RESTRICTED  
  
WT/MIN(15)/SR/1  
2 February 2016  
(16-0704)  Page: 1/4  
Ministerial Conference 
Tenth Session 
Nairobi, 15-18 December 2015   
 
SUMMARY RECORD OF THE FIRST MEETING 
HELD AT THE KENYATTA INTERNATIO NAL CONVENTION CENTRE (KICC),  
NAIROBI, KENYA ON TUESDAY, 15 DECEMBER, AT 3 P.M. 
Chairperson: Her Excellency Dr Amina C. Mohamed (Kenya) 
Subjects discussed: 
 
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 Chairperson delivered her welcoming remarks (WT/MIN(15)/22). 
1.2.  The Director-General then delivered his welcoming remarks (WT/MIN(15)/20). 
1.3.  The Right Honourable Prime Minister of  Uganda, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, representing 
H.E. President Yoweri Museveni welcomed everyone to Africa in general and East Africa in 
particular, and to the Tenth Session of the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference. It was 
the first time the Conference was held in the Af rican continent. He congratulated H.E. President 
Kenyatta and the People of the Republic of Kenya on being the first African country to host the 
WTO Ministerial Conference.  
1.4.  He also congratulated the WTO membership on its Twentieth Anniversary – a significant 
milestone that everyone could be proud of. Africa  had been looking forward to such an occasion 
when all Members would have the opportunity to discuss matters that affected the continent the most and matters that were so dear to Africans. He was glad that the opportunity had come at a 
time when the organization was celebrating its Twentieth Anniversary.  
1.5.  Africa had about fourteen per cent of the world's population. The population below the 
poverty line in Africa accounted for 12.7% of the total world population. As such, the majority of 
least-developed countries in the world and the WTO were from the African continent. Africa 
continued to expand its energies to get out of that situation and there was no doubt that trade 
would play a leading role in that quest, as trad e derived development. Africa was a continent of 
hope, promise and potential. Through fair trade rules it would be able to lift millions of its citizens 
out of poverty.  
1.6.  Africa remained active an participant in the Doha Development round of negotiations since it 
had been launched fifteen years before and was op timistic that the development promise of the 
round could be delivered during the Ministerial Conference. He was aware that estimates indicated 
that the conclusion of the Doha Development round would lead to an increase in world exports in excess of 360 billion USD per annum. All Members – developed countries, developing countries and least-developed countries – would benefit from the increase in exports in different proportions. WT/MIN(15)/SR/1 
 
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  It was therefore pertinent that Members worked towards concluding the round of negotiations as 
had originally been envisaged so that they woul d not keep those benefits out of their reach any 
longer. He wished everyone fruitful deliberations. 
1.7.  The Secretary-General of UNCTAD, H.E. Dr Mukhisa Kituyi, representing the United Nations 
Secretary-General, expressed the United Nations' appreciation to the Government and the People 
of Kenya for hosting the important watershed meeting in a series of WTO Ministerial meetings. The Secretary-General of the United Nations would have  wanted to be in the session but the events 
following the successful round of negotiations in COP 21 in Paris had made it impossible for him to 
be present. He had asked him to convey a message not just of encouragement but also of hope.  
1.8.  He recalled that, in the year 2000, the wo rld had embarked upon an inclusive agenda which 
called the Millennium Development Goals. The differe nt instruments of solidarity could drastically 
reduce at least by 50% the prevalence of extreme poverty in the world. A year later, the WTO in 
the city of Doha had set out to make trade contribute in its way to the pursuit of inclusive prosperity by the reduction of extreme poverty.  
1.9.  Two months ago in New York, the world had harvested the progress on the MDGs and had 
launched the Agenda 2030 with a clarion call to banish extreme poverty within fifteen years. In Addis Ababa in July 2015, the Financing for Development Conference had pledged the financial 
pillar for achieving that ambition. On 25 Se ptember in New York, the political and social 
community had pledged their commitment for making their contribution to the inclusive agenda. A week ago in Paris, the environmental and climate change community had not only reached but had surpassed the targets that they had set for th emselves to contribute to the revival of 
multilateralism and inclusive prosperity for all in their lifetime. 
1.10.  In Nairobi, the WTO Ministerial Conference was the first international meeting after the 
completion of the trilogy of meetings where not on ly could Members show fidelity to the collective 
multilateral spirit that was sweeping the world, but they also had an opportunity to say that the 
trade community was ready to contribute to the banishing of extreme poverty in the world. It was in their hands. It was a historic opportunity in a developing country and the United Nations would 
be there to celebrate with them. 
1.11.  The President of the Republic of Liberia, H.E. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was deeply 
honoured to join President Kenyatta on that historic occasion marking the opening of the Tenth 
Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization – the first in their continent. It was a 
testament to his leadership and the role that Kenya continued to play as an economic power 
driving innovations of transformation that could improve the lives of his people. She thanked him, 
his government and the People of Kenya for their warm reception. She extended her gratitude to 
him for the particular distinction of the honour bestowed on her in admitting her to the Chief of the 
Order of Golden Hearts of Kenya. 
1.12.  The following day would mark a historic milestone in Liberia's joining of transformation. As 
Liberia was accepted into the World Trade Organization family, it was optimistic that the Ministerial 
Conference was poised to impact global trade, to  strengthen the rule-based multilateral trading 
system, to ensure that the less developed nations of the world were given a better deal by removal of barriers which would foster a larger percentage of global trade. As such, in the same 
way the world could celebrate a turning point in driving the global climate change commitments 
concluded in Paris, she looked forward to celebrating with the WTO Membership a Nairobi Outcome that fostered fairer, more equitable trade for the prosperity of all people. 
1.13.  She congratulated the WTO for the immense co ntributions it had made over the last twenty 
years to ensure that the rules-based multilateral trading system evolved with the ever growing complexities of the world. In the following days, Members could play a role in contributing to a 
world, to an Africa and to a WTO they all wanted. She looked forward to having a Nairobi 
Declaration and wished everyone success in all their deliberations. 
1.14.  The President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta, then addressed the 
Ministerial Conference (WT/MIN(15)/28). WT/MIN(15)/SR/1 
 
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  1.15.  The President of Kenya marked the Openin g of the Ministerial Conference by sounding the 
drums. He was then escorted from the room, together with H.E. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the Right Honourable Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, by the Director-General and the Chairperson. The Chairperson and the Director-General then returned to the room. 
1.16.  The Chairperson then delivered an address (WT/MIN(15)/23). 
1.17.  The Director-General then delivered an address (WT/MIN(15)/20). 
1.18.  The Chairman of the General Council and Pe rmanent Representative of Mexico to the WTO, 
H.E. Mr Fernando de Mateo, then delivered an address (WT/MIN(15)/21). 
1.19.  The Chairperson thanked the General Council Chairman for the work he had done in Geneva 
and for transmitting three texts to the Ministerial Conference for final decision. She extended her 
gratitude to three Vice-Chairpersons of the Minist erial Conference who would assist her during the 
following days: H.E. Mr Gregorio Domingo, Secretary of Trade and Industry of the Philippines; 
H.E. Mr Alexander Mora, Minister of Foreign Tr ade of Costa Rica; and H.E. Mr Carlo Calenda, 
Member of Italian Cabinet of Ministers, in char ge of Trade and Investment of Italy. She also 
thanked the former Chairman of the General Council, Ambassador Jonathan Fried (Canada) for the 
excellent work he had done on ensuring that the process that led to the acceptance of Nairobi as the host for the WTO would be carried out with dignity and in a manner that had pleased all 
Members that had participated in the process.   
1.1  Adoption of the Agenda 1.20.  The Chairperson drew attention to the Prov isional Agenda for the Ministerial Conference in 
document WT/MIN(15)/W/1. She noted that the texts that had been discussed in Geneva in the 
MC10 preparatory period, the draft text of the Ministerial Declaration and all Members' proposals 
remained on the table for Ministers' considerat ion and could be taken up under Item 2 of the 
Agenda "Action by Ministers". She informed Memb ers that, immediately after the Opening Session 
and after a short break to allow Observers, repres entatives of the press, of the NGOs, and other 
guests to leave the room, she and the Director-Gener al would hold an Informal briefing session for 
Ministers of WTO Members and Observer Govern ments only on the process ahead. She then 
proposed that the Agenda be adopted. 
1.21.  The Ministerial Conference adopted the following agenda as proposed in WT/MIN(15)/W/1: 
1. Overview of Activities of the WTO  
2. Action by Ministers  
3. Date and Venue of the Eleventh Session  
4. Election of Officers 
1.2  Statement on the Organization of Work 
1.22.  The Chairperson drew attention to the Over all Programme for the Ministerial Conference in 
document WT/MIN(15)/INF/16/REV.1. The Plenary Session would commence 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 thro ugh the following days of the Conference.  
1.23.  At 4.30 p.m. of the following day, the Mini sterial Conference would take up the Accession of 
the Republic of Liberia under Agenda Item 2 – Ac tion by Ministers. On Thursday, 17 December, at 
4.30 p.m., they would take up the Accession of th e Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, still under 
Agenda Item 2 – Action by Ministers.  
1.24.  Any other decisions or actions under Agenda Item 2 that the Ministerial Conference deemed 
necessary – as well as the other two items on the Agenda – would be taken up at the Closing 
Session of the Conference, which was scheduled at 12 noon on Friday 18 December. WT/MIN(15)/SR/1 
 
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  1.25.  The Ministerial Conference took note of the statement. 
1.26.  The meeting adjourned at 5 p.m. 
 
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