WT/MIN(17)/ST/97/Rev.1  
 
8 March  2018 
(18-1430) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Eleventh Session  
Buenos Aires, 10 -13 December 2017  Original: English  
 
STATEMENT BY HON. LA UTAFI FIO SELAFI PUR CELL  
MINISTER OF COMMERCE , INDUSTRY AND LABOU R 
SAMOA 
Revision  
On behalf of the Government of Samoa and the Pacific Group, I thank the Government and people 
of Argentina for the generous hospitality extended to our delegations since our arrival and for 
hosting this ministerial meeting. At the outset, Samoa aligns itse lf to the statements by the Pacific 
Group; the ACP Ministerial Declaration; and the work of the Group of Small and Vulnerable 
Economies. I have the honour of speaking on behalf of the Pacific Group with a detailed statement 
being circulated for reference.  
The Pacific Forum Leaders at their meeting in Apia this past September endorsed the Blue Pacific 
narrative which emphasizes the importance of being able to have a strong and collective voice, 
and a regional position and actions, on issues vital to our deve lopment as a region and as the new 
Blue Pacific continent. This new narrative is in recognition by the Leaders of their shared ocean 
identity, geography and resources which is what defines Pacific peoples and is the source of 
transformative potential.  Securing the wellbeing and potential of The Blue Pacific is at the centre of 
the Forum Agenda . 
The current Forum Agenda encourages members to engage more closely and strategically, to 
advocate foreign policy priorities affecting 'The Blue Pacific ' in order to influence actors, partners 
and agreements in a way that supports the Agenda. Furthermore the Forum strives for open and 
genuine relations, and inclusive and enduring partnerships within our region and beyond.  
The Forum Agenda also aims to secure the health  and wellbeing of all our peoples, particularly the 
most vulnerable among us. This will require enhancing the resilience of our oceans, our islands, 
and our economies through well -coordinated efforts in disaster and climate change risk reduction, 
as well a s ensuring greater access to financing for resilience, climate adaptation and disaster 
responsive facilities.  
Enabling greater Blue Pacific connectivity will promote trade both within our region and globally 
and will allow greater mobility of our people to  access employment around the region.  
The Blue Pacific requires a collective security architecture that recognizes, promotes and provides 
security in the broadest sense of the term. There is collective commitment to ensure the security 
of our shared ocean geography, resources and ecosystems therein from unsustainable exploitation 
and illegal activities, including illegal fishing and transnational crime. It also seeks to protect our 
ocean environment and our people from the scourges of nuclear weapons and po llution, from 
violent conflict and human rights abuses, and from impacts of climate change and disasters.  
A key consideration of Development is that, economies of all small island states have peculiar 
circumstances associated with their vulnerabilities. Th e Pacific Group reaffirms that Special and 
Differential Treatment in recognition of this special case of SIDS must be accorded them. As Chair 
of the Pacific Forum, Samoa calls on the WTO, to support our efforts. We cannot continue to 
promote trade as a dev elopmental tool if the rules of the multilateral trading system do not WT/MIN(17)/ST/97/Rev.1  
 
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  recognise our perpetual vulnerability. The Pacific group reaffirms the centrality and indispensable 
function of the multilateral system and commits to playing its part in advancing rema ining issues 
of common concern.  
We continue to emphasize the importance of Fisheries to our wellbeing, livelihoods, food security, 
resilience and the sustainable development of our economies. The Pacific Group accords great 
importance to the fisheries subs idies negotiations and is encouraged by positive signals received 
regarding this incremental process. We note that while progress has been made in some areas, 
divergence remains on key issues of concern to the Pacific Group.  
We look to the WTO as the forum  to attain the Sustainable Development Goal 14.6 target, to 
eliminate and prohibit harmful fisheries subsidies by 2020. We remain hopeful for a meaningful 
outcome at this Ministerial Conference and will give direction on the work necessary to ensure 
such h armful fisheries subsidies are brought under WTO disciplines, while providing appropriate 
flexibilities to support our small fisheries industries.  
Specifically, we call on all our members and partners, to support our insistence for appropriate 
transition p eriods, technical and capacity building assistance for implementation; and required 
policy space to develop our fisheries sector.  
This is in line with the Pacific Forum Leaders ' call for a united regional effort to establish and 
secure international recogn ition of the permanent protection and integrity of the maritime zones 
and sovereignty from the impacts of climate change and sea -level rise.  
It is not often that you hear Samoa speak in Geneva. Madam Chair and Director General, I urge 
that the WTO continue  to facilitate the participation of Samoa and others of the Pacific Group, and 
other members without permanent representation in Geneva, in the WTO processes until such a 
time when we are able to adequately be represented and participate fully in the negot iations.  
Samoa 's first WTO Trade Policy Review will take place in early 2019. I call on the members and the 
Secretariat to provide support for Samoa to undertake this invaluable exercise.  
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