RESTRICTED  
  
WT/MIN(13)/SR/1  
 
10 March 2014  
(14-1447)  Page: 1/3  
Ministerial Conference 
Ninth Session 
Bali, 3-6 December 2013    
 
 SUMMARY RECORD OF THE FIRST MEETING 
HELD AT THE BALI NUSA DUA CONVENTION CENTRE (BNDCC), 
BALI, INDONESIA ON TUESDAY, 3 DECEMBER, AT 3 P.M. 
Chairperson: His Excellency Mr Gita Wirjawan (Indonesia) 
1   OPENING SESSION ...................................................................................................... 1  
1.1   Adoption of the Agenda .............................................................................................. 3  
1.2   Statement on the Or ganization of  Work ........................................................................ 3  
 
1  OPENING SESSION 
1.1.  The Chairman welcomed everyone to the beau tiful island of Bali for the Ninth WTO Ministerial 
Conference. 
1.2.  He said that it was a great honour to be jo ined by the President of the Republic of Indonesia 
at the official opening of the Bali Ministerial Co nference. His presence there reflected the great 
importance Indonesia placed on its role as host of  MC9 and its steadfast belief in the multilateral 
trading system. 
1.3.  The Bali Ministerial Conference was the culm ination of one of the most intense periods of 
negotiation in Geneva since the launch of the Doha Development Agenda 12 years ago.  In Bali, 
Ministers would review the regular work carried out since the last WTO Ministerial Conference in 
2011. Ministers would also be asked to consider and take decisions on several key issues and draft texts that were the results of negotiations over the past few months.  
1.4.  It was Indonesia's hope that over the course  of the following days, Ministers would be able to 
send a strong message to the rest of the world that the multilateral trading system worked; that the WTO remained the pre-eminent forum for negotiating new trade rules; and that it could deliver 
tremendous economic benefits to all its Members. 
1.5.  The issues Ministers would discuss in Bali in cluded a small but significant proportion of the 
Doha Development Agenda – trade facilitation, elements of agriculture and pro-development 
initiatives. 
1.6.  He said that each of those issues was im portant in its own right. Trade facilitation would 
smoothen the flow of goods across borders, greatly reducing the time, cost and administrative uncertainty of engaging in international trade. New flexibilities on agriculture would improve the 
lives of farmers in developing countries, promoting food security and the alleviation of rural 
poverty. And outcomes on development would enhance the ability of least-developed countries to reap the benefits of trade. 
1.7.  Indonesia sincerely wished that the Ministerial Conference and its deliverables could have 
profound significance. Success in Bali would demonstrate to the world — and to Members themselves — that they were still capable of coming to agreement on matters critical to the global economy.  WT/MIN(13)/SR/1 
 
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  1.8.  Agreement on the Bali Package had the potential to reinvigorate negotiations on the Doha 
Development Agenda. Success in Bali would set Me mbers on a new path towards the conclusion of 
agreements that would maximize opportunities for all of them, and particularly for developing and 
least-developed countries, to benefi t from growth in global trade. 
1.9.  Members were on the cusp of an accomplishment that had eluded them for 12 long years. 
They were closer than ever before to the first tangible results of the long-running Doha Round. They could see the finish line, and if they were able to cross it, their achievements in Bali would 
restore the world’s faith and confidence in the WTO and the multilateral trading system. 
1.10.  Success in Bali was critical. Then was the time for Members to demonstrate to the world 
that the WTO was still relevant, and that they were capable of putting aside their differences for the collective benefit of businesses and citizens around the world. 
1.11.  Addressing the President of the Republic of Indonesia, he said that it was a great honour 
and privilege to have him preside over the open ing of the Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference.  
1.12.  The Director-General of WTO, Mr Roberto Azevêdo, then welcomed everyone to the Ninth 
Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Orga nization and thanked them for being there. 
1.13.  He paid tribute to the Government and to the People of Indonesia for hosting the Ministerial 
Conference. He expressed his sincere gratitude to the President, who had honoured them with his 
presence, and to Minister Gita Wirjawan. 
1.14.  The support which the Indonesian Government had provided in the preparations for that 
week had been tireless. It was testament to In donesia's firm commitment to Members' work and 
to the success of the Conference. 
1.15.  He had no doubt that hosting a Ministerial Conference was a challenging task especially at 
such a critical juncture in their endeavours.  
1.16.  So, on behalf of the World Trade Organi zation and each of the 159 Members, he thanked 
them for their generous hospitality and for hosting them in this very magnificent setting.  
1.17.  Bali offered an idyllic setting for their deliberations. He was sure that the beauty of the place 
and the warm welcome of the Indonesian people wo uld have a positive effect on their work over 
the following days. 
1.18.  Finally, he wished to share one thought. He had heard the previous day that Bali was 
sometimes known by an affectionate nickname, the Morning of the World . It was a wonderful 
sentiment and he could not help thinking that just that week the phrase was a couple of words too 
short. It felt sometimes that the WTO had been through a long, dark night and he hoped that 
perhaps in Bali, Members would once again see the morning of the World Trade Organization. 
1.19.  The President of the Republic of Indone sia, H.E. Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, then 
addressed the Ministerial Conference (WT/MIN(13)/15). 
1.20.  The President of Indonesia marked the Op ening of the Ministerial Conference by sounding 
the kul-kul , a ceremonial Indonesian percussion instrument. He was then escorted from the room 
by the Director-General and the Chairman. 
1.21.  The Chairman then delivered an address (WT/MIN(13)/16). 
1.22.  The Director-General then delivered an address (WT/MIN(13)/17). 
1.23.  The Chairman of the General Council and Pe rmanent Representative of the Islamic Republic 
of Pakistan to the WTO, H.E. Mr Shahid Bashir, then delivered an address (WT/MIN(13)/18). 
 WT/MIN(13)/SR/1 
 
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  1.24.  The Chairman thanked the three Vice Chairp ersons of the Ministerial Conference, who would 
assist him for the following few days: H.E. Mr Fran çois Kanimba, Minister of Trade and Industry of 
Rwanda; H.E. Lord Stephen Green, Minister of Trade and Investment of the United Kingdom; and H.E. Ms Magali Silva Velarde-Álvarez, Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru.  
1.1  Adoption of the Agenda 
1.25.  The Chairman drew attention to the Provisional Agenda for the Ministerial Conference in 
document WT/MIN(13)/W/1 and proposed that the Agenda be adopted. 
1.26.  The Ministerial Conference adopted the following agenda as proposed in WT/MIN(11)/W/1: 
1. Overview of Activities of the WTO  
2. Action by Ministers  
3. Date and Venue of the Tenth Session  
4. Election of Officers 
1.2  Statement on the Organization of Work 1.27.  The Chairman drew attention to the Progra mme for the Ministerial Conference in document 
WT/MIN(13)/INF/13. 
1.28.  He noted that Members would begin the Plenary Session on the following day at 9.30 a.m. 
with General Statements under Item 1 of the Agenda.  The Plenary Session would then continue to 
receive General Statements through the following days of the Conference.  At 4.30 p.m. the 
following day, Members would take up the Acce ssion of the Republic of Yemen under Agenda 
Item 2 – Action by Ministers. 
1.29.  He said that the remaining decisions under Agenda Item 2 and the other two items on the 
Agenda would be taken up at Closing Session of  this Conference, which was scheduled for the 
afternoon of Friday 6 December. 
1.30.  The Ministerial Conference took note of the statement. 
1.31.  The meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m. 
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