by Af rican bodies that Niger strongly supported. Niger 
thanked the Director-General and all the coordinators who had worked together towards that 
achievement and welcomed Members and other partners' support for the process giving impetus to 
the Facility. That was important for Niger for helping it to move forward in view of all the legitimate concerns heard and to advance with optimism. The TFAF would be operational and functional with the necessary fluidity and flexibility enabling Members in need to have their 
concerns met in terms of implementation capabilit y. Niger hoped that the wisdom that had led to 
the creation of the facility would also guide Me mbers towards a successful outcome. Niger thanked 
the coordinators of the African Group, th e ACP and the LDCs for their assistance. 
3.11.  The Chairman, on behalf of the General Council, thanked the Director-General for his 
leadership and drive in bringing the Facili ty together on such a short timetable.  
3.12.  The General Council took note of the Dire ctor-General's statement and of the statements.  
4  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BALI OUTCOMES – STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN 
4.1.  The Chairman drew the Council's attention to  the written statement on the Implementation of 
the Bali Outcomes in document JOB/GC/70. He underscored that when he took office his personal 
commitment to ensuring that the General Council as the overseer of the standing and regular 
bodies continued to give highest priority to impl ementation of the whole of the Bali Package. As 
Members would read and digest the report, they would see that at a minimum, discussions were engaged in each and every area of the Bali result s. Obviously, as many of them had observed, in 
some areas and on some subjects discussions needed  to intensify. He intended to provide regular 
reports to the General Council on the status of implementation in each of those areas and to ask the specific Chairs of the relevant regular bodies to report as appropriate.  
4.2.  The representative of Uganda, on behalf of the LDC Group,
 said8 that the LDCs were 
concerned that there had not been an equal amount of attention paid to issues in the Bali Package 
where legally binding outcomes could not be achieved. Nonetheless, it was still a good day. On the TNC meeting of 25 June 2014 the LDCs had signalled that they would be in a position to submit 
their collective request on services before the summer break. The LDC Group had the honour to 
announce that on 21 July 2014, the Group had tabled its Collective Request pursuant to the Bali Decision to operationalise the LDC Services Wa iver. That was an important step towards the 
implementation of Bali Decisions, which the General Council ultimately monitored. The Collective 
Request was based on country studies, research, interviews, experiences, and analysis so far, conducted by the Group in order to identify the se ctors and modes of supply of key interest to the 
LDC Group. Due to a number of barriers and obstac les faced, it was clear that the LDC services 
suppliers were experiencing difficulties in supplying services sought by existing and potential consumers and clients in a number of WTO Members, both developed and developing countries.   
                                               
8 The statement of Uganda was deli vered under Item 3 of the Agenda. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  4.3.  The LDC Group would formally introduce the request at the next Council for Trade in 
Services. However, the Bali Waiver Decision required for a high level meeting to take place six months after the submission of a Collective Reques t from the LDC Group. In that regard the Group 
had therefore indicated in the request that it we lcomed positive engagement in the intervening 
six-month period, to help shape responses to the Collective Request from Members who should be 
in a position to grant preferences. The request, as with all other requests that had been tabled in the context of the services dossier at the WTO, could be modified, if necessary, without prejudice 
to the commencement of the high-level meeting in  six months. Finally, the waiver decision had 
been with Members for some time without operationalization. The LDCs' contribution to global commercial services trade was below 1.2%, making them the most marginalised and vulnerable members of the MTS. The Group therefore urged Me mbers to respond to the Collective Request, 
with the view to granting and or, responding with, preferences that had commercial value and 
promoted economic benefits to LDCs.  
4.4.  The General Council took note of the Chairman's report and of the statement. 
5  WORK PROGRAMME ON SMALL ECONOMIES – REPORT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE 
DEDICATED SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT 
5.1.  The Chairman recalled that, in line with th e framework and procedures agreed by the General 
Council in 2002, the Work Programme on Small Economies was a standing item on the General 
Council's agenda and the Committee on Trade and Development reported regularly to the Council on the progress of its work in Dedicated Sessions on the subject. At Bali, Ministers had also adopted a Decision re-confirming their commitment to the Work Programme, instructing the CTD 
to continue its work in Dedicated Sessions under the overall responsibility of the General Council. 
5.2.  The Chairman read out the report on work i n  t h i s  a r e a  o n  b e h a l f  o f  A m b .  P i e r r e  C l a v e r  
Ndayiragije (Burundi), Chairman of the Dedi cated Session of the CTD, as follows: 
"I am pleased to report that the proponents of Small Economies have been discussing their 
priorities for 2014 and their follow-up activities to the Bali Ministerial Decision on the Small 
Economies Work Programme.  
In this regard, I would like to inform you that the proponents have been working on 
identifying the relevant information and analysis concerning the challenges and opportunities experienced by small economies when linking into global value chains in trade in goods and services. An identification of some of the key challenges and opportunities relating to GVCs 
and Small Economies will help Members with their discussions of these issues in the CTD 
Dedicated Session, as was stated in the Bali Decision. 
As Chair of the Dedicated Session on the Wo rk Programme on Small Economies, I fully 
support and encourage more work on this subject and look forward to further progress."  
5.3.  The representative of Guatemala, on beha lf of the SVEs, said that the SVEs had been 
discussing their 2014 priorities and follow-up activiti es to the Bali Ministerial Decision on the Small 
Economies Work Programme. With respect to the research, working with the WTO Secretariat 
would allow the SVEs to identify the relevant information and analysis concerning the challenges and opportunities experienced by small economies when linking into global value chains in trade in goods and services. The SVEs looked forward to meeting Members at the CTD Dedicated Session 
on the Work Programme on Small Economies to have a full discussion on the relevant issues. 
5.4.  The representative of the United States thanked the CTD Chair for his report and Guatemala 
for its update on the Small Economies’ efforts since the Bali Ministerial. The United States 
recognized the usefulness of the Secretariat providing relevant information and factual analysis on 
the challenges and opportunities experienced by small economies when linking into global value 
chains in trade in goods and services. The United  States looked forward to discussing with other 
interested Members – including in the Dedicated Session – any potential proposal directing the 
Secretariat to undertake specific work to provid e such information and analysis, and also looked 
forward to further engagement in the Dedicated Session in line with the Bali Ministerial Decision. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  5.5.  The General Council took note of the repo rt of the Chairman of the Committee on Trade and 
Development and of the statements. 
6  WORK PROGRAMME ON ELECTRONIC COMMERCE – REVIEW OF PROGRESS (S/C/43, 
G/C/54) 
6.1.  The Chairman recalled that at MC9, Minist ers adopted a Decision on the Work Programme on 
Electronic Commerce (WT/L/907). In the Decision, Ministers had decided to continue with the 
positive work under the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce, and had instructed the General 
Council and its relevant bodies to continue substantially invigorating the work.  Ministers had also 
instructed the General Council to hold periodic reviews, starting in July 2014, based on the reports submitted by the WTO bodies entrusted with the implementation of the Work Programme.  Those 
bodies were the Councils for Services, Goods and TRIPS and the Committee on Trade and 
Development. Since MC9, all four Bodies had met.  
6.2.   The Council for Trade in Goods had met on 9 April and 19 June. As Members would note 
from the report circulated by the CTG Chair under his own responsibility, contained in document 
G/C/54, despite recalling the Ministerial mandate and inviting delegations to express their views, 
no Member had made any suggestions on how to carry forward the work on e-commerce. Similarly, the Council for Trade in Services had met 3 times – on 26 February, 8 May and 20 June. 
The Work Programme on E-Commerce had been on the agenda in each of those meetings.  As 
reflected in the Chair's report circulated on his own responsibility, contained in document S/C/43, a number of issues related to e-commerce had been discussed and one Member indicated that it had been preparing a formal submission for the Work Programme. At the Committee on Trade and 
Development, e-commerce had been discussed at its meeting on 21 March. The discussion had 
focused on how Members could take forward the work. A few delegations had expressed their support for the Bali Decision on e-commerce, and had expressed interest in exploring ways to help 
advance e-commerce trade. However, to date, no  proposals for such further work had been 
received at the Committee. The TRIPS Council had yet to undertake further work on e-commerce. 
6.3.  Given the cross-cutting nature of the subject,  it was natural that the General Council played a 
central role. Horizontal discussions on e-commerce had been held as Dedicated Discussions. For 
the past eight years those discussions had been chaired by DDG Singh on behalf of the GC Chair.  Since assuming his role as GC Chair, and having consulted widely with Group coordinators and others, he could confirm that Members broadly supported maintaining a horizontal perspective and 
valued the contribution a "Friend of the Chair" could make in that regard.   
6.4.  Based on his consultations, there seemed to be a preference amongst Members to appoint an 
ambassador to carry the work forward. He had asked Ambassador Alfredo Suescum of Panama to 
facilitate their understanding of the linkages  between the various elements of the work 
programme, and in future would invite him to chair the Dedicated Discussions on his behalf. He was confident that Members would give Ambassador Suescum their full support. On behalf of all 
Members he thanked Ambassador Suescum for his willingness to take on the task, despite the 
burdens that already challenged the head of a smaller mission.  
6.5.  He wished to take the opportunity to al so urge Members to move the work forward by 
submitting proposals and engaging in discussions in the respective bodies as well as in the 
horizontal discussions to be chaired by Ambassador Suescum. The two workshops held last year 
under the auspices of the CTD and the CTS had provided positive impetus that provided the 
foundation for Ministers to have given Members the clear instruction to continue substantially 
invigorating work that he had mentioned earlier. In fact, the Bali Decision mentioned a number of 
specific areas where further work should continue, including examining the trade related aspects of e-commerce, and examining opportunities and challe nges faced by micro, small and medium sized 
enterprises.  
6.6.  The Bali Decision also stated that " any relevant body of the Work Programme may explore 
appropriate mechanisms to address the relationship between electronic commerce and development in a focused and comprehensive manner ".  Further, the Decision encompassed a 
moratorium on customs duties, but only until MC10, so Members would need to continue 
discussing it. A more technical issue was the question of the classification of digital products. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  Members would take stock again of the e-comme rce work programme at the December General 
Council Meeting. He hoped they could show substantial, and substantive, progress at that time.  
6.7.  The representative of the Plurinational St ate of Bolivia sought clarity in terms of where 
proposals should be made, whether they referred to development, and if that would be to the new 
mechanism being created or to the CTD or another Committee. Clarity was needed to know where 
to address ideas. Bolivia would respectfully request that a proposal in writing be circulated before adoption. 
6.8.  The Chairman clarified that no new mechanism was being created and no negotiating forum 
was being proposed. What he was proposing on the basis of his consultations was inviting 
someone to be his Friend to assist him with the mandate that Ministers had already given to the General Council which he would otherwise had to conduct – to take stock of the work going across. 
The proposal was very straightforward that Amb. Suescum would perform exactly the role that 
DDG Singh had performed, which was to assist the Chair in the deliberations at the General Council. Issues of e-commerce and development, as Ministers had already said, had a focus on the 
Committee on Trade and Development, but could be raised in any of the other groups that had 
been mandated – Councils on Trade in Goods, Servic es, and TRIPS. This did not overlap, interfere, 
complicate the work and the structure that had been well established for the Work Programme. 
6.9.  The representative of the European Union said that the Bali Ministerial Decision on e-
commerce had given Members a clear mandate to continue their work and to aim at concrete 
deliverables on e-commerce at the WTO. The Work Programme had demonstrated that all Members had an interest and a stake in e-commerce. E-commerce could therefore become an 
important part of their work in the coming months. The moratorium could be consolidated. 
Furthermore, Members could draw conclusions of their work of the past three years and in particular from the two workshops, and identify what aspects could benefit from a decision or a 
specific action at the WTO level. A possibility could be to discuss a series of additional rules or 
disciplines pertaining for example to consumer protection, e-signature, among others. Those were only ideas and the EU would welcome further discussions and suggestions from Members. The EU 
supported the Chair's suggestion that the General Council should play a central role and also 
supported maintaining a horizontal perspective which was needed. The EU welcomed Amb Alfredo 
Suescum in his new role as a friend of the Chair and thanked him for accepting that. The EU looked forward to productive work in the area in the coming months. 
6.10.  The representative of Panama, on behalf of Amb. Alfredo Suescum, expressed thanks for 
the confidence placed by the Chairman and the Membership in Ambassador Suescum for 
conducting such important work. 
6.11.  The General Council took note of the Chairman's report and of the statements. 
7  TRADE AND THE POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA – STATEMENT BY THE DIRECTOR-
GENERAL 
7.1.  The Chairman said that the shared objectives  of economic growth, financial stability, poverty 
reduction, and sustainable development could not be advanced in isolation, but were pieces of an 
interconnected whole. Trade alone did not produce sustainable development – unless accompanied by sound fiscal and monetary policies, and by the right regulatory environment to be in place.  
Trade and other development policies should complement each other, and – together with the 
WTO - a number of other agencies had a fundamental contribution to make. He invited the Director-General to report to the Council about the WTO activities in support of the post-2015 
Development Agenda. 
7.2.  The Director-General said he believed it was important that Members were aware of what had 
been happening on the post-2015 Development Agen da as it related to trade. Development had 
always been central to the WTO. The Marrakesh Agreement establishing the WTO made explicit 
reference to the need to " raise living standards " and the need to do so in " accordance with the 
objective of sustainable development ". The linkage had been made even more integral with the 
launch of the Doha Development Round. Trade-led economic growth had contributed significantly 
to the success of some of the key Millennium Development Goals over the last decade. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  7.3.  Work on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, and within it a new set of Sustainable 
Development Goals, was entering its final phase. It had been taking place mostly in New York, through a multi-layered process set up by Secret ary General Ban Ki-moon. He had been actively 
engaged in the process, as had the WTO Secretar iat. He believed any development agenda which 
was people-focused and forward-looking should ha ve a strong emphasis on the economic aspects 
of human development. And therefore trade should also be central. He had suggested on previous 
occasions four key principles on the role that trade should play: 
a. First, it should not be reduced simply to trade liberalization. Rather, trade should be 
recognized more broadly as a development policy instrument; 
b. Second, the WTO and its rules governing global trade had proven their worth in the 
context of the Millennium Development Goals – both as a building block for economic 
growth and as a buttress to trade protectionism, especially at the height of the crisis. In 
this regard, the WTO and its rules should continue to play that role for the post-2015 development agenda through to 2030;  
c. Third, he thought Members should recogniz e that the Bali Package and the DDA work 
programme could support the delivery of the new Sustainable Development Goals. For example, work in support of Aid for Trade, the Enhanced Integrated Framework for LDCs 
was important – as was their work with donors on the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement 
Facility. That would support other areas of work across the post-2015 agenda; 
d. And fourth, the Sustainable Development Goals should promote policy coherence at the 
global level. Sustainable development was a core objective of the WTO, enshrined in the 
founding Agreement. And, equally, the multilateral trading system should be referenced 
in the emerging framework of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Failure to place more 
emphasis on the role of trade as an enable r for achieving these broader goals would be a 
real set-back for policy coherence. 
7.4.  Those were the messages that he had conveyed in his discussions with Secretary General 
Ban Ki-moon. He had also used other platforms to stress those points, such as UNCTAD's 2nd 
Public Dialogue on the Post-2015 Development Agen da, which had been held in Geneva in April. 
He was pleased that some of those messages had begun to resonate, including in the Open Working Group in New York.  
7.5.  The Open Working Group had adopted a proposal for Sustainable Development Goals on 
Saturday. The text would be forwarded to the UN General Assembly and would be the basis for 
incorporating Sustainable Development Goals into the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Trade was reflected in the adopted text on Sustainable Development Goals under Goal 17, which was to 
strengthen both the implementation of the go als and the global partnership for sustainable 
development. 
7.6.  That goal – which was yet to be finalized – currently contained a trade section with 3 targets: 
the promotion of a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral 
trading system under the WTO, including through th e conclusion of the DDA; a significant increase 
in the exports of developing countries, including doubling the LDC share of global exports by 2020; 
and the timely implementation of duty-free-quot a-free market access on a lasting basis for all 
LDCs, consistent with WTO decisions, including th rough preferential rules of origin that were 
transparent and simple. 
7.7.  However, those were not the only trade-related targets. Other goals also contained targets 
on WTO issues: correcting and preventing trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural 
markets, including through the elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies, increasing Aid for Trade including through the EIF, implemen ting the S&D treatment principle for developing 
countries in particular the LDCs, prohibiting certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contributed 
to overcapacity and overfishing, and reaffirming the right of developing countries to fully use TRIPS flexibilities to protect public health and provide access to medicines. 
7.8.  Overall he thought that was encouraging an d demonstrated progress in the debate. But trade 
was still not as prominent as it should be – particularly under goal 8, which dealt with economic WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  growth. Trade was a fundamental element of econ omic growth and development. So he thought 
Members had more to do. He hoped they would agree that if the post-2015 agenda was to be truly transformative and capable of responding to th e growing demands and expectations associated 
with it, then trade and the multilateral trading system should play their full role.  
7.9.  The recently adopted proposal on Sustainable Development Goals was a welcome step in that 
direction, and he would encourage Members to continue engaging constructively with their missions in New York in the coming months. He believed trade had played a central role in lifting 
millions of people out of poverty in recent deca des and in supporting the global endeavour to meet 
the Millennium Development Goals. What's important was to ensure that that was recognized so that trade could continue to play a similar role in the future, and in the most effective way possible. And he thought it was worth stressing that it was not just the negotiating function of the 
WTO which could make a substantial contribution to realising sustainable development overall. 
Their monitoring and transparency functions would also have an important part to play.  
7.10.  In the context of the global developm ent agenda, he drew attention to some other 
important development processes that were currently underway and which related to the WTO: 
the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States which would take place in Samoa in September and the Second UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries which 
would take place in Vienna in November.  
7.11.  Meanwhile, the WTO was also collaborating with the UN on monitoring the implementation 
of the Istanbul Programme of Action for LDCs. He thought it was very important for the WTO to continue to engage in all those global development initiatives and processes. The WTO Public 
Forum in October would provide an excellent opportunity to focus on those issues. The theme of 
the Forum was "Why Trade Matters to Everyone". The aim was to draw out the linkages between trade and economic growth; between econom ic growth and development; and between 
development and poverty alleviation – and therefor e to show the difference that their work could 
make to people's lives. A full day of the Public  Forum would be dedicated to analysing Trade in 
Africa and how it could help African countries' efforts towards increased economic growth and 
poverty alleviation.  Overall, more than 20 sessions would be dedicated to Africa. 
7.12.  So there was a lot of work ahead of them . He was sure a clearer picture of the interface 
between trade and the Sustainable Development Goals would emerge in the next few months. He would be following that very closely, and he hoped all Members would too.  
7.13.  The representative of the United States wa s strongly supportive of, and was wholly engaged 
in, the ongoing process at the United Nations in New York to define a set of post-2015 Sustainable 
Development Goals (SDGs). While the United States certainly agreed that trade had a vital role in 
promoting development, it was greatly concerned by the fact that some seemed to believe that 
work at the WTO was up for discussion and negotiation in New York. On the contrary, the UN had no mandate to negotiate trade matters. In practi cal terms, the United States would not agree to 
discuss or interpret existing trade rules throug h the post-2015 process, nor would Doha Round-
related matters be negotiated through it. The many  difficult trade issues discussed on a day-to-day 
basis at the WTO could not be solved through forum shopping – efforts to do so would not succeed and would undermined the WTO itself.    
7.14.  The representative of the European Unio n said that the EU was deeply committed to the 
Post-2015 Development Agenda and took an active role in its preparation. The EU was convinced 
that trade was a major driver of sustainable growth and poverty reduction and was therefore 
eager to see the positive contribution of trade to sustainable development reflected in the Post-
2015 Development Agenda. At the same time, the EU  recalled the primacy of the WTO on its rule-
setting function on trade issues. The EU th erefore welcomed the expertise that the WTO 
Secretariat could bring to the ongoing discussi on of the Post-2015 Development Agenda and 
supported its continued contribution to the process. In that spirit, the EU thanked the Director-General for his very substantive report, strongly welcomed his active and productive engagement 
in the process, and supported particularly the four key principles on the role of trade that he had 
mentioned. He underlined the comments made on the role of the Bali and post-Bali Agreements, 
the role that Members could play in achieving im portant objectives of the Post-2015 Development 
Agenda. The EU had also taken note of the Dire ctor-General comments on the areas where trade-
related considerations should play a more prominent role. The EU would certainly pay attention to WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  those and to the work that was taking place in  the post-2015 Agenda Process, and also in the 
other processes and events that the Director-General had mentioned. 
7.15.  The representative of Paraguay said that  international trade was a significant source of 
funding for economic activities and of employme nt fostering the transfer of knowledge and the 
development of technology, contributing to people's welfare. Its role in alleviating poverty and 
promoting knowledge should be reflected in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. As a landlocked country, Paraguay was seeking to increase its participation in international trade to reduce poverty 
and promote development. The LLDCs were making considerable efforts to increase the part 
played by trade being the primary instrument for creating opportunities. The Millennium Goals had 
recognized the difficulties faced by the LLDCs on account of their geographical situation, which historically had limited their opportunities to participate in world trade, and those relating to 
growth and employment. International trade was an alternative to unemployment and economic 
stagnation, and was directly linked to the deve lopment goals. Indeed, the ability to absorb 
innovation and new technology depended on the le vel of education and health of the population. 
That was the only way to diversify their economies and generate new growth. The specific targets 
relating to trade were important to them. The LLDCs supported and welcomed the Director-General's endeavour to give greater prominence to trade in the Post-2015 objectives. The 
document prepared for the Second UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries due to take 
place in Vienna, Austria, provided for total support for the special needs of LLDCs and referenced freedom of transit and participation in international trade in the post-2015 agenda. 
7.16.  The representative of China said that development was the unfinished work for the MDG 
and for the WTO. The Post-2015 Development Agenda  should give top priority to the difficulties 
and challenges that developing Members, especially African and Least-Developed Countries faced, tackling the development imbalances between the North and the South, narrowing the 
development gap and pushing for a global development partnership of win-win cooperation to 
revive international development cooperation. WTO and trade could and should play a crucial role. The Aid for Trade initiative was among the tools that could be used to help the developing 
Members build trade capacity and enhance their ab ilities to benefit from the MTS. The new work 
programme had well captured some pressing issues and emerging trends in Aid for Trade which could work as the basis for future work. China wa s willing to work with the Chair and the Members 
to complete the programme and to realise the goal by  pushing forward the activities in that area in 
accordance with the programme. 
7.17.  The representative of the Dominican Repub lic said that the Informal Group of Developing 
Countries had held a Workshop with officials from the Organization and from UNCTAD, with a view 
to better understand the state of play in the disc ussions to gain full grasp of the issues and see 
which way they could contribute. Dominican Republic was very happy to hear the role that the Organization was playing in the discussions on those goals in the Group Meetings in Geneva and in 
New York, He urged the Director-General to continue to play an active role in the discussion on 
those goals in New York and stressed that the Do minican Republic would continue to provide its 
contribution. 
7.18.  The General Council took note of the Director-General's report and of the statements. 
8  TENTH SESSION OF THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE – DATE AND VENUE 8.1.  The Chairman recalled that, at the May Council meeting, he had announced that, in line with 
Ministers' instructions, he would start consultations on the matter of the date and venue for the 
Tenth Session of the Ministerial Conference – MC 10. Since then, he had held two intensive rounds 
of consultations with Group coordinators and with several other delegations.  Also, on 2 June, and then again on 10 June, he had sent a fax to a ll Members inviting any interested delegations 
wishing to discuss the matter of the date and venue  for MC10 to come forward and meet with him. 
8.2.   Regarding the date, there was a very broad agreement among all delegations and Group 
coordinators that – in line with the Marrakesh Agreement which provided that " there shall be a 
Ministerial Conference every two years " – MC10 should take place during the first fortnight of 
December 2015. Members could come back to the precise dates at a later stage, but he believed 
that, following his consultations, they were in a position to start planning around that time. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  8.3.   Regarding the venue, in his consultations a number of delegations had stressed that holding 
a Ministerial Conference abroad carries the fundamental advantage of focusing Ministers' attention to the issues at hand. Other delegations had underlined that a Geneva-based Ministerial Conference offered a number of practical advantages. All delegations he had consulted had 
expressed their flexibility and willingness to work constructively towards achieving a consensus. He 
informed the membership that, during his consul tations, the Government of Kenya had expressed 
an interest in principle to host MC10. Kenya was still consulting with the Secretariat and 
domestically to ascertain what that would entail for the host country. He would also like to thank 
the Government of Kenya for its expression of interest. He also drew attention to the communication from Turkey which had been received  and circulated to all delegations on 23 July, 
in document WT/GC/160.  In the communication, the Government of Turkey formally offered to 
host MC10. He warmly thanked the Government of Turkey for its kind offer to host the 
Conference, a sign of its commitment to the Organi zation and to the multilateral trading system. 
8.4.  Therefore, he would continue his consultations immediately after the summer break and he 
hoped that Members would be in a position to take a formal decision at their October General 
Council meeting, in order to allow the necessary time for the complex logistical preparations that an event of that magnitude required.   
8.5.  The representative of Turkey recalled in hi s letter circulated by the Secretariat in document 
WT/GC/160 that the Turkish Government had expressed its wish to host the 10th Ministerial 
Conference in Turkey. If the Member Countries re sponded favourably to that offer which showed 
clearly the value Turkey attached to the MTS, his country would be honoured to host MC10. 
8.6.  The representative of Kenya said that th e operations of WTO on negotiations and policy 
guidance placed utmost importance to Ministeria l Conferences. Kenya had expressed interest in 
hosting the important global event and would feel deeply honoured if accorded an opportunity to 
play a facilitative role in that regard. Kenya had recently hosted comparable events among them: 
UNCTAD IV Conference, UN Climate Change Conf erence and in 2014 the ACP Council of Ministers 
and Joint ACP-EU Council of Ministers. Kenya was co nfident of having the necessary experience to 
handle MC10 and hoped that Members would favourably consider its offer at an appropriate time. 
8.7.  The General Council took note of the statements. 
9  IMPROVING THE GUIDELINES FO R GRANTING INTERGOVERNMENTAL 
ORGANIZATIONS PERMANENT OBSERVER STATUS IN THE WTO – COMMUNICATION 
FROM THE ARAB GROUP (WT/GC/159) 
9.1.  The Chairman drew attention to the co mmunication from the Arab Group in document 
WT/GC/159, requesting the item to be placed  on the agenda of the meeting. In that 
communication, the Arab Group had also requested to re-circulate their proposal on improving the 
Guidelines for Granting IGOs Permanent Observer Status in the WTO, contained in document WT/GC/W/643. He invited the coordinator of  the Arab Group to introduce the item. 
9.2.  The representative of Jordan, on behalf of the Arab Group, reminded Members that their 
discussion under the item was based on a proposal  by the Arab Group in order to resolve the 
matter. The proposal had been submitted to the General Council and had been circulated to Members in document WT/GC/W/643 dated 28 October 2011. IGOs had increasingly been involved 
in the structuring of the world trading system, but too few were invited to take part in the 
activities of the WTO. Requests for observer stat us had, for the past ten years, been arbitrary, 
where the opposition of one or a small number of Members had blocked the prospects for 
collaboration with IGOs as permanent observers in the WTO. 
9.3.  He recalled that, the League of Arab States (LAS) submitted numerous requests to become a 
permanent observer to several bodies of the WTO.  Regrettably, all the aforementioned efforts had 
come to no avail due to positions maintained by two Members. That proved to set a disquieting 
precedent in the WTO, whereby the consideration of requests for permanent observer status had become, for the first time, a politicised issue that was in direct contravention with the principles of the WTO and the guidelines established under Annex III of the rules of procedures of the 
Ministerial Conference and General Council. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  9.4.  Moreover, it was important to recall that th e LAS had in fact maintained permanent observer 
status under GATT 1947. Nevertheless, the LAS cont inued to be barred from being granted similar 
status in the WTO. Evidently, that situation was inconsistent with the established procedures, wherein favourable consideration should have been given to the requests submitted by IGOs that 
had been in the past associated with the work of the Contracting Parties to GATT 1947. 
9.5.  The LAS played a fundamental role in coordi nating Arab positions on trade and trade related 
matters, and assumed an important role in harmonizing both economic and trade policy amongst 
its Members. The LAS would therefore satisfy th e condition that it had the competence and 
oversight over trade policy formulation as prescr ibed by the WTO’s relevant rules and guidelines. 
The LAS also administered the implementation of  Arab regional economic and trade integration 
initiatives and oversaw the implementation of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA). It was 
interesting to note that despite the fact that the RTA had been notified to the WTO according to 
prescribed transparency procedures, the LAS had remained outside the boundaries of the WTO. 
9.6.  Considering the difficulties that some IGOs had faced in having their requests for observer 
status properly considered by the WTO, it would be useful for Members to evaluate and revise the 
rules governing the process of granting IGOs obse rver status in the WTO. There was a need to 
ensure that any request by an IGO to gain perman ent observer status in the WTO should only be 
gauged on the basis of the technical merits of such requests. Objective and technical criteria 
needed to be in place to ensure the proper application of the existing guidelines applicable to IGO participation and representation in the WTO. Falling short of attaining the requirement further risked jeopardising the credibility of the WTO as a rules-based multilateral trading system. 
9.7.  To this end, it was important for the WTO to reflect on its cooperation with IGOs and on the 
conditions that they should possess to be associated to the WTO. Those conditions should be clear and objective and the observer granting process should be neutral and transparent. The Arab 
Group invited the WTO Members to refrain from poli ticising the work of the WTO so that requests 
for Observer Status should be granted to all IGOs. For more than a decade, some Members had continued to undermine the Guidelines to ensure the participation of IGOs and their contribution to 
the work of WTO, to ensure the coherence needed  in the Multilateral Trading System. Divergence 
over the interpretation of the Guidelines granting IGOs Observer Status had continued to grow with no clear indication as to how some IGOs had been granted permanent observer status while 
others continued to be barred from receiving the same status. 
9.8.  The representative of the Plurinational Stat e of Bolivia considered that the proposals of the 
Arab Group were very timely for the arguments clearly spelled in document WT/GC/159. Bolivia 
supported the text put forward by the Arab Group as a good starting point to solve the problem to 
enable greater participation of other IGOs in the work of the Organization. 
9.9.  The Chairman thanked the Arab Group for their communication and stressed that he 
continued to attach great importance to the matter. He would continue his consultations after the 
summer break and would report to the Council as appropriate. 
9.10.  The General Council took note of the statements. 
10  WAIVERS UNDER ARTICLE IX OF THE WTO AGREEMENT 10.1  SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR RICE OF THE PHILIPPINES – DRAFT DECISION 
(G/C/W/665/REV.4) 
10.1.  The Chairman drew attention to the draf t decision in document G/C/W/665/Rev.4 which 
concerned the request for a waiver by the Phil ippines on special treatment for rice of the 
Philippines. He invited Amb Joakim Reiter (Swede n), Chairman of the Goods Council, to report on 
the Council's consideration on the matter. 
10.2.  Amb Reiter, Chairman of the Goods Council, reported that the Council for Trade in Goods, at 
its meeting of 19 June 2014, had approved the waiver request submitted by the Philippines 
regarding the "Special Treatment for Rice of the Philippines". At that meeting, the Goods Council 
had also recommended that the draft waiver decision contained as an annex to document G/C/W/665/Rev.4, be forwarded to the General Council for adoption. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  10.3.  The Chairman proposed that, in accordan ce with the Decision-Making Procedures under 
Articles IX and XII of the WTO Agreement agreed in November 1995 (WT/L/93), the General 
Council adopt the draft Decision on Special Treatment for Rice of the Philippines. 
10.4.  The General Council so agreed.9 
10.5.  The representative of the Philippines conveyed again and for the last time in that setting 
how deeply pleased and thankful the Philippines wa s to everyone for making that success possible. 
The Philippines thanked Amb Joakim Reiter, the pr evious CTG Chairs including Amb. Dacio Castillo 
and the General Council Chair for the smooth and sound handling of and leadership in the 
initiative. The Philippines was also deeply honour ed and humbled by Members' patience, and for 
understanding from the very beginning the critical importance of the pressing issue of food security for 100 million Filipinos. The Philippi nes conveyed its appreciation to the twelve 
delegations: Australia, Canada, China, El Salvador , the European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, 
Pakistan, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam, who had deeply engaged and exercised flexibility over the last three years of negotiations, and for the enormous time and efforts they had 
spent not only in Geneva but also in their capita ls. The Philippines also sincerely appreciated the 
excellent work and support provided by the WTO Secretariat: the Goods Council, Market Access, 
Legal Affairs Division and General Council. The Philippines also conveyed its deep appreciation to 
the Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL) for their excellent and objective legal advice from the 
conceptualisation stage of the initiative to the initiation and final approval stages of the waiver in the CTG and the GC, all the way to the certific ation by the WTO of its new schedule in rice. 
10.6.  The General Council took note of the statement. 
10.2  REVIEW OF WAIVERS PURSUANT TO  ARTICLE IX:4 OF THE WTO AGREEMENT 
10.2.1  LDCs – Article 70.9 of  the TRIPS Agreement with respect to pharmaceutical 
products, granted on 8 July 2002 until 1 January 2016 (WT/L/478) 
10.2.2  Preferential treatment for least-de veloped countries, granted on 27 May 2009 
until 30 June 2019 (WT/L/759) 
10.2.3  United States – Former Trust Terri tory of the Pacific Islands, granted on 
27 July 2007 until 31 December 2016 (WT/L/694, WT/L/927) 
10.2.4  United States – Cari bbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, granted on 27 May 2009 
until 31 December 2014 (WT/L/753, WT/L/928) 
10.2.5  United States – African Growth an d Opportunity Act, granted on 27 May 2009 
until 30 September 2015 (WT/L/754, WT/L/929) 
10.2.6  United States – Andean Trade Pr eference Act, granted on 27 May 2009 until 
31 December 2014 (WT/L/755, WT/L/930) 
10.7.  The Chairman recalled that, in accordance  with paragraph 4 of Article IX of the WTO 
Agreement, " any waiver granted for a period of more than one year shall be reviewed by the 
Ministerial Conference not later than one year after it is granted, and thereafter annually until the 
waiver terminates ." There were six waivers before the General Council for review.  With regard to 
the waiver in sub-item (i) for LDCs under the TRIPS Agreement, he noted that in connection with the approval of the draft waiver at the meeting of the TRIPS Council in June 2002, the Chairman of that Council had noted that it was understood, in regard to the review foreseen in paragraph 2 of 
that waiver, that the exceptional circumstances justifying the waiver would continue to exist for 
least-developed country Members until its expiry date of 2016. 
10.8.  Four of the waivers under review provided that an annual report should be submitted by the 
Members concerned regarding the operation or impl ementation of those waivers with a view to 
facilitating their annual review by the General Council. The reports from those Members had been circulated in documents WT/L/927 to 930. 
                                               
9 The Decision is contained in WT/L/932. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  10.9.  The General Council took note of the reports contained in documents WT/L/927, 928, 929 
and 930, and of the statements, and reverted to the review of multi-year waivers under 
Article IX.4 of the WTO Agreement at its meeting in December. 
11  DERESTRICTION OF HISTORICAL BILA TERAL NEGOTIATING DOCUMENTATION OF 
THE KENNEDY ROUND – DRAFT DECISION (G/MA/W/113) 
11.1.  The Chairman drew attention to the Draft Decision on the Derestriction of some GATT 1947 
Historical Bilateral Negotiating Documentation during the Kennedy Round. The material was 
contained in document G/MA/W/113. The decision had been forwarded to the General Council by 
the Committee on Market Access through the Council for Trade in Goods in a timely way following 
its meeting on 19 June 2014. He proposed that the General Council adopt the draft Decision contained in document G/MA/W/113. 
11.2.  The General Council so agreed.
10 
12  COMMITTEE ON BUDGET, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION – REPORT ON MEETING 
OF JULY 2014 (WT/BFA/143) 
12.1.  The Chairman drew attention to the report of the Budget Committee in document 
WT/BFA/143. He invited the representative of El Salvador to introduce the report on behalf of 
Amb. Francisco Lima (El Salvador), Chairman of the Committee on Budget, Finance and 
Administration. 
12.2.  The representative of El Salvador, on be half of the Chairman of the Committee on Budget, 
Finance and Administration, said that in its meet ing in July, the Committee on Budget, Finance and 
Administration had been informed of the accessio n of the Republic of Yemen. The Secretariat had 
indicated and had recommended to the General Counc il the pro-rata and the contribution to the 
Working Capital Fund of the Republic of Yemen, as stated in the meeting report, in paragraph 1.2.  
12.3.  The Secretariat had updated the Committee on  the organizational review process initiated 
by the Director-General at the end of 2013. The Staff had been involved in that process and had 
been requested to identify the four most im portant issues: Mobility, Promotions, Rules and 
Management. In mid-June the rapporteurs of the four focus groups had submitted to the Senior 
Management the outcome of thei r work. The Senior Management was reviewing the proposal and 
would then take a decision. Members had shown great interest in the report and had expressed a strong wish of being consulted and kept informed. Members had also stressed the need to know whether the process would have an impact on the inverted pyramid issue and on diversity. The 
Committee had also highlighted the importance of operating within a zero nominal growth 
environment. 
12.4.  The Chair of the Working Group on Afte r Health Insurance Service, had updated the 
Committee on its on-going work. The Secretariat ha d worked closely with the Working Group. The 
group had already met three times in informat ion gathering sessions to develop a sufficient 
understanding of the issues. It had studied the actu arial basis of the liability, the structure of the 
insurance plan, how the plan compared to other international organizations and what approaches 
they had taken to address their liabilities. After the summer break the group would continue its work by exploring options for addressing the cu rrent estimated liability and controlling future 
increases. The objective was to develop recommendations to assure the long term financial 
viability and sustainability of the medical insurance plan for WTO staff and retirees.  
12.5.  The Chair of the Working Group on WTO Financial Regulations had updated the Committee 
on its on-going work. Those regulations should be  aligned with new requirements imposed by the 
implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) and to accurately 
reflect current policies and decisions taken by the General Council. The Working Group had already met five times since its establishment in April. The Working Group had reviewed the current WTO 
Financial Regulations and identified the sections where revisions would be necessary or desirable.  
                                               
10 The Decision is contained in WT/L/933. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  12.6.  Those two Working Groups would finalise thei r work by the end of the year and submit their 
recommendations to the Committee on Budget and then to the General Council for its approval. Members were encouraged to take part in those two important working groups.  
12.7.  The Head of the Office of Internal Audi t had presented the 2013 internal audit report of 
which Members had taken note. At the same time as part of the report a recommendation had 
been made for the Committee to look into the feas ibility of establishing an Audit Committee which 
would interact with the Office of Internal Audit.  The idea had been interesting to Members. In this 
regard further discussions would be facilitated on that matter soon after the summer break. 
12.8.  The Committee had updated with quarterly administrative progress reports related to the 
budgetary and financial situation and the extra-budgetary funds. The Committee had also been informed about the efforts made by the Director-G eneral to expand the role of the WTO in the 
Technical Assistance area and the implementation of the TFA, contained in the Bali Package.  
12.9.  The Chair of the WTO Pension Plan Management Board had presented his report on the on-
going actuarial review of the WTO Pension Plan . The Committee would be informed and regularly 
updated on the work of the Management Board until formal recommendations would be presented. 
12.10.  The Committee had started reviewing the annual report (to December 2013). The 
committee had taken note. Due to time constraints, the Committee would come back to the report 
on the overall grade structure and promotions within the Secretariat in order to finalise its analysis 
on its next formal meeting in September. It was im portant to highlight that according to the report 
the Secretariat was making progress on controlling staff costs and rationalising the grade structure by recruiting at lower grades. The Secretariat was also encouraging the reallocation of staffing 
resources to respond to changing priorities. The Committee had requested clarifications on aspects 
of the report and an update on developments relate d to the Organizational review. In that context, 
an informal CBFA meeting had taken place on 21 July to further discuss those points. 
12.11.  The General Council took note of the statement, approved the Budget Committee's specific 
recommendations in paragraph 1.2 of its report and adopted the report in WT/BFA/143. 
13  WTO PENSION PLAN 13.1  ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MANAGEMENT BOARD AND REPORT OF THE EXTERNAL 
AUDITOR THEREON FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2013 (WT/L/924) AND LETTER OF FINAL COMMENTS ON THE FINANC IAL STATEMENTS OF THE WTO PENSION 
PLAN FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2013 (WT/L/925/Rev.1) 
13.1.  The Chairman drew attention to the annual report of the Management Board for 2013 
contained in document WT/L/924, which was submitted to the General Council in accordance with 
Article 5(d) of the Regulations of the WTO Pensio n Plan. He also drew attention to the Letter of 
Final Comments on the Financial Statements of the WTO Pension Plan for the Financial Year ended 
on 31 December 2013 in document WT/L/925/Rev.1.   
13.2.  He read out the report on work in that area on behalf of Mr Krzysztof Trepczy ński (Poland), 
Chairman of the Pension Plan Management Board, as follows:  
"I am pleased to present on behalf of the Management Board of the WTO Pension Plan the 
2013 Annual Report and the Report of the External  Auditor. We are pleased to report that 
we have again received a full certification of the financial statements without reservation.  
2013 was a good year in terms of both governance and investment return. In the area of 
governance, you may recall from the 2012 report that the Management Board initiated a risk-based review of governance and actuarial issues as central to its work plan for 2013. 
The Management Board met seven times in formal meetings, nine times in working group 
meetings and multiple times in informal sessions of these working groups. The working groups reviewed and addressed risks related to actuarial governance, investment 
governance and general governance.  WT/GC/M/152 
 
- 48 - 
 
  In the area of investment, the Management Board's investment strategy followed closely its 
benchmark and delivered a real rate of return of 8.4% (versus 7.1% for the benchmark) which is above the long-term target rate of return of 3.5% used in the actuarial assumptions of the Plan. More information on the investment philosophy and strategies of the 
Management Board and details on the allocation  of assets can be found in the report.  
As previewed in the 2012 Annual Report, the introduction of International Public Sector 
Accounting Standards (IPSAS) by the WTO brings new dimensions and increased interest 
from stakeholders in monitoring and evaluating the long term viability of the Plan. The 
introduction of IPSAS also raises questions and poses challenges for both the Plan and the Organization. For example, the recommendation of the external auditors that the financial 
reporting of the WTOPP should be consolidated  with the reporting of the WTO. This is a 
question that both, the Management Board and the WTO's Committee on Budget, Finance 
and Administration, will be considering during the current year. 
Despite the strong recent investment performance, we cannot overlook that most recent 
formal actuarial valuation suggests there is a modest imbalance in the actuarial position of 
the plan. Therefore, it is important to note that the actuarial working group is actively developing recommendations that will eventually be shared with the Committee on Budget 
Finance and Administration to address this imbalance. Bearing in mind the advice of the 
external auditor the working group aims to have a preliminary set of recommendations to the Management Board before the end of 2014. 
It is helpful to keep in mind that the WTOPP is a relatively young plan. It has a modest (but 
growing) number of beneficiaries claiming benefits from the Plan and continues to be in a 
solidly cash-flow positive position (meaning that the contributions to the Plan each month exceed the benefits paid out). This status means that the Plan can take a long-term view on 
managing its assets and its estimated liabilities. Important decisions about the management 
of the Plan can be carefully deliberated and thoughtfully implemented. 
The Pension Plan is a long term initiative and its sustainability depends on a large number of 
highly uncertain variables whose future values the Management Board makes its best efforts 
to estimate reliably. Global economic conditions such as growth and inflation rates, demographic trends such as longevity, and chan ges in the profile of the WTO staff will all 
significantly influence the context in which the Management Board will have to govern the 
Plan.  
This will clearly require the attention and engage ment of all stakeholders in the years ahead. 
There will again be difficult issues to resolve.  Only by working together constructively and 
collaboratively will solutions be found. Balanced compromises will have to be made to keep 
the Pension Plan a viable and critical component of the WTO’s ability to recruit highly qualified staff from around the world." 
13.3.  The General Council took note of the A nnual Report of the Management Board for 2013 in 
document WT/L/924, of the Letter of Final Comments on the Financial Statements in document 
WT/L/925/Rev.1, and of the statement. 
13.2  AGREEMENT ON THE TRANSFER OF PENS ION RIGHTS OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE 
WTO PENSION PLAN (WTOPP) AND IN THE COORDINATED AGENCIES PLANS 
(WT/GC/W/682) 
13.4.  The Chairman drew attention to WT/GC/W/682. He recalled that Article 10 of the 
Regulations of the WTO Pension Plan provided th at the Management Board of the Plan could, 
subject to the concurrence of the General Council , approve agreements with Member Governments 
and with Intergovernmental Organizations with a view to securing continuity of pension rights for 
participants in the Pension Plan. 
13.5.  The WTO, with the concurrence of the General Council, had already concluded standard 
agreements with six coordinated agencies. The WTOPP Management Board had recently approved 
extending the agreement to three additional coor dinated agencies, subject to the concurrence of 
the General Council: The European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites WT/GC/M/152 
 
- 49 - 
 
  (EUMETSAT); European Institute for Securities St udies (ISS); European Union Satellite Centre 
(Satcen). The three agreements were consistent with the previous transfer agreements signed 
with the other coordinated agencies and had been reviewed by the WTO legal advisor. 
13.6.  The Chairman proposed that the General Coun cil take note of his statement and concur with 
extending the Agreement on the Transfer of Pension Rights of participants in the WTO Pension Plan 
and the Coordinated Agencies plans to the three agencies he had just mentioned. 
13.7.  The General Council so agreed. 
13.3  ELECTION OF A MEMBER – PROPOSAL BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GENERAL 
COUNCIL (WT/GC/W/683) 
13.8.  The Chairman recalled that Article 4(a)  of the Regulations of the WTO Pension Plan 
provided, inter alia , for the election by the General Council of a Chairman, four members and four 
alternates to the Management Board of the Pension Plan. 
13.9.  In a communication circulated to delegations in document WT/GC/W/683, he had indicated 
that a member, Ms Aiko Kimura (Japan), previously elected to the Management Board by the 
General Council, had been no longer available to serve on the Board, and that it had been 
therefore necessary for the Council to decide on her replacement. In his communication, he had 
proposed a name of a representative who had kindly agreed to have his name put forward for 
election as member.  He had also invited delegations to submit any comments they could have 
regarding the proposed nomination by close-of-business on 16 July. He informed delegations that he had not received any comments regarding the proposed nomination.   
13.10.  The Chairman proposed that the General Council elect Mr Robert Prochazka (Austria) to 
serve as member on the Management Board for the remainder of the term. 13.11.  The General Council so agreed.
11 
14  UNITED NATIONS DESIGNATED INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE SIDS – STATEMENT 
BY BARBADOS 
14.1.  The representative of Barbados, speaking under "Other Business", said that the UN had 
declared 2014 as the International year of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS). It had 
offered SIDS groups across the world an opportunity  to convey to international organizations the 
need to consider the special circumstances and vulnerabilities of SIDS in the executing their 
programmes. SIDS in Geneva-based organizations had decided that they should contribute to marking the year as the international year of the SIDS to supplement the efforts made at the level 
of the UN in New York which were scheduled to culminate in a conference launching the Third 
International SIDS conference in Samoa in 1-4 September 2014. The first conference had been held in Barbados in 1994 and the second in Maurit ius in 2005. At the UN in New York, a zero draft 
Outcome Document had been developed and placed online by the SIDS co-chairs to which 
interested persons and organizations could make inputs with a view to trying to ensure that the Outcome Document had reflected their views. The document brought attention to the well-known 
disadvantages of diseconomies of scale and high transport costs due to long distances and small 
load factors which adversely impacted industrialisation and on the ability to attract FDI. The document noted that many SIDS faced conti nued degradation of their coastal and marine 
environments and water insecurity which impacted tourism, their single most important income 
earning activity, and their fiscal situations. The dr aft had also highlighted that many islands were 
prone to natural disasters made worse by clim ate change. Those significant expenditures and 
economic reversals due to natural disasters had contributed to significant levels of debt in many 
island states, particularly those which had been experiencing low and negative growth rates. 
14.2.  To facilitate their contribution to the outcome document, a Seminar and High level Round 
Table had been held by SIDS on 20 June in Geneva. Barbados was honoured by the participation 
of several CEOs of international organizations in Geneva at the High-Level Round Table, including 
the WTO. Managing vulnerability, building resilience and developing strong partnerships for 
                                               
11 The Decision is contained in WT/L/934. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  accessing support from willing international organizations and groups had been an important 
theme of the seminar. Another important theme had been debt and the need to modify the use of 
per capita GDP as the main measure of development as it applied to SIDS since that could give a 
false impression of the well-being of those islands. There had been a call for improved access to 
the resources of International Financial Institutions by SIDS and the need to include factors such 
as small size and vulnerability into the eligibility criteria. On the theme of Climate Change - coastal degradation and the impact of climate change on SIDS, resulting in high maintenance costs per 
capita of those economies had been explained by  many causes not of their own making and for 
which, responsibility should be shared by the rest of the planet. A Chair’s report and proceedings document had been prepared setting out recommendations arising from the Seminar and Round Table and had been sent to the Co-Chairs and to  the President of UN General Assembly in New 
York to be used as inputs into the revised draft of the Outcome Document for the Samoa 
Conference. Building on the theme of sustainability, SIDS had also mounted a photo exhibition on the theme of disaster risks and climate change and their impact on SIDS. The Samoa Conference 
would serve as a forum to build on existing successful partnerships and to launch innovative and 
concrete new ones, to advance the sustainable development of SIDS, and would include six multi-stakeholder partnership dialogues. Side events sponsored by Governments, UN system and other 
Inter-Governmental Organizations, and Major Groups, would be organized during the Conference. 
Geneva SIDS was in the process of considering those recommendations and suggestions of Geneva SIDS, arising from the Seminar and Round Table, which could most effectively be fed into the post-2015 sustainable development goals being finalised in New York. 
14.3.  The representative of New Zealand reaffirmed the importance his country attached to the 
conference, being a friend of SIDS and co-Chair of  the broader Geneva SIDS caucus, by helping its 
partners in Samoa to host. New Zealand looked ahead to the Third Conference on Small Island 
Developing States with great anticipation. Being a small country and an island state, many of New 
Zealand's closest neighbours and development partners were SIDS and its long-standing support for SIDS reflected its own place in the world.  New Zealand was especially pleased that the 
Conference would be held in the South Pacific which, together with many SIDS, it called home. The 
Third International Conference presented a highly significant opportunity to galvanise international action in support of SIDS, to highlight important issues for SIDS and to focus on partnerships for their sustainable development, both between me mber states and with local and international 
NGOs. The Third International Conference provided an opportunity to refresh the international 
understanding of SIDS' priorities and identify ac tion and partnerships to address. New Zealand 
recognized the particular trade and development ch allenges faced by SIDs, including those in the 
trade area. Those included challenges related to transport, energy, infrastructure, and vulnerability 
to climate change and natural disasters. Work in the WTO could make a positive contribution to addressing those challenges particularly in key areas such as fisheries, trade and environment, 
and aid for trade. New Zealand stood ready to work with SIDS and other Members to progress 
those issues and others of importance to SIDS within the WTO. As touched upon in the Director-General's update, it would also be important to en sure appropriate recognition of the role of trade 
in development in the context of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Members should also ensure 
that the particular trade and development challenges facing SIDS were duly reflected. 
14.4.  The General Council took note of the statements.  
15  WITHDRAWAL OF INVOCATION OF AR TICLE XIII WITH RESPECT TO CHINA – 
STATEMENT BY EL SALVADOR 
15.1.  The representative of El Salvador, speaking under "Other Business", informed Members that 
as of 2 July 2014, the Government of the Republic of El Salvador had withdrawn its reservation 
with respect to the People's Republic of Chin a under Article XIII of the Marrakesh Agreement 
Establishing the World Trade Organization. That was reflected in document WT/L/926 where there would be an aptly occasion between parties of the WTO Agreements. El Salvador had wanted to draw Members' attention to that piece of information. 
15.2.  The General Council took note of the statement.  WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  16  TRADE RESTRICTIVE MEASURES OF CERTAIN MEMBERS – STATEMENT BY THE 
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 
16.1.  The representative of the Russian Federation , speaking under "Other Business", felt that the 
issue was of high importance for the WTO and the fu ture of the MTS as a whole. On 16 July the US 
had introduced another package of sanctions against several Russian companies and financial 
institutions, including "Rosneft", "Novatek",  "Gazprom", "Vnesheconombank" and others, 
restricting their access to American long-term financial and credit markets. The Russian Federation 
had already drawn Members' attention to the numerous violations of the core WTO commitments 
represented by the recently introduced anti-Russian US and some other Members' restrictions. The prohibition imposed by the US on transactions related to property, including freezing of assets, directly violated of the US obligations under the GATS - MFN (GATS Article II) and National 
treatment (GATS Article XVII), Market Access Commitments (GATS Article XVI), Specific 
Commitments, Domestic Regulation Disciplines (GATS Article VI) and Payments and Transfers 
Rules (GATS Article XI). The Russian Federation deeply regretted, however, that the US was 
expanding restrictive measures to new companies. Those actions were posing not only a violation 
of the US obligations under the GATT, including Ar ticles I, III and XI, but also seriously hampering 
bilateral business ties. All those destructive actions by the US interfered with business operations 
of the companies which the US authorities were trying to situate in the political context which they 
neither belong to nor were in any way part of. The Russian Federation was concerned on measures 
against Russian trade and economic interests contradicting the WTO rules, announced by some other Members. The recent US sanctions agai nst Russian companies challenged the Russian 
Federation's trade and economic interests guar anteed by the WTO regulations. The Russian 
Federation felt to be forced to seek the protection of its legitimate rights and interests through the WTO mechanisms. Thus, the US sanctions could cause the unfortunate chain of events that would 
ultimately undermine the credibility of the MTS. The Russian Federation had joined the WTO firmly 
believing that it was rules-based and politically unbiased. It expected that the activities of the WTO and its Members would remain constructive, responsible and politically neutral. 
16.2.  The representative of the United States underscored that, with regard to the issues raised 
by the Russian Federation, the United States took its obligations under the WTO Agreement very 
seriously. Prior to instituting the measures refe renced in the Russian Federation's intervention, 
including measures announced on 16 July, the United States had carefully considered their 
consistency with WTO rules. The United States re mained confident that all of those actions were 
consistent with its WTO obligations. 
16.3.  The Chairman recalled Rule 25 of the Ru les of Procedure of the General Council, which 
provided that " Representatives should avoid unduly long debates under 'Other Business'.  
Discussions on substantive issues under 'Other Bu siness' shall be avoided, and the General Council 
shall limit itself to taking note of the announcement by the sponsoring delegation, as well as any 
reactions to such an announcement by other delegations directly concerned ."  
16.4.  The representative of Cuba thanked the Russian Federation for informing Members of the 
situation that had been already raised in several WTO bodies. The use of discriminatory and 
restrictive measures against Russia blocked access to the assets of individuals and legal entities in 
that country in clear violation of the US commitments in GATS and other WTO Agreements. Cuba 
supported Russia's statement and stated that it had been a victim of these kind of actions by the 
US Government for over 50 years through the illegal, immoral and genocidal economic, 
commercial and financial blockade against its country. Cuba drew Members' attention to a 
communication in document WT/GC/COM/1012 denouncing the record fine imposed by the United 
States to the BNP Paribas French bank for having  processed thousands of transactions with Cuban 
entities. Cuba rejected any unilateral restrictive measure that could affect not only trade in 
services but also other trading areas which had an extraterritorial nature and that were arbitrary NTBs. It was unacceptable that some Members used trade restrictions that violated the basic WTO principles and that had a negative impact for the MTS as a whole to solve political issues. 
16.5.  The representative of Nicaragua, shared the concerns aired by the Russian Federation 
regarding the restrictive measures adopted by some Members of the Organization which ran 
counter to the provisions of the WTO Agreements. Nicaragua urged those Members who had 
adopted such measures to bring those measures in to conformity with the provisions of the WTO. 
                                               
12 The communication is incorporated by  reference into the present records. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  16.6.  The representative of the Bolivarian Repu blic of Venezuela thanked the Russian Federation 
for bringing those concerns to the General Council. The Russian Federation had referred to a series 
of measures of systemic importance: sanctions, prohibitions and measures which could maybe not be justified under the legal framework of the Organization which could provide a dangerous 
precedence for all Members of the WTO. Venezuela echoed those concerns which should be taken 
into account because they could have counterproductive consequences for the Organization. 
16.7.  The representative of Argentina shared, fo r systemic reasons, the concerns expressed by 
the Russian Federation on the inconsistency of unilateral measures taken against its country on 
the WTO Agreements and fundamental principles of the Organization regarding MFN treatment. 
16.8.  The representative of the Plurinational State of Bolivia said his country had been following 
with great attention what it considered a systemic issue and attached importance to the concerns 
raised by Russia. He noted that some Members had said that they took their WTO obligations very 
seriously and enquired whether those countries had notified the WTO the adopted measures to better understand their implications. 
16.9.  The representative of the European Union sa id that with regard to the issue raised by the 
Russian Federation, the EU, like the US, took its obligations extremely seriously and trusted that 
the measures it had taken were consistent with WTO rules. 
16.10.  The representative of Zimbabwe said that Zimbabwe was one of those countries that had 
suffered from unilateral coercive measures by some Members of the Organization and shared the 
concerns raised by the Russian Federation. Zimbabwe felt that it was an issue of systemic concern and urged those Members who had the tendency to  violate some of their obligations under the 
WTO rules to desist from doing that forthwith and to call those who had imposed similar measures 
on Zimbabwe to withdr aw them immediately. 
16.11.  The representative of Ecuador echoed the systemic concerns expressed, and in particular 
when they related to the basic principles of the Organization. 16.12.  The representative of Canada said that although Canada had not been mentioned by name 
by the Russian Federation, he wished to reit erate the comments it made when the issue was 
raised on some Canadian measures, and to remind Russia and other Members that it took its WTO 
obligations very seriously, and that Canada's measures were fully consistent with its WTO obligations. 
16.13.  The General Council took note of the statements. 
17  CHAIRMANSHIPS OF THE WORKING PARTIES ON THE ACCESSION OF BELARUS AND 
ON THE ACCESSION OF BHUTAN – STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN 
17.1.  The Chairman, speaking under "Other Business", informed Members that, following 
consultations with Members of the Working Party and the authorities of Belarus, and in keeping 
with usual WTO practice, it had been agreed that  Amb. Mehmet Haluk Ilicak (Turkey) would serve 
as Chairman of that Working Party. 
17.2.  He also informed the Council that, following consultations with Members of the Working 
Party and the authorities of Bhutan, and in keeping with usual WTO practice, it had been agreed that Amb. Thomas Hajnoczi (Austria) would serve as Chairman of that Working Party. 
17.3.  On behalf of the Council, he thanked both Amb. Ilicak and Amb. Hajnoczi for agreeing to 
serve as Chairs of those two Working Parties. 
17.4.  The General Council took note of the Chairman's statement. 
18  CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS 
18.1.  The Chairman, speaking under "Other Business", announced that Amb. Joakim Reiter 
(Sweden) would soon relinquish his post and it would be necessary to hold consultations to appoint 
a new Chair for the Council for Trade in Goods. He  intended to take up consultations on that WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  appointment after the summer break, with the assi stance of Amb. Fernando De Mateo (Mexico), 
Chairman of the Dispute Settlement Body. 
18.2.  The General Council took note of the Chairman's statement. 
19  ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES FOR MEMBERS IN ARREARS – STATEMENT BY THE 
CHAIRMAN 
19.1.  The Chairman, speaking under "Other Business" recalled that the new revised 
Administrative Measures for Members in arrears, contained in WT/BFA/132, Annex I, had entered 
into force on 1 January 2013. Those measures in cluded a requirement that, at the end of each 
meeting of the General Council, the Chairman of the Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration should provide information with regard to which Members and Observers were under Administrative Measures. He invited the representative of El Salvador to provide the 
information on behalf of Amb Francisco Lima (El Salvador), Chairman of the Committee on Budget, 
Finance and Administration. 
19.2.  The representative of El Salvador, on be half of the Chairman of the Committee on Budget, 
Finance and Administration, reported that since 1 July Israel, Ukraine, Trinidad and Tobago, 
Madagascar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Oman had made a payment for their contributions. 
There were 4 Members in Category 1: Benin, Cameroon, Tanzania and Vanuatu. There were 
3 Members in Category 2: Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the former 
Republic of Macedonia. There were 6 Members an d 1 Observer in Category 3: Central African 
Republic, Dominica, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Sao Tomé and Principe (Observer). 
19.3.  The Chairman said that he was required at each General Council meeting to formally ensure 
those Members and Observers in Categories II and III to inform the Secretariat as to when their 
payment of arrears could be expected. He would be ensuring follow-up with the Secretariat in that 
regard. 
19.4.  The General Council took note of the statements. 
 
_______________ 
  WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  ANNEX 1 
H.E. AXEL M. ADDY'S ADDRESS TO THE GENERAL COUNCIL OF THE WORLD TRADE 
ORGANIZATION 
On behalf of our President, H.E. Ellen Johnson Si rleaf, the Government and the people of Liberia, 
let me express my warm greetings and gratitude for the unusual honour of addressing the General 
Council, even as an acceding Government. We thank the Chair of the General Council, Ambassador Jonathan Fried, and Director-General Azevêdo for this generous opportunity. We thank Director-
General Azevêdo for his leadership at Bali.  
 Liberia would like to underscore its firm commitment to join the multilateral trading system by the 
end of 2015. With support from Members, the WT O Secretariat, and other donor Organizations 
(EIF, Sweden and the ITC), Liberia has accelerated preparations for our second Working Party 
Meeting. We are fully engaged and the domestic reform process is well underway.   
At the same time, as a post conflict Least Developed Country, Liberia acknowledges it has many 
challenges ahead: Liberia must diversify our exports away from rubber and iron ore which 
currently make up 95 per cent of Liberia's total export earnings. We must also find jobs for our 
nation's youthful population and grow our depth of capacity to be able to compete on a world 
stage. That is why we rely upon Members' conti nued support for our timely accession. Surely, as a 
Chief Negotiator, I would guarantee my team's technical and substantive engagements for our accession process.  
 
Finally, I welcome the Trade Facilitation Agreemen t and the recently launched Trade Facilitation 
Agreement Facility which provides the needed  support to developing and least-developed 
countries. Again, as a member of ECOWAS, the AU and ACP, this facility is a resounding response 
to the advocacy for the support that LDCs need to implement the Trade Facilitation Agreement.   
Upon accession, Liberia also would like to be an active Member strengthening and safeguarding 
the multilateral trading system.   WT/GC/M/152 
 
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ANNEX 2 
STATEMENT BY YEMEN ON THE CHAIRMAN'S WELCOMING REMARKS TO THE  
160TH MEMBER OF THE WTO 
Thank you very much, first and foremost, for the kind words towards Yemen's accession. This is 
Yemen's first formal General Council Meeting as  a full-fledged Member of the WTO. We feel 
privileged and honoured to be part of this significant international Organization. Thank you also for 
giving us the floor. We know that there agenda items of importance today and I am not going to 
give a long speech. I only have few thoughts that I need to convey to you Mr Chairman and to the Membership.  
Unfortunately, our Ambassador is not in town. He is back in the Capital. Otherwise, he would be 
here setting and delivering this short statement. On his behalf, I would like to extend his sincere gratitude to the WTO Membership for enabling Yemen to take its proper seat, which you can see at 
the heart of this room. I would also like to equa lly convey the appreciation of the Minister of 
Industry and Trade of Yemen, Dr Saad Aldin Ben Taleb, to the WTO Membership. His thanks also 
goes to the Director-General and the WTO Secret ariat for making Yemen's accession achievable 
during MC9. Yemen is also very grateful for th e valuable support received from several Members 
sitting in this room, the Secretariat and international and regional Organizations during its accessions journey.   
Yemen needed to conclude its accession to the WTO as a first step to meaningfully integrate into 
the Multilateral Trading System symbolized by this august Organization. The long and difficult road to Membership was successfully concluded and Yemen became the 160
th Member after almost one 
month ago from today. The welcome banner is still hanging which seems to be breaking a record 
for the length of stay in there which we sincerely appreciate. It stands also as a momentous symbol of becoming part of the WTO family.  
 
My Delegation pledges to work diligently and cons tructively with fellow WTO Members to maintain 
the integrity of the WTO system, the Multilateral Trading System, and reaching the safe shores of the WTO with development at heart. My Delegation is looking forward to seeing the good spirit of 
Bali prevail during the remaining months of this year and the envisaged work programme timely 
finalized on the road to concluding the DDA.   
As a fresh graduate from the accessions process that took more than a decade, setting almost 
another record number of years for an acceding LDC, my Delegation feels the urgency to enable other fellow acceding countries to join the WTO as soon as possible. Yemen's humble experience in 
that respect shall be made available to all interested acceding countries. 
 Finally, my Delegation would like to register its association with the statements that shall be made by the Arab and the LDC Groups, both on the firs t agenda and the latter agenda items 2, 3 and 4. 
 
As this General Council Meeting marks the end of the first half of this year, I wish all a very restful summer vacation and have time to clearly reflect on the way forward in the next months. 
 WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  ANNEX 3 
TNC CHAIRMAN'S REMARKS AT THE INFORMAL TNC MEETING AT THE LEVEL OF HEAD OF 
DELEGATION HELD ON 25 JUNE 20141 
Good morning everybody. 
 
As I outlined at the meeting of the TNC in April and the General Council in May, we are now in the second phase of our discussions on the DDA work programme. 
 
This second phase is focused on resolving the problems that we have been outlining, testing what went wrong and putting forward potential solutions.  
The work is taking place at three levels: 
 
 First, through the negotiating group chairs 
 Second, in conversations between Members, which I hear are beginning to develop and 
deepen – and this is very welcome.  
 And third, through my own consultations. 
 
In a moment I will give you my overview of how I see this work progressing. But I will start by asking the Negotiating Group Chairs to give their reports on how the discussions have developed in their respective areas. 
 
[The TNC Chair gave the floor to the Chairs of the Bodies established by the TNC– Statements are reflected in the Annexes.] 
 
Before I turn to the main focus of my remarks, I would like to raise something which is not an immediate part of our TNC work – but which could be of great relevance to our chances of making 
progress here. This relates to the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement. 
 I am aware that there are concerns about actions on the part of some delegations which could compromise what was negotiated in Bali last December. As Chair of the Trade Negotiations 
Committee, I have no doubt that you are all very much aware of the implications of revisiting what 
was agreed in Bali. It would not only compromise  the Trade Facilitation Agreement – including the 
technical assistance element. All of the Bali de cisions – every single one of them – would be 
compromised. Everything we worked together to  achieve in Bali would potentially be lost. 
 On Section 2 of the Trade Facilitation Agreement I know from my consultations that there are 
concerns among developing and least-developed Members about accessing the necessary support. 
So we have been working very hard to address these concerns and ensure the provision of technical assistance to everyone, without exceptions.  
My team and I have been intensely talking to donors and consulting with the Coordinators of the 
ACP, African and LDC Groups to try to find a solution that would allow the WTO to assist those seeking technical assistance and capacity building support. Such a solution should: 
 
 create the best possible conditions for the flow  of information between donors and recipients 
on their needs and options; 
 assist Members in preparing and updating their needs assessments; 
 help Members to develop technical assistance projects;  
 identify possible development partners for countries that might have had difficulties doing so 
by themselves;  
 and ensure that resources are available for all those seeking technical assistance. 
 We expect to be able to set out a new WTO facility along these lines before the summer break. 
  
                                               
1 Issued as JOB/TNC/39. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  I need not point out that most likely all of this would be lost if we compromise what was 
negotiated in Bali. And I am afraid a similar ou tcome could be expected for the work programme 
on the DDA. Revisiting the Bali agreements wo uld not improve our chances of getting the DDA 
done. In fact it would have precisely the opposite effect. This is a serious issue for our work here. 
While I have stressed that this is not strictly a TNC issue, it does have implications for our work. 
 However, not least because the consequences would be so significant, I am confident that we will 
find a way forward which allows us to honour what was agreed in Bali and deal with any specific 
concerns. Clearly this is something which we will need to watch very closely.  Turning back to the focus of this meeting, from th e chairs' reports and from what I hear in my own 
consultations with individual delegations, it seems to me that we are now firmly into the second 
phase of discussions on the DDA work programme.  
Members are engaging at a more substantive and strategic level. You have begun to talk about 
substance. In the first phase we were talking more about process and how to reengage, and we 
agreed on some broad principles. 
 
 To keep development at the heart of our efforts 
 To balance realism and ambition by focusing on what is doable  
 To be creative and open-minded 
 To recognize that the big issues are interconnected so must be tackled together 
 To be inclusive and transparent  
 And to maintain our sense of urgency 
 
These principles have been widely adopted by Members, and they should continue to guide 
discussions in this second phase. I think we heard this in the chairs' reports today. 
 
But, it seems to me that while Members are obse rving the principles, we are still not at a point 
where the conversations actively and resolutely seek potential solutions. We are still in a different type of conversation that is more concerned about pointing to the problems that we find in each 
other's positions. Members are ready to point fingers at insufficiencies in other Members' positions. 
Members are also quick to say that they cannot do this and that, and to mark out their red lines. But I am not hearing – not from anyone – about what they can do. I am not hearing what they can 
put on the table that would make trade-offs possible.  On the positive side, all of you have indicated that you are ready to contribute. But our dialogue is 
falling short of determining more precisely where and how that contribution would take shape. This 
is the next step we will need to take if we are to look at what the solutions might be and find where the balance between the different positions may lie. So this is what we are now beginning to explore. It is hard work. And it means that Members will need to ask themselves some tough 
questions. But there is no other way of doing this. 
 I believe it is useful to dispel certain rumours that I have heard in the corridors. One of them 
concerns a paper that is supposedly going to come from me, or from someone else, which would 
provide a magical path forward. Let me clear yet: this is not going to happen. I do not know how 
much more clear I can get! This will be a bottom-up process. Any roadmaps will have to come 
from Members – they will have to come from you. There are no magic solutions or short-cuts here.  
 Another rumour is that I have been holding meetings with a small group of countries. And so, again, I want be clear – I am not holding meetings  with small groups of delegations. Indeed, there 
have been no group meetings whatsoever with me. I am talking to delegations individually – this is 
no secret. And not just to a small number of specific delegations, but to many different delegations on many different issues. If and when I hold m eetings with some delegations, it will be in a 
transparent fashion and you will be the first to know. I will try to help and facilitate the 
conversation and I am willing to intensify my consultations if it is helpful. But this is your process – i t  h a s  t o  b e  l e d  b y  y o u .  T h a t  i s  w h y  i t  i s  s o  i m p o r t a n t  t h a t  y o u  c o n t i n u e  t o  d e e p e n  y o u r  
conversations with each other in this second phase. 
 Clearly we are in a very different scenario from wh en we were preparing for Bali with open-ended 
meetings in Room W – all-nighters – you remember how it was. We will get to that stage in due WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  course – you will get your sleepless nights! But we are not there yet – we have some way to go. 
As I see it, we are still at the stage of laying the foundations.  A lot of work needs to be done in setting the terrain and preparing the ground before we can begin 
to build. People may not see concrete things happening at the moment – you cannot yet see the 
edifice rising. Some may find it frustrating, and it may well be. But this is essential work. If we do not do it right then the building will never go up – or it will fall before it is complete. But, if we 
prepare the ground correctly and construct solid foundations then, when we are ready, I think the 
building will go up fairly quickly. So I believe that this kind of work is critical. The conversations you are having with each other to test positions and test ideas are critical; as is the work of the negotiating group chairs – and as, I hope, are my own consultations. So we need to continue this 
work and to redouble our efforts. 
 What is important to remember is that work is  being done, we have genuine engagement, and we 
are talking substance. We are sowing the seeds. They need time to germinate. 
 I am sure that we all feel the presence of the De cember deadline, just beyond the horizon. But I 
think there are reasons for a positive attitude. In recent weeks we have moved from talking about 
process, to talking about substance – with a focus on the three pivotal and interlinked areas of agriculture, NAMA and services. And let us remember that this is something that has not happened for 6 years. Moreover, we have defined a set of  clear principles for the conversations ahead. 
 
And Members have been very open and constructive . We are not throwing away the work that was 
done before. This is extremely important – it must be emphasized. But we are being open-minded 
about how to close the existing negotiating gaps. 
 So let us continue developing our work at each of the three levels – with a renewed focus on what 
Members can do. And let us keep preparing the ground . If we do this properly, we will be able to 
construct the clearly defined work programme that we were tasked to deliver by the Bali 
declaration. Thank you very much for listening.  WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  ANNEX 4 
STATEMENT BY MEMBERS AT THE INFORMAL TNC MEETING AT THE LEVEL OF HEAD OF 
DELEGATION HELD ON 25 JUNE 2014 
At their request, the statements made by a number of delegations at the above-mentioned 
meeting are included below as part of the Minutes of the General Council meeting. 
 
_______________ 
 
 1. China 
 
First of all, let me join other colleagues in thanking you and the Chairs of negotiation bodies for 
the updating reports. And, as a Member of RAMs, G33 and G20, we readily support the Statements made by Indonesia, Brazil and Chinese Taipei on behalf of these three groups. 
  
Since last TNC meeting, there have been serious and constructive engagements among Members. You and the Chairs of negotiation bodies played a central role in the process. It is true that we are 
still searching solutions to achieve our anticipated objective, but it is also true that the momentum 
has been good and the direction of our work is right.   Our task is clear, that is to finish the formulating of the work program by the end of this year, and 
conclude the Doha Round negotiation at MC 10 next year.  But this is no easy task.  In today’s 
post-Crisis era, global trade is slowing down.  The only way to reverse this worrisome trend is get this Doha job done sooner than later.  
 
As we are now approaching a more substantive stage, I believe we do need a sense of urgency and sense of duty. 
 
First, development should always stay in the heart of this round.  We should listen carefully to the voices of developing Members.  Any so lution should put the concerns of developing 
Members, and the LDCs in particular as the top priority. Special and Differential Treatment, 
less than full reciprocity and other well-known concerns of the developing Members should 
be fully respected and reflected in making of the Work Program.  
Second, this exercise is multilateral in nature, which calls for the spirit of bottom-up, 
member-driven, inclusiveness and transparency as proposed and emphasized by you.  All 
members, big or small, rich or poor, are equal in this Organization.  Voices of all members 
should be heard.  Each and every Member has the legitimate right to know clearly and 
promptly what is happening around this small town of Geneva.   Third, "doable" is the key word. No doability, no solution. Doability, as I see it, means: One, 
appropriate adjustment of the level of ambi tion; Two, action by all Members through 
common efforts.  These are the keys to open th e door of Doha Round, and these keys are in 
the hands of all Members. We need to take care of each Member's interests and concerns. 
Only in this way can we make the 2014 possible. 
 Fourth, recently there are some solution-oriented ideas flying around. We do not resist 
exploration, but we should not give up 2008, unless and until we have found these ideas 
more doable and acceptable to all Members.  If certain adjustment or simplification of the ambitions, as introduced by EU just now, be comes necessary, it must apply to all Members, 
with equal proportion based on the 2008 texts.   The modality and outcome should be fair 
and balanced, so that the result would not simply make some Members more comfortable 
while making others less comfortable.  In no case should we accept such a scenario where only a few Members and the developing Members in particular, are required to pay for the 
entire Doha Round. 
 In order to make our discussion more constructive and further narrow the differences, members 
should honestly show what we can contribute, where our sensitivities are. Finger pointing or cross-WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  examining each other is not a good defensive weapon or negotiation strategy because it is 
pointless and unhelpful.  China attaches great importance to the multilateral trading system, and is committed to staunchly 
supporting your work and that of the Chairs of  negotiation bodies.  We are ready to play a 
proactive role and make due contribution to completion of the work program by the end of this year. 
 
With regard to implementation of Bali package.  The implementation of the Trade Facilitation 
Agreement is one of the top priorities of the WTO for this year. The completion of all the 
preparatory work in accordance with the mandate of the Bali Ministerial Decision is crucial for the 
multilateral trading system.  We take note of the progress made by the Preparatory Committee on 
Trade Facilitation and urge the Committee to speed up its work with a view to enabling the General Council to fulfil  its task before July. 
 
Meanwhile, we believe a lot still remains to be done on implementation.  The workshop held on 10 June and similar efforts made represent a good  beginning, and have provided greater certainty 
and assurance regarding assistance and support which will help build up the confidence of 
developing Members in the implementation. We hope that due attention should be paid to the concerns of developing countries and that the on-going dialogues between Members will produce a good result. 
 
I would like to inform the TNC that, back in our capital, the preparation work for implementation has entered its final stage and we will provide th e Category A Notification  as soon as possible. 
 
2. Chinese Taipei (also on behalf of the RAMS Group) 
 
I am speaking today on behalf of the Group of  Recently Acceded Members (the RAMs Group). 
  First of all, we would like to thank you, and all the Chairs of the Negotiating Groups, for your updated reports and assessments of the recent consultations since the last meeting of the General 
Council on 12 May. 
 I would also like to stress that the RAMs Group remains fully committed to making progress in the 
rules-based multilateral trading system. Indeed, we consider it to be of paramount importance for 
all of us, the entire Membership, to complete the DDA and its mandates, which includes reaching a comprehensive final package. 
 
I f  w e  f a i l  t o  d e l i v e r  t h e  D D A  f i n a l  p a c k a g e ,  the RAMs undoubtedly would be among the worst 
affected Members out of the whole WTO family, due to the exceptionally deep and extensive commitments that we all made during our accession process. 
 
The special condition and state of the RAMs is by no means an invention out of nothing. Specific provisions on the RAMs issue have been included in the negotiating mandates right from the 
beginning of this Round - in Paragraph 9 of th e Doha Ministerial Declaration, Paragraph 47 of 
Annex A to the Doha Work Programme, Paragraph 11 of Annex B to the Doha Work Programme, and in Paragraph 58 of the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration. 
 
The RAMs' call for differential treatment in the negotiations is entirely legitimate and totally justified by the fact that in the process of our accessions we have assumed such extensive and exceptional levels of commitment in so many areas of the WTO, which distinguishes this particular 
group of Members from the rest of the membership. 
 Let me provide you with some examples: 
 
• On Agriculture, for instance, the RAMs have made very extensive commitments already in all 
three pillars.  
• In Export Competition, the RAMs already co mmitted on our accessions to eliminate export 
subsidies, while other Members are still, to this day, taking such trade-distorting measures.  
• In Domestic Support, many of the RAMs have undertaken to apply a much higher AMS 
reduction rate and a much lower de minimis than the rate assumed by developing country 
Members in the Uruguay Round.  WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  • In Market Access, the current bound average tariff rate of the RAMs is several times lower 
than that of other developing country Member s. And, the average bound rates of some of 
the RAMs are even lower than most of the developed Members.  
• On NAMA, tariff commitments of the RAMs we re set at 100 percent in binding coverage. The 
bound rates were close to, or equal to, applie d levels. And furthermore, the tariffs were 
bound many times lower than the average fina l bound rates of other developing Members. 
• On Services, the RAMs have made commitments in over 100 sectors and sub-sectors, higher 
than the average commitment level made by the developed Members. And, the higher 
commitments are recognized in most of the sectors. 
 
The fact is that the present level of commitments already made by the RAMs will hardly be 
matched by the reductions of other developing Members and many developed Members in this 
current round, even if it produces the most ambitious results.  
At the same time, for the RAMs, our existing level of commitments is the starting point for 
implementing the DDA commitments.  
As for the Post-Bali work, the RAMs Group sees it as a sensible approach to build on the results 
and foundations that Members have achieved up  to today - sometimes through a lengthy and 
painstaking process - so we can move forward without going back to square one.  
It is in this spirit that we continue to believe the December 2008 modalities, Rev.4 for Agriculture 
and Rev.3 for NAMA, should be the basis for our future work on Agriculture and NAMA. 
 
Once again, the RAMs Group reaffirms our commitment to the multilateral trading system. And, we 
call upon all Members to work on the solid foun dations that exist already, and together move 
forward and drive progress in this defining year of 2014. 
 
Now, I am speaking on behalf of the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and 
Matsu. 
 
We would like to reiterate our strong support for expeditious implementation of the Bali outcomes. 
 We just informed the Chair of the Trade Facilitation Preparatory Committee yesterday that we will 
implement all provisions contained in Article 1 to  Article 12 of the TF Agreement under Category A 
upon the entry into force of the Agreement.   
3. Jordan (Arab Group) 
 At the outset, the Arab group would like to thank you for the updated assessment reports on the recent consultations since the previous TNC meeting, we support your effort and we are confident 
that your constructiveness and dedication w ill ensure the continuous success of the WTO 
negotiation.  
We took note of your report and appreciate insuring justice in regards to technical assistant in 
section II of the TF Agreement.    
We would like to affirm the position of the Arab  Group in the previous TNC & GC meetings, and we 
also need to emphasize the following:  
- Engaging the Arab group in any of the negotiat ions and in all level of consultations on Post 
Bali work program. 
 - The three core issues of the post-Bali work  programme, that is, Agriculture, NAMA and 
Services, should be tackled together, simultaneously. 
 - The Arab group fully supports the view of not adding "new issues" to the WTO mandate 
before concluding the DDA. 
 - The relevant of Single Undertaking as the only  principle that could ensure the right balance 
among the outcomes of the Doha Round, as  confirmed by Paragraph 47 of the Doha 
Ministerial Declaration. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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- The importance of maintaining the principle of special and differential treatment for 
developing and least developed countries. 
 
- The importance of agriculture, where it li nked to the achievement of food security 
considerations. And its role in the eradication of poverty and hunger, and its contribution to the achievement of sustainable developments. 
 
- The recognition and acknowledgement of extensive commitments made by the Recently 
Acceded Members (RAMS Group).  
 
Please be assured that the Arab Group stands ready to engage constructively, as it has always 
done, in the continuous negotiations, and on the future work program towards a successful and balanced conclusion. 
 
4. Lesotho (African Group) 
 
The African Group aligns itself with the statements  delivered by Kenya on behalf of the ACP Group, 
Burkina Faso on behalf of C4 and Uganda on behalf of the LDC Group.  At the outset, a word of gratitude goes to you and the chairs of the negotiating committees for the 
insightful reports on where we are in negotiations. These reports have gone a long way in 
assessing the strides we have made since the start of the first phase of our work in our collective bid to fulfil the Bali outcomes and more importantly the Doha mandate as a whole. The Group 
t a k e s  s p e c i a l  n o t e  o f  y o u r  r e p o r t  o n  t h e  f o l l o w  u p  r e g a r d i n g  p r o v i s i o n  o f  T A C B  t o  a n y o n e  t h a t  
needs it. Your effort in this regard is appreciated. On the reports by the Chairs it is abundantly clear that much remains to be done. The Group took note, albeit with caution, of some of new 
elements proposed by Members, particularly in th e area of services. More clarifications in this 
direction will be needed. The indispensability of fu rther clarifications in respect of ideas aimed at 
changing the formula cuts cannot be overemphasized.  
Allow me at this juncture to share a couple of African Group's reflections on the work of this 
committee.   
In the first instance, it worth underscoring that our work on the establishment of the work 
program is not without context. It is founded on the principles and objectives set out in the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO and the subsequent declarations and decisions by 
Members. Those decisions and declarations including the Doha Ministerial Declaration are as 
relevant today as they were the first time they were conceived. They express Members' desire to substantially reduce tariffs and other barriers to trade. They further recognize the need for positive efforts aimed at ensuring that developing countries and LDCs secure a share in international trade 
commensurate with their economic development n eeds. These principles have been the premise 
on which the African Group constructively engaged in the negotiations leading up to the drawing of the 2008 modalities. It will therefore be inconc eivable to envision any negotiation devoid of 
bringing these principles into effect. 
 It is now trite that the 2008 modalities have been put to question. Nonetheless, the call to 
abandon the modalities in full or in part has fallen short of clarifying the relationship between such 
an abandonment and the principles enshrined in Doha Ministerial Declaration's work program and how varying circumstances of Members will be addressed. Moreover, clarity has been a rarity concerning the status of the Doha Ministerial Declaration and there work program vis a vis the call 
to abandon the 2008 modalities. For instance, unde r the Agriculture pillar, the Doha Ministerial 
Declaration's Work Program records agreed principles  namely: that SDT shall be integral part of all 
elements of negotiations and; that SDT shall be  embodied in the schedules of concessions and 
commitments. In the same vein, under the NAMA pillar, the Declaration`s Work Program makes 
reference to the principle of less than full reciprocity in reduction commitments. On both counts, a million dollar question that arises is whether the questioning of the 2008 modalities is not de facto 
rendering the Doha Ministerial Declaration obsolete? This is the most fundamental question of the 
African Group, particularly because the 2008 modalities prescribe a range of possibilities that cover development and economic circumstances of its Members.  WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  A real conversation on what constitutes the work program both in terms of scope and the depth of 
consultations and negotiations is yet to be underta ken. In this respect, Members have to cultivate 
a unified sense on the type of an outcome they are working towards achieving. Caution must be 
exercised with a view to ensuring that the work program under negotiations does not deviate from 
Doha Ministerial Declaration both in letter and spirit. To this end, Members must make every effort 
not to negotiate down the level of ambition captured in the 2008 modalities texts particularly in the area of Agriculture. It is the fervent hope of th e African Group that this issue will be factored in 
the subsequent consultations by the Chairs and ind eed in the intensified second phase of our work. 
 Let me turn to some key principles which include guiding parameters you recommended to Members and of course the parameters to which the African Group subscribed. Similar to most 
developing countries, the African Group is fully committed to the principle of single undertaking. 
This principle was conceived with a view to providing some insurance policy to the effect that the negotiated outcomes will be balanced. The princi ple importantly guards against cherry picking and 
mercantalisation of the Global Trading System. We  are therefore all obliged to preserve this 
principle in every aspect of our work.  
Worthy of mention is the principle of development which must be an integral part of any outcome. 
In this connection, it must be ensured that the scope of the work program currently under 
development is comprehensive enough to cover non-tariff measures as foreseen by the Doha Ministerial Declaration. The issue of domestic support and export competition in agriculture must 
form part of the work program. 
 Moreover, the principles of inclusiveness and tr ansparency must be the bed rock on which the 
process of negotiations leading up to the formulation of the work program is anchored. All 
Members must be equally engaged at all levels of consultations. As for transparency, it should be emulated both on offensive and defensive fronts. On the former, the picture is fairly clear. 
However, on the latter the picture is rather hazy.  To this end, despite clear messages on the 
offensive interests of key Members on one hand, on  the other hand their commitment to delivering 
an outcome on domestic support in the area of agri culture, as an example, remains elusive.  It is 
hoped that in the second phase of the consultati ons much more clarity will emerge concerning 
what Members can realistically do vis a vis their domestic circumstances. This will go a long way in 
helping the African Group assess how the DDA Agenda will be affected and of course inform consultations within the Group. 
 
The relationship between the DDA issues that ha ve been transposed into the regular committees 
and TNC agenda cannot be overstressed. Most of the non-binding Bali outcomes relegated to the 
regular committees still resonate with our work in the TNC. Every effort must be made early on in 
the process to ensure that such outcomes are featured in our discussions on post Bali Work Program particularly because they have not been fully addressed.  
In closing, reference made to the implementation of trade facilitation agreement could not escape 
the African Groups notice.  Clearly much of what has been said in more ways than one refers to the statement the Group delivered during th e PCTF meeting and the supplementary room 
document that the Group circulated for informatio n purposes only. This matter is the subject of 
intensive consultations within and among different Groups and their Coordinators. Therefore, at this stage it may advisable for Members NOT to initiate a process of blame shifting precisely 
because consultations on this matter are ongoing. In fact, seeking to apportion blame could trigger 
a series of questions which may not be helpful at this delicate stage of the negotiations.  5. Pakistan 
 
Thank you for convening the meeting and briefing  the Members about your endeavours to steer 
post Bali work programme. We have also carefully noted statements from the Chairs of negotiating 
bodies about the current state of play and the possible future course of action.  
 We have less than 20 working days before formal General Council meeting, which will be the 
beginning of summer recess for the WTO. Time is running out and we have to remain engaged to 
develop some clarity on the work programme mandated by Ministers at Bali.  Since the end of January 2014, Members have been generally reiterating their offensive and 
defensive interests in all areas of market access and other disciplines of Doha Development WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  Agenda. There is, however, general convergence that Agriculture and Development Issues will 
remain the core elements of the work program and that the ambition level in Agriculture will define ambition level in other market access areas. Having said that I believe that Development Issues, especially concerns of the least developed and vulnerable economies may not be bracketed in this 
equation. They may be addressed on priority basi s and with high ambition. Keeping in focus the 
interests of LDCs and Small & vulnerable economies may pave the way to advance negotiations to define the work programme. Today, I will not go into details of these issues, they are known to 
you and the entire membership. 
  We need to approach the process of the current negotiations with a positive mindset.  All Members are required to provide clarity as to what they can contribute and then ask for others' contribution. 
In order to follow this path, high level of mutual trust is a pre-requisite. 
  Roberto, Members have witnessed you in action and skilful leadership at Bali as well as during the 
preparatory phase of the Ministerial, perhaps a similar endeavour is necessary by you and your 
team to build on the Bali success.  
On our part, we will remain engage with the positive mind-set and you can count on our 
contribution.  We also go along with the G-20, Cairns Group and G-33 statements made by the respective 
coordinators. 
 6. Saudi Arabia 
 
I would like to thank you for your assessment report and to thank the Chairs of the Negotiating Groups for their hard work. 
 
I would like also to associate myself with the statements made by Jordan on behalf of the Arab Group and Chinese Taipei on behalf of RAMs.  
To be practical, our discussions on the Work Prog ram on remaining DDA issues must be informed 
by the guidance provided by our Ministers as set forth in the Bali Ministerial Declaration.  In Bali our Ministers requested the TNC to "prepare within the next 12 months a clearly defined work 
program on the remaining DDA issues" and they provide specific guidance on first steps. 
 Therefore, I would like to commence my remarks by  referring to the more detailed instructions of 
the Ministerial Conference in Bali to chart a course forward toward an agreement on the work 
program by the end of this year.  In particular, paragraph 1.11 of the Bali Ministerial Declaration instructs us to start by prioritizing 
issues in the Bali Package where legally binding outcomes could not be achieved.  These include 
agriculture, development and LDC issues and the sens itive question of cotton.  Therefore, in order 
to build on the decisions adopted in Bali, we should now rank these issues by priority.  Given the 
very limited number of issues concerned, an indica tive prioritized list should be drawn up.  After 
this exercise is complete, we could then consider how to craft a work program for each issue.   
Next, paragraph 1.11 of the Bali Ministerial Declaration instructs us to turn to those DDA issues 
that have not been fully addressed du ring the Bali Ministerial Conference. 
 Consistent with the guidance provided during the Eighth Ministerial Conference, as also instructed 
in the Bali Ministerial Declaration, we should start by identifying the most critical and fundamental 
stalemates.  We have already started doing this in multilateral settings but must ensure that we review expeditiously the most critical and fundamental stumbling blocks in a comprehensive 
manner to identify those that can be overcome.  This exercise will allow us to advance negotiations 
where progress can be achieved.  
Where possible, in line with your statement of 12 May Saudi Arabia considers that the TNC should 
start with the three pillars of the DDA negotiations -- agriculture, industrial goods and services -- we could then draw up a detailed list of issues where we believe that negotiations can be resumed and successfully completed in a balanced manner.  This list should allow us to develop a realistic 
work program. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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After having established the list of issues on which agreement can be credibly foreseen, the TNC should determine the basis for resuming the negotiations.  The Chairs of the various negotiating groups have already started discussing alternative options with Members in bilateral and 
plurilateral meetings.  Solutions will necessarily vary for the different issues under review.  
Members will need to have an open mind and to be creative and flexible to achieve satisfactory and balanced results.  However, the results of ne gotiations should contribute to our development 
agenda and serve our shared interest of economic growth. 
 We could go on discussing perspectives on outcomes, but Saudi Arabia considers that our next procedural steps should follow a clear and transparent process, in line with the instructions that 
our Ministers agreed in Bali, in order to establish the requested work program. 
 We stand ready to engage with you, the Chai rs of the negotiating groups and Members in 
constructive conversations to make much needed progress in the coming weeks.  Let me close 
with the frank observation that it should not be ov erly difficult to establish the work program that 
our Ministers expect to see later this year, if there is a political will and serious engagement from 
members. 
 7. Switzerland (also on behalf of the G-10) 
 
Let me first make a statement on behalf of the G10: 
 
1) We thank you, for your comprehensive over view on the current state of play and the 
opportunity to share our views with you today. 
 2) At the last General Council meeting on 12 May, you asked us to remain focused on two 
priorities: implementing Bali and meeting ou r December deadline for the establishment of 
the Work Programme.  
 3) In agriculture, we note that some progress has been achieved in these two fields.  
 
4) With the dedicated discussion on export competition that took place in the last COA meeting, 
Members have made a first concrete step towards the implementation of the Bali decisions 
in agriculture.  
 5) When it comes to the Work Programme, althou gh its outlines are still unclear, preliminary 
ideas have been exchanged in informal discussions among Members. 
 6) In this context, allow me to emphasize that negotiations in agriculture have to cover the 
three pillars and other issues in a balanced manner. At the end of the day, the outcome of 
the negotiations in agriculture must strike a balance between net importers and exporters. 
For the G10, market access remains particularly sensitive. Future outcomes in agriculture should give room for manoeuver in domestic policy design and take account of the different 
roles of agriculture in society (the non-trade concerns). 
 7) The G10 remains committed to work construc tively to meet the December deadline for the 
Work Programme.  
 Let me now make a few comments on behalf of Switzerland: 
 
First, a timely implementation of all Bali decisions is key for the credibility of the WTO.  
 Work is not just concentrating on the implementa tion of the TF Agreement and the establishment 
of the work program but much work is also going on  in parallel on the other elements of the Bali 
package. To a certain degree progress on these other issues is, however, dependent on issues being pushed by proponents or being put on the ag enda by chairs, in time. It is important that 
proponents show ownership, but also that they  are supported by other Members where necessary. 
 With respect to TF: What you have just outlined is of greatest concern to us and we fully agree with what you said. Let me remind Members that th e next step is the adoption of the Protocol of 
Amendment which will enter into force in accordance with Article X:3 of the WTO Agreement on a WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  definitive basis. It is important that the Membership respects faithfully the commitments taken by 
our Ministers in Bali on the adoption of the TF  Agreement as well as on the availability and 
accessibility of technical assistance. I would like to congratulate Members who already indicated their category A commitments and I strongly encour age other developing countries to follow them.  
Missing the July deadlines in TF could not only jeopardize the establishment of the work program 
but also harm the Multilateral Trading System as a whole.  
Regarding the work program we have a deadline - end of 2014 and we have a task: That is to 
establish a work program detailed and credible enough to allow us to negotiate in 2015 an outcome for the Doha Round. From a Swiss point of view, we expect the work program to be 
comprehensive and at the same time focused on Ag riculture, NAMA and Services taking also into 
considerations issues like NTBs in NAMA, domestic regulation in Services, the GI register, GI 
extension and the disclosure of source in TRIPS-CBD as well as Para. 31 (i) and 31 (ii) of the Doha Declaration on Trade and Environment. The kind of treatment any given issue will get in respect of 
the work program will, as I mentioned before, depend on the traction any proposal may gather.   
 Let me now share with you some thoughts on two of your "February 2014" - parameters that you 
have just repeated: "parallelism” and "urgency": 
 On "parallelism”: For success, it is important that the key issues are dealt with in an integrated, simoultaneous and horizontal way. We have to overcome negotiating and thinking in silos. 
 
On "urgency": DG, you stressed at the TNC of 6 February 2014 "that our efforts must have a sense of urgency". Indeed, we can only succeed if we take advantage of the push provided by Bali. 
This push will disappear if we are not able to deliver on Bali and - even, if we do deliver on Bali - it 
will, nonetheless, weaken substantially if we are not able to progress fast in our endeavors in Geneva. 
 
If our common goal is to get the Doha Round - finally - to a successful end, then this has to happen within a short time period or it will prob ably never happen. Therefore, dear colleagues, if 
we are serious about the DDA, we have to speed up, we have to talk to each other and we have to 
work hard.  
 8. Turkey 
 
Turkey has given priority to transparency and inclusiveness as important guiding principles for a successful negotiation in the WTO. With this in mind, I thank you for convening this timely 
informal TNC meeting. I hope that  the views expressed today will give us the necessary impetus in 
matching the targets set at the MC9.  I have noted upon my arrival few months ago that the readiness and open-mindedness of the 
entire membership was encouraging to carry on th e negotiations in the WTO. At the same time, 
good-will and positive attitude alone are not sufficient to reach these targets. We need more specific, result-oriented and focused discussions. 
 
Let me outline very briefly our views on principal topics at hand:  
 
 Trade Facilitation 
 o Overall, the WTO reached important decisions in Bali, including the Agreement on Trade 
Facilitation. The ongoing work in the TF Preparatory Committee is overall satisfying.  
 
o We expect that the TF Agreement will bring tangible results to the world trade. Its timely 
and proper implementation is important. We  should also be aware that a failure in 
implementing the TF Agreement will put the DDA  in jeopardy ever than before and will 
also hurt the credibility of the Organization.  
 
 Agriculture  
 
o With regard to agriculture, Turkey has some  structural and multi-dimensional challenges, 
thus this topic is a sensitive one for us as well.  
 WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  o Years of agricultural negotiations in the WTO cannot be disregarded. Yet, it is clear that 
more needs to be done here and we should show flexibilities in response to reasonable proposals.   
 Services  
 
o Trade in services is an indispensable pillar of the post-Bali Work Program. 
 
o We support the efforts to re-engage in serv ices negotiations and stand ready to co-
operate actively with all parties.   
o Negotiations in services in different formats do not and should not constitute an 
alternative to GATS. On the contrary, we consider them as complementary to the work in the WTO and hope that they will have an encouraging effect on work at the WTO.  
 
o At this point, I would like to highlight a priority for Turkey. Any potential liberalization we 
may achieve in Agriculture and NAMA will remain redundant if not accompanied by 
parallel results in services. That's because Global Value Chains cannot function without 
services.   
o Among these services, Turkey focuses on road transport in particular, which sometimes 
turns into an obstacle in trade even with our major partners.  
 
o If one faces difficulties in moving its export  products beyond borders, one will not agree 
to open its markets to goods and services from abroad either. We have already discussed 
these issues at length in the context of Trade Facilitation as well, so I will not go into details.  
 
o In the same spirit, liberalization in movement of natural persons - Mode Four in GATS 
jargon - is an integral element of the ov erall balance Turkey and other developing 
countries seek in the DDA.   
 
 Development  
 
o A number of speakers before me have touche d upon the core element of DDA, which is 
development. I add my voice to these inte rventions. Moreover, I believe that the 
Membership should be sensitive to the expectations of the LDCs and work even harder to 
accommodate their demands.  
 Let me now express few thoughts on the way ahead. The success in Bali has opened a fresh window of opportunity for us to work on the completion of the DDA. We should not lose the 
momentum and I think being realistic, pragmatic and seeking the possible will be keys to a doable 
outcome.   
We have two deadlines approaching fast: end of July and end of 2014. If we are to reach the 
goals, we should adjust our mindset accordingly. There is no 4th referee here and we cannot hope for any extra time. The World Cup in Brazil is the place to score now, not Geneva. So let us keep 
our hunter instincts under control at the WTO. There will not be a single winner here, but all 160 
Members will win from a doable compromise.   Last but not least, let me add that, like we have seen in the World Cup, it is not always the few 
strong teams that make the show. All teams have so far contributed to the action and we have 
seen many spectacular results. With the same spirit, I believe that finding compromises in the WTO is not the job of few but a collective task for all of us. 
 
9. Uruguay 
 
Uruguay would like to thank the Director General for convening this meeting, which is crucial for 
maintaining transparency and ensuring the continued participation of all Members in this negotiating process so that it continues to move forward.  
Uruguay associates itself with the statements made by the G 20 and the Cairns Group. WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  At this stage, it should come as no surprise that Uruguay's priority is to obtain substantive results 
in Agriculture.  Since this Committee's last meeting, progress has been made in the implementation of the Bali 
decisions, particularly those concerning Agriculture. Furthermore, the Committee on Agriculture's 
discussions, especially those on exports, have  shown, in our view, that a substantive and 
ambitious outcome on Agriculture is perfectly possible and achievable. 
 
The elimination of export subsidies through a binding legal commitment in this regard can be delayed no longer and is in all Members' interests. This is an opportunity to drive the negotiations forward and to avoid a repeat of the 80s and 90s, when similar practices kept agricultural trade in 
a permanent state of uncertainty and instabil ity, harming the growth of sustainable and 
competitive farming in all the Member States, especially in developing countries. These circumstances must never be repeated and it seems we all agree on this point. 
 
Nevertheless, it is not enough to target exports alone. We must make a significant impact on subsidies and domestic support, which have a distorting effect on trade, and we must also produce 
results in agricultural market access. It should be understood that all Members have offensive 
interests in a comprehensive Agriculture package and that furthermore, this is the only way to achieve results in the other areas of NAMA and services.  
Uruguay is of the opinion that these negotiations should not be envisaged exclusively from a 
mercantilist perspective, following the long established tradition of this Organization and the GATT, which belongs to another era. A more modern approach is needed, one that takes account of the 
complexities of contemporary international trade and develops a form of architecture which will 
support and structure the multilateral system while integrating the development dimension. 
 
Uruguay reiterates its commitment to making intens ive efforts to achieve concrete and satisfactory 
results for all Members, which will ultimately help to strengthen the multilateral trading system.  WT/GC/M/152 
 
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  ANNEX 5 
STATEMENT BY LESOTHO ON BEHALF OF THE AFRICAN GROUP AT THE LAUNCH OF THE 
WTO TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMEN T FACILITY ON 22 JULY 2014 
At its request, the statement made by Lesotho on behalf of the African Group at the above-
mentioned launch is included below as part of the Minutes of the General Council meeting. 
 
_______________ 
 
 On behalf of the African Group it gives me a great pleasure to partake in this momentous launch of the Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility (TFAF). It is quite an achievement that finally the G-90's 
longstanding and persistent call for a simple, predictable, accessible and non-bureaucratic 
technical assistance funding facility has paid off. It is worth pointing out that this achievement is not without a heritage. To this end, we have to recognize that today`s achievement is pillared on 
the shoulders of the giants and visionaries who espo used the idea of the establishment of the TFAF 
within the WTO System at the inception of negotiations on Trade Facilitation.  
Ambassador John Kakonge's huge acumen in development finance as well as unwavering pursuit 
of action was awesome. In the similar vein, Ambassador Christopher Aparr's diplomatic experience and strategic thinking fuelled the process. The African Group is grateful to these great G 90 
Coordinators and I add my personal word of appreciation and gratitude. 
 
Worthy of recognition is not only the positive reception of this idea which in turn triggered its coming into fruition today but also the vigorous questioning and scepticism that helped crystalize 
the idea. This therefore leaves me the great honour to pay tribute to the donor communities` 
goodwill and support for the establishment of TFAF.  
It will be remiss of me not to pay my respect to the DG for having taken heed of the legitimate 
concerns expressed on numerous occasions including during the TNC and GC meetings and of course during consultations with my G90 counterparts. It is through the convening power of the DG`s office and his personal attention and understanding of the concerns expressed by the African 
Group that this day has been made possible. DG`s  diplomatic acumen has once again cashed in 
re s ults  that wi l l e ns ure  that no s ing l e  Afric an M e mb e r of the  W T O wil l b e  le ft witho ut re q uis ite assistance for the implementation of TFA. We thank you DG. 
 
Turing to the TFAF itself, it is quite assuring that all the elements of the African Group`s concern have been weaved into the architecture of th e TFAF. In this regard, the match making and 
resource disbursement amongst many aspects of the Facility will go a long way in ensuring 
coherence among the donors and branding TFAF the Facility of Last Resort . 
 The establishment of the TFAF is certainly not an end in itself. Rather, it will take the collective 
goodwill of Members to ensure that TFAF delivers results as per its state objectives and more 
importantly by feeding it with requisite funding. It is through adequate funding that the Facility will flourish and be of benefit the most indigent Members of the WTO, particularly the African 
Countries. In this vein, the African Group commends Norway for having broken the ice and paving 
the way for other donors to spark the facility into life. It must be ensured that there is sustainable flow of resources into the facility. As the sayi ng goes, the proof of the pie is in the eating. 
 
Lastly, but hopefully with a lasting impression, the African Group recognizes the development dimension of the TFAF as a critical feature. This is clearly walking the talk with respect to development being at the Centre of the DDA. It is our fervent hope that this is maintained in the 
rest of the DDA's work. 
 
__________