RESTRICTED  
  
TN/AG/GEN/48  
TN/AG/SCC/GEN/19  
 
30 November 2018  
(18-7591) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Agriculture Special Session  
Sub-Committee on Cotton  Original: French  
 
  
WTO NEGOTIATIONS ON AGRICULTURE  
Communication from the Co-Sponsors of the Sectoral Initiative in Favour of Cotton1 
The following communication, dated 26 November 2018, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Benin on behalf of the co -sponsors of the Sectoral Initiative in Favour of Cotton . 
 
_______________  
N'DJAMENA  MINISTERIAL DECLARATI ON ON COTTON  
We, the Trade Ministers of the four co -sponsors of the Sectoral I nitiative in Favour of Cotton (C4) at 
the World Trade O rganization (WTO) in Geneva, on the occasion of the 6th Regular C4 Coordination 
Meeting in N'Djamena  (Chad) on 15 and  16 November 2018 ; 
 
1. Deeply concerned  by the lack of substantial outcomes  in the multilateral trade negotiations on 
domestic support for cotton, despite the mandate issued  in December 2005 in Hong Kong ; 
 
2. Having reviewed  all the outcomes  of the 11th Ministerial Conference  of the World Trade 
Organization, held in Buenos Aires (Ar gentina) from  10 to 13 December  2017;  
 
3. Stressing  that the issue of cotton is of vital interest for the econ omies and populations of 
cotton producing and exporting African countries and , in particular,  least developed countries 
(LDCs) ; 
 
4. Having examined  the development of the negotiations and assessed the negative impact , on 
economies and social conditions , of domestic support that creates distortion, of export 
subsidies, and of any other form  of cotton subsidy  with equivalent effects granted by certain 
WTO Members ; 
 
5. Stressing  that this support and these subsidies continue to d isrupt world cotton pr ices and that  
one of the main consequences of this disruption  is the significant loss of income suffered by  
millions of people in cotton producing and exportin g African countries and LDCs ; 
 
6. Also stressing the crucial role of the cotton sector in achieving the Sustainable Development 
Goals (SDGs), notably as regards the fight against poverty and the contribution to food security 
in cotton producing and exporting African countries and LDCs ; 
 
7. Recalling  that Trade Ministers gave a clear and specific mandate for addressing the cotton 
issue at the WTO  in the Ministerial Decisions on Cotton adopted on 1 August 2004 in Geneva 
and on 22 December 2005 in Hong Kong, calling  for cotton to be addressed "ambitiously, 
expeditiously and specifically";  
 
8. Recalling  our N'Djamena appeal of 16 November 2005, the subsequent Ouagadougou 
Declarations of 20 June 2006 and 6 September 2007, the Bamako Declaration of 
27 October  2016,  and the  Cotonou  Declaration of  21 April 2017;  
 
                                                
1 Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and C had. TN/AG/GEN/48 • TN/AG/SCC/GEN/19  
 
- 2 - 
 
  9. Recalling Decision WT/MIN(15)/W/48, dated 19 December 2015, of the 10th WTO Minister ial 
Conference held in Nairobi (Kenya)  from 15 to 19 December 2015, and the need to achieve 
substantive and measurable outcomes for cotton ; 
 
10. Recalling the conclusions and observations formulated at the close of the various  sessions of 
the WTO Director -General's Consultative Framework Mechanism on Cotton , held  in Geneva , and 
following  the resumption of the post -Nairobi multilater al trad e negotiations on cotton ; 
 
11. Urgently call upon all WTO Members granting domestic support that distorts the international 
cotton market to strive for further  progress in the work on cotton  and to notify, on a regular 
basis and for the purpose of  greater transparency, up-to-date information on the domestic 
support granted to their producers , with a view to meeting  the objectives set for this vital issue  
as quickly as possible ; 
 
12. Emphasize  the need to explore all possible solutions that would adequa tely respond to and 
take into consideration the vital and trade -related  concerns  of several million producers  
regarding  domestic support for cotton ; 
 
13. Consider , therefore, that the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference should be the deadline for 
carrying out the mandate on cotton given by the Trade Ministers 15 years ago, a mandate which 
has yet to be addressed in any adequate and meaningful way ; 
 
14. Once again express our confiden ce in our negotiators in Geneva  and, at the same time , give 
them a fresh mandate to pursue the negotiations on cotton ; 
 
15. Remain committed to working towards a conclusion to the Doha Round of negotiations, taking 
account of the concerns of developing count ries and, more particularly , those of the LDCs, which 
include several African countries ; 
 
16. Express our readiness to continue the reforms under way in the cotton sector in our countries ; 
 
17. Reaffirm  our support  for a multilateral trading s ystem  based on WTO rules ; 
 
18. Thank the South -South, North -South, bilateral, reg ional and multilateral development partners  
for their support for capacity -building activities with respect to the production, processing and 
exportation of cotton and cotton by -products in African countrie s and, in particula r, in LDCs;  
 
19. Urge  all the development partners (bilateral, regional and multilateral ) to contribute to the 
implementation of the integrative and regional programme, most notably the " Route du 
Coton " (Cotton Road)  programme, so as to ensure the development of  value chains in  the 
cotton sector  of beneficiary countries , with a view to truly making this sector  an instrument for 
creating jobs, combatting poverty and illegal migration, improving food security, and 
sustainable and inclusive economic and social development ; 
 
20. Urge our technical and financial partners to contribute to the implementation of integrative 
programmes and projects that could promote the production, processing and marketing of 
cotton and its by -products in accordance with the development component of the MC 10 
Ministerial Decision on Cotton . 
 
  TN/AG/GEN/48 • TN/AG/SCC/GEN/19  
 
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  Done at N'Djamena on 16 November  2018 
 
 
 
Fait à N 'Djamena, le 16 novembre 2018  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
__________  
 
 
 
 
__________  For the Republic of Be nin 
 
Mr Serge M ahouwèdo  AHISSOU  
Minister for Industry and Trade   
For the Republic of Chad  
 
Mr AHMAT MAHAMAT BÂ CHIR  
Minister for  Mines, Industrial and Commercial 
Development , and Private Sector Promotion  
For the Republic of  Mali 
 
Mr Alhassane AG AHMED MOUSSA  
Minister for Trade and Competition  
For Burkina Faso  
 
Mr Joseph ZERBO  
Representative of the Minister for Trade, 
Industry and Crafts