WT/MIN(15)/ST/47  
18 December 2015  
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Ministerial Conference 
Tenth Session 
Nairobi, 15-18 December 2015  Original: Spanish  
 
  STATEMENT BY H.E. MR ALBERTO PEDRO D'ALOTTO 
AMBASSADOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE 
 
 
ARGENTINA  
Argentina reaffirms its commitment to the multilateral rules and to the World Trade Organization 
as a forum for conducting multilateral trade negotiations. Significant achievements have been 
made as a result of the work carried out by this Organization in its first 20 years, chiefly through 
its contribution to increasing trade in goods and services, the accession of new Members, and the effective operation of its regular committees and dispute settlement system. 
 
However, we note with concern the current negotiating status of the Organization, particularly in the agricultural sector, which is of critical importance for the developing countries. There is still no 
glimpse of an effective undertaking to reduce domestic support and improve market access 
conditions for the developing countries, or of the elimination of all forms of export subsidy (although, we hope to see major progress this week regarding this last pillar).  
This situation, which has lasted for many years now, has exacerbated the imbalance in the trade 
commitments resulting from the Uruguay Round, to the detriment of the developing and least developed countries. Our country will hence continue to give high priority to deepening agricultural 
reform, which is an ongoing process, as provided fo r in Article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture. 
 In this regard, we echo the words of H.E. Mr  Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya, that the 
distortions in this sector continue to prevent our countries from unlocking their true potential, 
unable as they are to compete with excessively subsidized agriculture in the developed countries.  In line with the Kenyan President's statement, we  urge all Members to expedite the negotiations 
and move towards a positive outcome in this long process, which should lead to the establishment 
of fairer and more market-oriented agricultural trade.  
Addressing the outstanding challenges in a flexible manner should not imply relinquishing the 
commitments undertaken by the Membership, many of which, particularly those regarding the developing and least developed countries, have not yet been fulfilled. 
 
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted this year sets a whole number of challenges to which this Organization can provide a specific response. The consensus reached on the Agenda shows that, when there is political will, the international community can work together 
for the common good (as was also clearly demonstrated at COP21 in Paris). 
 In addition, the 2030 Agenda compels us to prom ote a fair trading system by remedying trade 
restrictions and distortions in agriculture and eliminating fisheries subsidies, which are of equally 
significant importance for our country and for many of those present today.  
Argentina will continue to put forward constructive solutions and encourage transparency, 
cooperation and non-discrimination in trade relations.  We are convinced that the World Trade Organization should resume its central role in the world 
trade system. Considering the complexity of the ch allenge, we should set our hopes on being able 
to achieve successful collective outcomes which, through our endeavours, creativity and realistic WT/MIN(15)/ST/47 
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  approach, will gradually allow our countries to grow. We must succeed in jointly addressing the 
outstanding challenges in order to move, in a responsible and mutually supportive manner, toward a genuine form of multilateralism based on the principles of balance and solidarity, so as to consolidate an open and non-discriminatory rules-based system. 
 
To conclude, I would like to welcome the Republic of Kazakhstan, which has recently become our 162
nd Member, and to congratulate Liberia and Afghanistan for concluding their respective 
processes of accession to this Organization; these are arduous and complex procedures which, as 
we know, require a high level of political will and commitment.  
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