RESTRICTED  
  
WT/ACC/LBR/18  
 
27 July 2015  
(15-3831)  Page: 1/5  
Working Party on the Accession of Liberia  Original: English  
 
ACCESSION OF LIBERIA 
STATEMENTS BY THE DELEGATION OF LIBERIA 
 
As requested by Members of the Working Pa rty, attached to this document are the 
statements made by H.E. Minister Axel Addy, Mini stry of Commerce and Industry of Liberia, Chief 
Negotiator on the Accession of Liberia, and H.E. Senator Jim Tornonlah, Chairman of the 
Committee for Commerce of Senate of Liberia, , at the Third Working Party Meeting on the 
Accession of Liberia on 23 July 2015. 
 
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 WT/ACC/LBR/18 
 
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  ANNEX 1 
Opening Speech by H.E. Minister Axel Addy , Ministry of Commerce and Industry of 
Liberia, Chief Negotiator on the Accession of Liberia   
Salutations 
Mr. Joakim Reiter, Chairman of the Working Party; 
Representatives of the WTO Secretariat;  
Excellencies, the Ambassadors, and Heads of Missions accredited to the World Trade Organization;  
Colleagues, Friends of Liberia, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I am yet again honoured to be here today with you all once again as we make another historic 
march towards our Accession to the WTO. 
I am fortunate and quite grateful to my team, and all the talented technicians with us here today 
and those back home in Liberia, who has steadfas tly worked on this process over the last eight 
years to get us here today. 
I am particularly honoured to have with us, the Honorable Senator, Jim Tornonlah, from the great 
county of Margibi and Chair of the Senate Committ ee on Commerce and Industry as a member of 
my delegation today. I am also pleased to a nnounce that our Chair and the Director of the 
Accession will be joining the Senator in Liberia to lobby for the passage of the laws in August. 
Colleagues, friends, on behalf of Her Excellency, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of the Republic of 
Liberia and the people of Liberia, let me also use this occasion to thank all of you for your support, 
leadership, and flexibility in getting this process to where we are today. 
The Opening Recognition  
Mr. Chairman, In July 2012, Liberia convened its Fi rst Working Party Meeting.  After three years, 
the second Working Party Meeting was convened in May 2015.  Preparation for the Second 
Working Party Meeting was difficult.  The technical support was constrained by factors we could 
not control.   
However, the road to Nairobi, however bumpy will be possible because of all of you in this room 
and beyond. Members have taken a leadership role in providing guidance, you have been 
pragmatic and actively involved with the accession of Liberia.  I thank you for your commitment 
a n d  o v e r w h e l m i n g  s u p p o r t  f o r  t h i s  p r o c e s s .  T o g e t h e r ,  I  k n o w  w e  c a n  m a k e  i t  t o  t h e  T e n t h  
Ministerial in Nairobi, Kenya.  
Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Liberia remains fully committed to the WTO rules and principles.  
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was able to reiterate Liberia's commitment to Director General 
Azevedo on the margins of the Third International Conference on Finance for Development in Addis Ababa earlier this month.   
This accession, when concluded, would be as a result of sustained engagements with our 
stakeholders in Liberia, our committed and talented technicians, from the Members and the 
dynamic leadership of our Chair, WTO Secretariat, as well as, the strong support of the Swedish 
Government through SIDA, and the Swedish National Board of Trade, the US and EU.  I would also like to highlight the support from  ITC, UNCTAD, and the World Bank. WT/ACC/LBR/18 
 
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  Update on the Bilateral Negotiations 
When Liberia forwarded its negotiation package on Goods and Services to the WTO Secretariat, we 
envisaged a long and difficult negotiat ion process with interested Members. 
It has truly been a painful and, sometimes, difficult process but we have emerged from these 
negotiations hopeful and assured of the confidence placed in the values of the multilateral trading 
system.   
Six Members expressed interest in the package.   Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to inform the 
Working Party that we have successfully negotiated and concluded bilateral negotiations with 
Japan, Canada, United States, European Union, Thailand and Chinese Taipei.  
We envisage a technical verification meeting next week Tuesday, July 28th. We are hopeful and 
confident that the results of the technical verifi cation meeting will provide the momentum for the 
emergence of the accession package.  
Update on Draft Working Party Report, Answ ers to Members' Questions and Legislative 
Action Plan  
Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, thanks to all of you for your active participation in the Second Working 
Party. Liberia has been able to provide respon ses regarding excise duties, fees and charges, 
import licensing, SPS, TBT, and TRIPS.  We know that there might be additional questions to seek 
clarity on the responses provided and will be happy to work with you to provide the clarity or seek 
support where needed.    
We have also updated the Import Licensing Questionnaires and checklist on TRIPS (TRIPS/ACC/9). 
We remain committed to accession domestic reforms and as such have made difficult decision with regards to excise duties on key commodities. As such, we will remove the discrimination that was 
imposed on those key commodities. However, we will need a transitional period up to 
August 2017.  
We will also ensure that Customs User Fees an d Transit/Transhipment fees are specific to the 
service and proportional to the size of the cont ainer.  Regarding Pre-shipment inspection fees, 
Liberia will also ensure that the costs of PSI are specific and related to the services being provided 
by the PSI firm.  Pre-shipment inspection services fees include inspection, automated trade 
facilitation procedures/infrastructure, issuance of certificate with expertise for valuation and 
classification.   
Mr. Chairman, we have also updated the Customs Code to include the Amendments regarding the 
provisions of the Customs Valuation Agreement, in cluding the Interpretative Notes, and the Rules 
of Origin Agreement.  
We have also drafted regulations to establish the SPS and TBT Enquiry Points.  
We have transmitted an updated Legislativ e Action Plan to the WTO Secretariat.  We have invited 
the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerc e to participate in the Third Working Party 
Meeting, as we will be working with him closely to ensure the laws are passed in the legislature. 
Conclusion 
Mr Chairman, Excellencies, colleagues and friends, this process is a difficult one because domestic 
reforms is a complex and difficult undertaking and is particularly more difficult for a least developing country, let alone an LDC emerging from multiple challenges of crises that crippled its infrastructure, its economy, its people.  
However, we remain a resilient people and desp ite the odds, no matter how many times we have 
been knocked down, we continue to get up. We are hopeful and confident that this process will pave the way for a new awakening that will change the way we trade, the way we trade with the WT/ACC/LBR/18 
 
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  world in a way that will spark a new renaissance of economic transformation that is balanced and 
inclusive.    
To achieve this, we must first of all commit to the Nairobi endgame. Let's make today's meeting 
the last of our discussions on the substantive issues and plan to return on September 24th for a 
final meeting. 
Excellencies, colleagues and friends, we remain committed to the process because we believe in 
the multilateral trading system and the power of trade to break the shackles of poverty in our 
country. We believe the domestic reforms, howeve r painful at times, will facilitate an enabling 
business environment that will lead to fair and healthy competition that will drive innovation and economic diversification ensuring our economic resilience to crises. 
Mr. Chairman, colleagues, and friends, to achieve this, we know we cannot do it alone. We know 
that much technical assistance will be needed in executing the many domestic reforms. As such, 
we will look to all of you for the technical a ssistance needed to facilitate such reforms. 
Mr. Chairman, colleague and friends, our accession process provides a unique opportunity, 
particularly as the world is holding discussions on the new Sustainable Development Goals. 
Liberia's Accession provides a unique opportunity to show the power of trade for poverty reduction; that development is not sustainable without trade; that trade can trigger economic 
transformation that is inclusive and sustainable; and with the right support, the right reforms, the 
right innovations, we can transform lives in a tr ansformed Liberia in 5, 10, 15, 20 years. At the 
end of it all, all of us in this room can say, Ye s, we had a part to play in that success story.  
Thank you Chairman. 
 WT/ACC/LBR/18 
 
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ANNEX 2 
Statement  by H.E. Senator Jim Tornonlah, Chairman of the Committee for Commerce of 
Senate of Liberia 
 
Mr. Chairman, your Excellencies, I want to first say thank you for this opportunity you have offered us as a nation, especially in the situation we found ourselves with the Ebola crisis 
devastating our economy.  I also want to thank yo u for having stood with us very firmly so that 
our delegation is able to make a difference.   Liberia is a democratic state with separate branches of government.  We are glad that we can be a 
part of the accession process as a national legislature, and stay firm and focused to deliver to our 
people what is best.  We are looking forward to seeing the Draft Accession Package of Liberia and, 
demonstrating our support for our President H.E. Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's agenda for job 
creation, promotion of SMEs and the development tools that will enhance the growth and 
development of our nation.   
We look forward to meeting with the WTO delegation  that will visit Monrovia in August this year, 
headed by the Chairman of the Working Party, wi th the Director of Accessions Divison, to work 
with them to make sure that the Accession Pack age is passed through the national Legislature.  
 
I want to say thank you for the opportunity offered to our delegation and your representation, to 
make us successful in our national priority. Thank you very much.  
 
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