WT/MIN(13)/ST/66  
5 December 2013  
(13-6747)  Page: 1/2  
Ministerial Conference 
Ninth Session 
Bali, 3-6 December 2013  Original: French  
 
  STATEMENT BY MR LIEVIN UTWAY BIGOFALA 
SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE MINISTRY OF THE ECONOMY AND TRADE 
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 
The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which I have the great honour 
of representing, extends its sincere appreciation to the Government and people of Indonesia for 
their warm welcome and the facilities provided at this Conference. 
This is also the ideal moment to congratulate Ambassador Roberto Azevêdo on his appointment 
as Director-General, and Yemen on its accession to the WTO. 
We have been negotiating the Doha Development Agenda for 12 years now without achieving 
the results we expected. 
The Democratic Republic of the Congo hopes th at at this Session WTO Members are prepared 
to show the political commitment and flexibility needed to make significant progress; progress which our Organization can then transform into appropriate solutions. 
Indeed, yet another negotiating failure here in Bali  would seal the fate of the Doha Agenda which, 
nevertheless, continues to inspire hope and is one of the LDCs' major concerns. 
Regarding Aid for Trade, Members meeting at the Fourth Global Review of this subject 
acknowledged its importance for integrating LDCs into global value chains. 
The Aid for Trade initiative therefore deserves to be not only maintained but above all reinforced. 
The Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) shou ld therefore be maintained beyond 2015 
to consolidate what the LDCs have achieved in their efforts to eliminate supply constraints. 
As for the balance between trade, environment an d sustainable development, it should be noted 
that "more trade and sustainable development" wa s considered the winning combination to which 
the multilateral trading system committed itself at the conclusion of the Uruguay Round. 
It turns out that 20 years after the entry into force of the Marrakesh Agreement, the countries 
polluting the most are those with the largest sh are of the world goods market. The Democratic 
Republic of the Congo, as a major contributor to environmental conservation, fears that, in the absence of rules and disciplines, the multilateral trading system will not be able to give meaning 
to the notion of "sustainable development". 
The fight against trade in blood minerals in conflict zones also merits special attention and calls for 
appropriate provisions applicable to the perpetrators of practices that we wholeheartedly condemn. 
This would undoubtedly weaken the appetite for arme d conflict in areas potentially rich in natural 
resources, which in turn would protect local populations from degrading and inhuman treatment while they too wait to enjoy the benefits of the multilateral trading system. WT/MIN(13)/ST/66 
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  Lastly, the Democratic Republic of the Congo associates itself with the statements made 
by Morocco on behalf of the African Group, Ja maica on behalf of the ACP Group, and Nepal 
on behalf of the LDCs, in relation to agriculture, trade facilitation, development issues, and the post-Bali roadmap. 
 
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