RESTRICTED  
  
WT/MIN(15)/SR/4  
9 March 2016  
(16-1398)  Page: 1/16  
Ministerial Conference 
Tenth Session 
Nairobi, 15-18 December 2015   
 
SUMMARY RECORD OF THE FOURTH MEETING 
HELD AT THE KENYATTA INTERNATIO NAL CONVENTION CENTRE (KICC), 
NAIROBI, KENYA ON WEDNESDAY, 16 DECEMBER, AT 4.30 P.M. 
Chairperson: Her Excellency Dr Amina Mohamed (Kenya) 
1  ACTION BY MINISTERS (AGENDA ITEM 2) – ACCESSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF 
LIBERIA 
1.1.  The Chairperson welcomed H.E. President Elle n Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of 
Liberia and H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta, Pres ident of the Republic of Kenya. President 
Kenyatta's presence attested to the importance that Kenya attached to welcoming an African country to the WTO family during the first Ministerial Conference held on African soil. The presence 
of the President of Liberia at the meeting was a demonstration of Liberia's commitment to its 
domestic reform processes and to furthering their common goals as embodied in the multilateral trading system under the WTO. She also welcomed  other members of the delegation of Liberia 
that were present at the session, especially H.E. Mr. Axel Addy, Minister of Commerce and 
Industry and Chief Negotiator fo r the Accession of Liberia.   
1.2.  She said that, as she had indicated during  the Opening Session, the Ministerial Conference 
would take up the Accession of the Republic of Liberia under item 2 of the Agenda, Action by 
Ministers. She recalled that on 6 October 2015, the Working Party had approved, ad referendum, 
the accession package of the Republic of Liberia. The Report of the Working Party was then before 
the Ministerial Conference in documents WT/ACC/LBR/23 - WT/MIN(15)/2 and Addenda 1 and 2, 
for consideration and adoption. She invited the Chairperson of the Working Party of the Accession 
of Liberia, Ambassador Joakim Reiter (Sweden), to introduce the Report of the Working Party. 
1.3.  Ambassador Joakim Reiter (Sweden), Chairp erson of the Working Party of the Accession of 
Liberia, presented the Report of the Working Party.  He was honoured to do so in the presence of 
H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta and H.E. Presiden t Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who had provided the 
leadership and the vision to make that accession possible. He welcomed H.E. Minister Axel Addy 
and the distinguished delegation of Liberia an d the members of Liberia's negotiating team.  
1.4.  The Working Party on the accession of the Republic of Liberia had been established on 18 
December 2007 to examine Liberia's request for WTO accession. In total, the accession process of Liberia had taken eight years minus two days. The Working Party had held four formal meetings 
including the final working party meeting held on 6 October 2015. The intensity of the accession 
negotiations had increased significantly in 2015. Du ring that year until the end of the process, 
there had been a non-stop engagement in the Working Party requiring determination and 
endurance from Liberia represented by its enti re negotiating team. In the end, Liberia had 
succeeded. On 6 October, the Working Party an d all WTO Members had ag reed, ad referendum, 
Liberia's Accession Package.  
1.5.  He was therefore honoured that day to in troduce the Accession Package of Liberia and to 
report on the conclusions and recommendations of  the Package. The results of the negotiations 
constituting the terms of accession were contained in the following documents: the Report of the Working Party circulated in WT/MIN(15)/2, the Schedule of Concessions and Commitments on WT/MIN(15)/SR/4 
 
- 2 - 
 
  Goods in WT/MIN(15)/2/Add.1 and the Schedules of Specific Commitments on Services in 
WT/MIN(15)/2/Add.2. By adopting on an ad refe rendum basis the Accession Package of Liberia, 
the Working Party had completed its mandate and it had forwarded a report that he presented that day to the Ministerial Conference for formal decision. The appendix to the report contained a draft 
Decision for the Ministerial Conference and a Draf t Protocol on the Accession of the Republic of 
Liberia to the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization. The Accession Protocol incorporated by reference the specific commitments undertaken by Liberia in the Report 
of the Working Party.  
1.6.  Thanks to the important actions taken over the course of the Accession negotiations, Liberia 
was far advanced in the adoption of WTO-consistent national legislations. Over 110 laws and regulations had been notified to the WTO for multilateral review. The progress on the legislative 
front including the clear sense of ownership of the process shown by Liberia's legislature had 
significantly contributed to the forward momentum in their work over the past year.  
1.7.  As Chairperson of the Working Party, foll owing his assessment of the accession package of 
Liberia with the Secretariat team, compared to 34 previous accession packages, he was in the 
position to report to the Ministerial Conference, that the accession package of Liberia was of high quality especially considering that Liberia was an LDC. The Package would contribute to 
strengthening the rules-based multilateral trading system. It also provided Liberia with a long-
term agenda for sustained, legislation-based domestic reforms in a manner that genuinely promoted trade and investment for economic welfare of its people.  
1.8.  He paid tribute to Liberia's team of de voted and committed negotiators under the leadership 
of Minister Addy. The work of the entire Liberian  negotiating team had been exemplary. The fact 
that Liberia had worked tirelessly in the midst of a horrific and devastating health crisis with global 
ramifications made its achievement all the more significant. He commended the Members for 
working hard to support Liberia and for demonstrating goodwill and pragmatism throughout the 
process. He appreciated the Director-General's support and paid tribute the Secretariat staff who had supported him and had assisted Liberia througho ut the process, in particular the Director of 
the Accession Division, the Secretary and the Co-Sec retary of the Working Party. They had worked 
consistently – providing guidance and expert su pport, helping them manage the ebbs and flows 
that every accession was naturally confronted with. 
1.9.  In his capacity as the Chairperson of the Working Party, he had the privilege to commend the 
Protocol of Accession of the Republic of Liberi a for approval and to commend the draft Decision 
and the Report of the Working Party for adoption by the Ministerial Conference. 
1.10.  The Chairperson thanked Ambassador Reiter for having served as Chairperson of the 
Working Party for the last three years. In light of the report presented by Ambassador Reiter, she 
then took up the package of Liberia's accession  documents one by one. In keeping with usual 
practice, she would begin with the draft Protocol  of Accession of the Republic of Liberia as 
contained in the Report of the Working Party. She invited the Ministerial Conference to approve the 
draft Protocol of Accession of the Republic of Liberia.  
1.11.  She then invited the Ministerial Confer ence, in accordance with the Decision-Making 
Procedures under Articles IX and XII of the WT O Agreement agreed in November 1995 (WT/L/93), 
to adopt the draft Decision on the Accession of the Republic of Liberia as contained in the Report of 
the Working Party. 
1.12.  She then invited the Ministerial Conference  to adopt the Report of the Working Party as a 
whole in documents WT/ACC/LBR/23-WT/MIN(15)/2 and the Addenda 1 and 2. 
1.13.  The Ministerial Conference so agreed. 
1.14.  The Chairperson welcomed the Decision the Ministerial Conference had taken on the 
Accession of the Republic of Liberia to the Wo rld Trade Organization. She congratulated H.E. 
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her entire team, and the People and the Government of Liberia on the successful completion of their WTO accessi on process. The Decision on the Accession of 
Liberia was another sign of the world's confidence  in the WTO and the multilateral trading system. WT/MIN(15)/SR/4 
 
- 3 - 
 
  Through its future membership in the WTO, Liberia would have a stable and predictable framework 
for economic engagement with other nations which would boost trade, growth and prosperity. 
1.15.  She informed the Ministerial Conference  that the Signing Ceremony of the Accession 
Protocol by President Johnson Sirleaf and the Director-General would take place immediately 
following the session.  The Government of Liberia wo uld then submit the Protocol for ratification by 
its legislative assembly. In keeping with WTO provisions, Liberia would become a Member of the WTO thirty days following the deposit of the Instru ment of Acceptance of the Protocol by Liberia. 
1.16.  The President of the Republic of Liberia, H.E. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was certain 
that the deliberations of the Ministers the previous day, the first day of the Tenth Session of the 
Ministerial Conference, had been productive because every hour spent on the negotiations was critical to a successful outcome. 
1.17.  Liberia's accession to the World Trade Organization marked another turning point in its 
history as it embarked on a journey of economic transformation for inclusive growth. Although long and tough, the road to accession had come with milestones of economic growth with a GDP 
growth from 5.3% in 2005 to 8.7% in 2013. 
1.18.  With over ten unbroken years of peace and stability, Liberia had created the fiscal space by 
removing its external debt burden of $4.9 billion  dollars through the HIPC process. Liberia had 
increased domestic revenue from $80 million to a peak of $470 million in 2014, and had mobilized 
substantial support to invest in trade facilitation infrastructure. 
1.19.  In the power sector, electricity on the national grid had increased from zero to 23 
megawatts. Additionally, Liberia was then completing various projects to add another 38 
megawatts of power. Those investments had facilitated expansion of electricity coverage from 
5,000 households in 2005 to 32,000 households in 2015. Its aim was to reach a target of 54,000 households by 2017 across the country. 
1.20.  Additionally, the rehabilitation of Libe ria's Mount Coffee Hydro plant was underway which, 
once completed, would further expand its powe r generation and distribution capacity to 88 
megawatts. However, that would not meet all of its needs. Consequently, it had recently passed a 
new electricity bill that would allow private participation in the sector. 
1.21.  In the transport sector, Liberia had also invested in expanding its road networks to improve 
access to markets for its producers. However, the high cost and severe climatic conditions had made that challenging. Nevertheless, the Liberian Government had paved or rehabilitated nearly 
698 kilometres of city, inter-county, and neighbourhood roads, the highest by any administration 
in Liberia. By the end of 2017, the number of paved roads would be 960 kilometres of which 220 
kilometres would be newly paved roads. 
1.22.  Liberia continued to solidify investments in improving its ports of entry and was 
aggressively pursuing new investment opportunities that would modernize its ports infrastructure. 
1.23.  In the social services sector, targeted investments had been made to provide better 
services for the Liberians. As a result, Liberia ha d increased school enrolment to over 1.5 million in 
2015, with girls' enrolment constituting nearly 50%. By 2017 it expected that number to increase to 2.6 million. It had trained some 10,000 teachers to support its ambition. While it was true that Ebola had exposed the fragility of the health sector, access to health services had increased from 
41% in 2007 to 71% in 2013, which had been made possible through increase in health facilities 
from 354 in 2006 to 712 by 2012. Liberia remained committed to rebuilding a more resilient health system. 
1.24.  The private sector, no doubt remained the engine of growth. Liberia had put in place policies 
and procedures to ensure a more transparent and predictable business climate for equitable growth. That day was a testament to its commitment to domestic reforms to enhance its business 
climate for inclusive growth. Liberia had placed special emphasis on small and medium-sized 
enterprises to drive its agenda of inclusion. Nota bly, the Liberian legislature had passed the Small 
Business Empowerment Act, which requir ed 25% public procurement for SMEs. WT/MIN(15)/SR/4 
 
- 4 - 
 
  1.25.  Despite progress over the past ten years, there was still more to be done. Many of those 
achievements had been severely impacted by a heal th crisis, which had also crippled the Liberian 
economy and had devastated the lives of so many of its citizens. Liberia's economy had also suffered another devastation with the dramatic drop  in global prices of two of its major export 
commodities – rubber and iron ore. Those two major challenges had caused a significant drop in 
its GDP as critical sectors in its economy had been negatively impacted. However, as a resilient people, with the support of the global community driven by acts of human kindness, Liberia had 
combated a virus that thrived on human kindness. At present, Liberia had the capacity to respond 
swiftly to contain that menace and had embarked on rebuilding a more resilient economy. 
1.26.  As Liberia joined the WTO, it did so with the conviction that membership and participation in 
the multilateral trading system would yield new opportunities to foster its transformation agenda. 
Liberia embraced the underlying principles of the system, rooted in the rule of law, fairness, 
transparency, mutual respect, with mutual benefits for all. 
1.27.  In so doing, Liberia remained steadfast in its efforts to implement domestic reforms and 
modernize its systems and procedures. In its commitment to economic diversification, it had 
prioritized agriculture (cocoa, rice, fisheries and agro-processing) and tourism as sectors with high potential for jobs creation for its people. 
1.28.  Liberia was endowed with over 40% of the tropical rain forest in West Africa, the largest in 
the region. It accounted for some of the most spec tacular biodiversity in the world, including as a 
primary home to the pigmy hippo. It was ideal for eco-tourism. 
1.29.  With over 580 kilometres of beautiful white sandy beaches along the Atlantic, Liberia 
tourism had benefitted from the dare devil surfer s who dared to challenge some of the biggest 
waves in the world. Additionally, with so many beautiful lakes, lagoons, rivers and streams, coastal and marine tourism represented great opportunities for investments. Liberia therefore welcomed 
investors in those sectors while offering its assurances of the most favourable incentives for 
investment. Liberia was also largely a country with a youthful population of over 60%, most of who were under the age of 25, which also presented opportunities for manufacturing and ICT. 
1.30.  Liberia recognized that its transformation could neither be done alone, nor in isolation, but 
by forging partnerships based on the foundatio n of mutual respect with mutual benefits. 
1.31.  Liberia saluted its partners who had made its accession a resounding success and wished to 
assure all of them that it was open for business as a respectable partner. It also affirmed that it 
fully subscribed to the common African position on strengthening the rules-based multilateral 
trading system for the Africa they wanted; foun ded on principles of respectable, fair, and 
transparent global trade with mutual benefits for all. 
1.32.  She congratulated the people of Afghanistan on their accession to be celebrated the 
following day. 
1.33.  She also congratulated President Kenyatta and the people of Kenya and said how proud she 
was of their leadership in hosting MC10, the firs t in Africa. She thanked Director-General Roberto 
Azevêdo, Mr. Chiedu Osakwe and his team in the Accessions division for their support to Liberia's 
accession and in celebration of the twentieth anni versary of the WTO. She recognized and thanked 
the Government of Sweden and in particular Ambassador Joakim Reiter for his leadership as the 
Chair of the Working Party over the years. 
1.34.  Liberia's accession would not have been realized without the talents of the Liberian 
technicians, public servants whose talents and commitment had made Liberia's success possible. 
1.35.  She assured the Chairperson that Liberia intended to serve as an active Member to foster 
trade as a tool for driving trade and investment for development and poverty reduction. She believed that the WTO had a critical role to play. 
1.36.  She wished everyone a successful deliberatio n and looked forward to celebrating with all of 
them a positive Nairobi outcome that fostered fair er, more equitable trade for the prosperity of all 
of their peoples in a world they all wanted to live in. Asante Sana. WT/MIN(15)/SR/4 
 
- 5 - 
 
  1.37.  The President of the Republic of Kenya,  H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta, congratulated 
President Elin Johnson Sirleaf on the Ministerial Co nference's approval of the terms and conditions 
of the WTO Membership of the Republic of Liberia.  He was particularly pleased that the decision 
had been taken in Nairobi – on African soil . Without a doubt, WTO Membership carried 
considerable gains and benefits. The foresight an d leadership of President Sirleaf had made the 
completion of Liberia's accession possible with  the support and leadership provided by the 
Director-General. The accession package of Liberia provided a platform for continuing domestic 
reforms and should inspire other African countries in their domestic reform measures. 
1.38.  The Director-General said that it was a great honour to be joined by President Kenyatta and 
President Sirleaf. He understood that when Kenya had celebrated its national day, President 
Kenyatta had granted President Sirleaf with the highest national honour: Chief of The Order of The 
Golden Heart of Kenya. The WTO joined President Kenyatta in his salute to her.  
1.39.  He welcomed President Sirleaf to the Tenth WTO Ministerial Conference and congratulated 
her on Liberia's accession. He paid tribute to her engagement and leadership which had brought 
them to that point. It was particularly appropriate that, at the first WTO Ministerial Conference in 
Africa, the Membership would be welcoming a new African Member. 
1.40.  The approval of Liberia’s accession mark ed the WTO's 35th completed accession process. 
Those were demanding negotiations. The process was complex and included structural reforms 
across many areas. Each negotiation was distinct but ultimately they all represented a commitment to core values of the organization: openness, transparency, good governance, and the rule of law. Liberia had shown that commitmen t and it had done so in the face of extremely 
challenging circumstances. He paid tribute to Liberia’s efforts to overcome the scourge of Ebola 
and hoped that its accession would help the country to continue on the path of hope, progress and development.  
1.41.  WTO membership could have a big impact. It would announce to the world that a Member 
was open for business, would show one's determination to attract inward investment and would put the power in that Member's hands to use trade to create jobs, raise incomes, and improve 
people's lives. The WTO would keep on working with Liberia to ensure that those benefits would be 
delivered.  
1.42.  It was a historic day for Liberia and a pr oud day for the WTO. In welcoming Liberia, the 
WTO would bring a new least-developed country into the organization. Liberia would bring the 
number of LDCs in the WTO to 35 — more than a fifth of the Membership. The WTO valued that 
diversity in the way it worked as an organization. He had no doubt that Liberia would make good use of the platform that the WTO provided to make its voice heard. 
1.43.  He looked forward to Liberia's active participation in all aspects of the work of the 
organization. Liberia had already taken important steps in that direction. On trade facilitation, for example, Liberia had been fully engaged in establishing a one-stop-shop for its customs 
procedures. He hoped Liberia would keep that driv e. It should also continue its programme of 
reforms. For that to happen in a smooth and timely manner, the WTO should ensure that new Members, especially the most fragile, would have the tools and resources available to implement their commitments. This was precisely the aim of the “WTO Post-Accession Implementation 
Support Strategy”. He thus encouraged the multil ateral and bilateral development communities to 
follow that closely and to lend their support to those important efforts.  
1.44.  Over the last few months, the WTO had the chance to interact closely with Liberia's 
negotiating team. He congratulated and thanked them for their hard work and determination. In 
particular, he commended Minister Axel Addy for his work as Chief Negotiator. Minister Addy had become a familiar face in Geneva during the process. The accession would not have been 
successful without the kind of personal commitment that the Minister had demonstrated 
throughout the process. He also thanked Ambassador Joakim Reiter. One could not wish for a more effective, knowledgeable and determined Chai r. His gratitude also went to all WTO Members, 
and the WTO Secretariat — including Mr. Chiedu Osakwe, Director of the Accessions Division — for 
their constructive role in the process. WT/MIN(15)/SR/4 
 
- 6 - 
 
  1.45.  It took many pairs of hands to build a vibrant multilateral trading system. He was sure that 
Liberia's contribution would help strengthen the system for the benefit of all. On behalf of all Members, he welcomed Liberia to the WTO. 
1.46.  The representative of Lesotho, on be half of the African Group, congratulated the 
Government and the People of the Republic of  Liberia for having successfully concluded the 
accession process to join the WTO – a significan t event at MC10. The African Group welcomed a 
fellow African as the newest Member of the WTO and also welcomed the President of the Republic 
of Liberia and her entire delegation to the specia l event. The accession of Liberia was not only a 
special event for Liberia but also for the whole of Africa especially after the devastating effect of Ebola. The African Group commended the Governme nt of Liberia through Minister Addy for the 
level of leadership, commitment and professionalism that he and his negotiators had 
demonstrated. 
1.47.  The integration of Liberia into the rules-based multilateral trading system would further 
assist in the efforts to achieve higher volumes of trade, higher rate of economic growth, faster 
development and tremendously improve livelihood fo r the Liberians to confront and overcome the 
many challenges they faced. Accession to the WT O represented a giant step towards the creation 
of a dynamic trading environment in Liberia and was therefore pivotal for a higher sustained and 
inclusive economic growth and rapid and su stainable socio-economic development.  
1.48.  With Liberia's accession, the presence and strength of both the African Group and the LDCs 
in the WTO had increased. Liberia's membership would further add dynamism and strength to the African Group in advancing its common agenda. Libe ria had contributed to the work of the African 
Group in the WTO as an Observer and the group l ooked forward to working closely with Liberia in 
pursuit of their collective interest.  
1.49.  To enable Liberia to benefit from the mult ilateral trading system, the African Group called 
upon Members and development partners to continue supporting Liberia in its post-accession 
programme to increase trade opportunities and meaningful integration into the global economy. 
1.50.  The African Group thanked the Chairperso n of the Working Party for his stewardship and 
guidance during Liberia's accession process. The group also appreciated the hard work and efforts 
by the Accessions Division led by its Director – Mr. Chiedu Osakwe who played a catalytic role in making Liberia's accession come to fruition. 
1.51.  The representative of the United States was proud to be present as Liberia's accession to 
the WTO was finalized. There were strong historical and personal ties between the two countries. 
Freed slaves from the United States had played a cr itical role in Liberia's founding. The colours of 
their flags and the structure of their governments were similar. The Liberian national motto "the 
love of liberty brought us here" echoed strongly throughout American history as it did throughout 
Liberian history. Common history and common aspirations gave that occasion a special significance for the United States. As a friend and partner of Liberia, the United States 
congratulated Liberia on its achievement. 
1.52.  President Johnson Sirleaf had declared the go al of completing the negotiations in time for 
approval at the Tenth WTO Ministerial Conference. He was delighted that his government had been 
able to play a small role in supporting Liberia in meeting that goal. He conveyed his admiration 
and congratulated President Johnson Sirleaf and he r remarkable team led by Minister Addy. Under 
their leadership, Liberia's approach to the accession process had been constructive and progressive.  
1.53.  Liberia had taken strong commitments to implement its WTO obligations on an accelerated 
basis. Collectively, those commitments represented a big step forward. New laws, new institutions and a strong commitment to using the WTO to foster economic and commercial reform made 
Liberia's accession an important milest one both for Liberia and for the WTO. 
1.54.  That day was the first day of what he hoped to be Liberia's long and productive participation 
in the WTO – adding another voice of Africa to that important forum. The United States applauded Liberia for its significant achievement and for all that it had accomplished to get there. It looked 
forward to working together with Liberia as a full Member of the WTO. WT/MIN(15)/SR/4 
 
- 7 - 
 
  1.55.  The representative of Bangladesh, on behalf of the LDCs, was delighted to be present at 
such a historical moment for the People and the Government of Liberia. It was also a special day 
for the LDCs as Liberia would be the 35th LDC Member in the WTO. The LDCs hoped that the Accession Package of Liberia would be formally ad opted that day. The group congratulated Liberia 
for acceding to the WTO and welcomed it to the LDC Group. 
1.56.  Liberia had started its journey in 2007 and had successfully completed its negotiation in 
2015 with the fast-track services provided by the Secretariat. To fully benefit on the demand and 
emerging opportunities in world trade, accession to the WTO would help in paving the way to 
integrate to the multilateral rules-based trading system where disciplines were harmonized for all 
its Members irrespective of one's level of development.  
1.57.  Being the weakest part of the global value chain, LDCs would need support to compete with 
the stronger trading partners in the world. LD Cs faced capacity constraints to cope with 
international trade. By joining the fair, equitable and universally beneficial multilateral trading system that the WTO represented, LDCs could ga in greater market access opportunities to shake 
off poverty and to move forward to sustainable development and peace. Being a WTO Member 
meant entering into the mainstream of internatio nal trade, the rules-based multilateral trading 
system where each Member had equal rights. The LDCs thus thanked the accession Working Party 
and the WTO Secretariat for extending cooperation in supporting Liberia. 
1.58.  From 2007 to 2015, Liberia had to follow a complex and tough accession process aided by 
the fast track accession services provided by th e Secretariat. The rules-based system would bring 
a level playing field for Liberia for free and non-discriminatory market access. As an LDC, Liberia 
would also enjoy the benefits of special and differential treatment under the WTO that could help 
further gain more favourable market access in the developed and developing country Member markets. Utilizing those benefits and tackling post-accession challenges such as protection of 
domestic industrialization, producers, and legal capacity involvement would require sincere and 
successful fulfilment of obligations by the Liberian Government under WTO law. It had already been found that accession to the WTO was a very complex, protected and difficult process. It was 
even more so for the LDCs. That was why the LDCs were given special consideration by the 
Membership in its accession process. The LDCs th erefore called upon the WTO Membership to fully 
operationalize the 2002 and addendum of 2012 General Council Decisions on the LDC Accession Guidelines with a view to conclude re maining LDC accessions expeditiously.  
1.59.  The effort put in by the Government of Libe ria would bear fruit. The LDCs hoped that Liberia 
would be able to fully exercise its rights in the organization, would reap the benefits of WTO 
Membership and would continue its progress towards lasting peace and sustainable development 
for the Liberians. It was an important milestone for the WTO but it was not the end of the road. As 
many as twelve LDCs were yet to accede in th e WTO. Those LDCs should ease their way to the 
WTO for better integration and for economic development for all. Cooperation among all Members 
and agencies were required to cope with  the rules of WTO and domestic reforms. 
1.60.  The LDC Group expressed its all-out support and solidarity to the Republic of Liberia. The 
Group wished that through the process of accessi on, the Republic of Liberia would soon be well 
integrated into the multilateral trading syst em, opening avenues and equitable development. 
1.61.  The representative of the European Union was happy to be in Nairobi to celebrate the 
accession of another African Member to the WTO. She congratulated Liberia for its significant 
achievement. The European Union knew that Presid ent Sirleaf had gone through difficult political 
and security circumstances and thus saluted her efforts to pass reforms and modernize Liberia's 
internal legal and policy framework given those constraints. 
1.62.  In the course of the accession process, the European Union had taken due account of the 
specific constraints faced by Liberia as a leas t-developed country. Her delegation was convinced 
that Liberia's accession set the right conditions for it to fully integrate in global trade: it was then time for Liberia to take advantage of it. She encouraged Liberia to continue on the path of internal reforms. By acceding to the WTO, Liberia was given the opportunity to reap the benefits of a 
strong rules-based system ensuring a level playing-field for all players. WT/MIN(15)/SR/4 
 
- 8 - 
 
  1.63.  The European Union would continue to play its role and lend its support with technical 
assistance. Furthermore, Liberia already benefite d from the EU Everything But Arms regime, and 
would continue to do so. Her delegation also welcomed Liberia's accession as a clear signal that the WTO membership remained very attentive to facilitating the integration of LDCs in the 
multilateral trading system. The EU would continue to promote the WTO as an organization that 
was open, inclusive, and mind ful of those most in need. 
1.64.  A number of countries were also knocking at the door and many had worked hard, some 
being very close to the finish line. The European Union committed to work actively with a view to 
moving those accessions resolutely forward. She thanked President Sirleaf, Ambassador Reiter and the WTO Secretariat and their respective teams for their hard work during Liberia's accession process. The EU was pleased to welcome its partne r in the Africa-Caribbean-Pacific group as a new 
Member of the WTO family. 
1.65.  The representative of Benin endorsed th e statements made by the African and the LDC 
Groups. Benin paid tribute to its ancestors who had enabled Africans to hold the Tenth WTO 
Ministerial Conference in Africa – the first of its kind in the continent. Benin congratulated the 
people and government of Liberia and highly appr eciated the personal involvement and leadership 
of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the process. Despite the difficult conditions and the economic, 
social and humanitarian concerns caused by th e Ebola epidemic which disrupted economic and 
social life in the country, Liberia had been able to move its accession process forward. 
1.66.  The Republic of Benin and the Republic of  Liberia shared the same community values of 
trade and economic integration, and were both LDCs. Similarly, the delegation of Benin, like 
Liberia, believed that the multilateral trading system and multilateral trade negotiations could 
ensure the development of rules, principles and mechanisms that would promote economic 
growth, job creation, the fight against poverty an d sustainable development. Benin thus wished 
Liberia success in its new march towards prosperity. 
1.67.  The representative of China expressed Chin a's appreciation to the Ministerial Conference's 
decision to approve the accession of Liberia to the WTO and congratulated Liberia for its 
achievement. As a Chinese saying stated, "efforts will be paid off". Liberia had spent eight years 
facing tough negotiations for its accession. Nevertheless, as the experience of China and many other WTO Members had shown, WTO membership wo uld open a new door to economic and social 
development for Liberia and would therefore increase its people’s income and well-being. It would 
help Liberia better integrate into the global economy and promote its economic development. 
1.68.  The accession of Liberia was of great si gnificant to the WTO. At the WTO's twentieth 
anniversary, Liberia’s accession not only demonstrat ed the WTO's appeal and vitality to the world, 
but also made the organization more universal and representative. In addition, it served as an 
example for other LDCs applying for WTO membership. 
1.69.  There was a Liberian proverb which said that "if you have not had rice, you have not eaten". 
Liberia took rice and fish as important dishes and the Chinese shared the same habits. China had 
always supported Liberia's accession. Within the Aid-for Trade framework, China had launched the China Programme in 2011 and Liberia was one of the beneficiaries. The Government of China had renewed that arrangement on the China Programme with the WTO Secretariat on 14 December. 
Liberia was one of the important trading partners of China in Africa. China had offered sound 
south-south cooperation and investment to Liberia and had launched, two weeks ago, ten cooperative projects with African counties, including Liberia. 
1.70.  That day marked the end of Liberia's accessi on process signalling the dawn of its integration 
into the multilateral trading system. China stood ready to enhance its cooperation with Liberia within the WTO framework and would work together to safeguard and promote the multilateral 
trading system. China congratulated Liberia on its accession and hoped that everyone would have 
a good stay in Kenya. 
1.71.  The representative of Senegal thanked Pr esident Uhuru Kenyatta and the People of Kenya 
for their hospitality and warm welcome. Senegal congratulated the Chairperson on her leadership 
in conducting the meetings in the Conference and wished that there would be success in Nairobi. 
Senegal thanked and congratulated the Director-General for his tireless efforts to enable Members WT/MIN(15)/SR/4 
 
- 9 - 
 
  to reach agreement and for the LDCs to achieve success in Nairobi. On behalf of H.E. President 
Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal and the People of Senegal, he extended their 
warmest congratulations to H.E. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and to her entire delegation. 
1.72.  After a marathon filled with obstacles, it was with resounding success that Liberia had 
completed its accession process, becoming the 163r d Member of the WTO. Its accession came at a 
symbolic moment as the WTO celebrated its twenti eth anniversary and held its tenth session of the 
Ministerial Conference in Africa. That confirmed the WTO's role in a strong and consensus-based 
multilateral trading system where the concerns and the status of the most vulnerable Members 
and the LDCs would be fully taken into account. It was an occasion for Senegal to say that it would do all that it could to preserve the multilateral trading system. 
1.73.  Despite its status as a least-developed country and despite the health challenges it had 
faced, the Government of Liberia had made remarkable efforts to meet the requirements of its 
negotiating partners. Its accession package indicated a high level of openness in the areas of market access for goods and services, and quite su bstantial efforts to bring its trade regime and 
legislative framework in line with WTO requirements . Liberia would thus come to enrich the list of 
Members that had placed their hopes in the multila teral trading system because they were certain 
that trade could contribute to the reduction of poverty as had been rightly said by Minister Addy at 
the meeting of the Working Group on 6 October. Li ke him, Senegal also sincerely hoped that the 
accession would allow the building of a better Liberia, contributing to the regional and global economy in the context of multilateral trade rules. 
1.74.  Senegal, as the current Chair of ECOWAS,  reiterated the solidarity of all ECOWAS member-
States to the community of Liberia and ensured their support for Liberia in its new status as a WTO 
Member, and particularly to help Liberia comply with the rules and take advantage of the benefits linked to the multilateral trading system. Senegal congratulated H.E. President Ellen Johnson 
Sirleaf for Liberia's accession and for her tireless contributions to the achievement of regional 
integration within ECOWAS. Liberia was emerging from a difficult period. The WTO should therefore allow it to take advantage of the benefits of its Membership for its economic growth, 
sustainable development and poverty reduction. 
1.75.  The representative of Ghana congratulated the Government and the People of the Republic 
of Liberia for their achievement and welcomed them to the WTO. Liberia had come a long way 
having gone through years of war exacerbated by  the devastation caused by the Ebola Virus. 
Liberia's accession demonstrated its commitment to the rules-based WTO. The organization's pre-
eminence as a forum for multilateral trade negotiations through which poor and vulnerable Members could benefit from international trade could not be down-played. It was evident in the 
personal participation in the ceremony by H.E. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, whose presence 
had added colour to the occasion. 
1.76.  The economic and trade policy reforms under taken by Liberia, alongside the streamlining of 
the legal and regulatory frameworks during negoti ations, had by no small means strengthened the 
resilience of the Liberian economy. Just about eight years after the establishment of a Working 
Party to examine the application of Liberia to accede to the WTO, Liberia’s Accession could be one of the fastest in the history of the WTO – the Working Party having met on four occasions since 
their first meeting in July 2012. The process of acce ssion to the organization as spelt out in Article 
XII of the Marrakesh Agreement, the accord whic h established the WTO, had not been easy for 
Liberia, after agreeing to the WTO terms of membership in 2007. The tough negotiations with 
interested Working Party Members on concessions and commitments on market access for goods 
and services could have thinly stretched the capacities and resources of the country as an LDC coming from a long period of devastation. 
1.77.  Liberia's accession would not be possible without the cooperation of Members of the 
Working Party under the Chairmanship of Ambassador Joakim Reiter and the hard work of Minister 
Axel Addy and his team of negotiators. Ghana recognized and commended their efforts. Liberia 
would be up to the task of meeting the demands of its "accession package", having shown 
resilience thus far and having developed a comprehensive Accession Implementation Plan to that 
effect. As a sub-regional ally, Liberia could count on Ghana's support in that regard and at all times. Ghana called on the various Working Partie s to hasten the process of accession of the 19 
governments who were still negotiating their WTO accession, and reiterated the call by ACP 
Ministers to accelerate the process for acceding African countries without imposing onerous WT/MIN(15)/SR/4 
 
- 10 - 
 
  concessions and commitments beyond their capacity and by extending technical support to them 
during the bidding process. 
1.78.  The representative of India welcomed the de legation of Liberia led by H.E. President Ellen 
Johnson Sirleaf. The decision approved by the Mi nisterial Conference represented the culmination 
of a long-drawn process and was a significant moment for the People and the Government of 
Liberia. India was privileged to welcome a new Me mber from the African continent to the WTO at 
the Nairobi Ministerial Conference which had been hosted for the first time in Africa. As a strong 
supporter of the early accession of Liberia, Indi a congratulated the Government and the People of 
Liberia on its accession to the WTO.  
1.79.  Notwithstanding challenges it had faced, the Liberian Government had managed to 
implement wide-ranging reforms and had initiated steps to bring its legislation and trade policy 
framework in compliance with the WTO disciplines. India applauded the vision and the leadership 
of President Sirleaf and Minister Axel Addy in reposing faith in the multilateral trading system and accomplishing its important milestone. Liberia's decision to pursue its development objectives 
through multilateral cooperation was commendable. India was confident that Liberia's Membership 
to the WTO would open up newer opportunities for trade and investment and help realize the goal of inclusive development as promoted by H.E. Pr esident Sirleaf. India wished the Government of 
Liberia every success in its future endeavours towards its integration into and reaping the benefits 
from the rules-based multilateral trading system.  
1.80.  The twentieth anniversary of the WTO had been one of the most productive years in relation 
to accessions with Seychelles, Kazakhstan, Liberia and Afghanistan completing their accession 
process in 2015. India was delighted to welcome Yemen, Kazakhstan and the Seychelles, all 
valued friends of India who were participating at the Ministerial Conference as new Members and it looked forward to working closely with them. India thanked Ambassador Joakim Reiter and the 
entire Secretariat team particularly the Accessions Division under the able leadership of Mr. Chiedu 
Osakwe for their critical support and facilitation during the entire process. 
1.81.  The representative of Sweden said that Liberia's accession was a remarkable achievement 
given the resources to start with and the added challenge of dealing with the Ebola outbreak. 
Despite those challenges, Liberia had managed to muster the accession process within the specified time demonstrating the strong commitment that it attached to the WTO Membership and the outstanding strength of the Liberian Peop le – setting a shining example for other WTO 
acceding LDCs to follow. 
1.82.  Sweden remained a firm supporter of a robust and pro-development multilateral trading 
system. Free trade was a powerful engine for gr owth and poverty reduction and WTO Membership 
provided a basis for a stable and inclusive development. The Swedish commitment to Liberia's 
accession was part of its overall broad commitment to Liberia and its strong support for multilateral aspirations. The support had been pr ovided by the national board of trade to the 
Government of Liberia and by Ambassador Joakim  Reiter. Sweden thanked President Sirleaf for 
recognizing the Swedish support in her statement. The Swedish Government, as the second largest bilateral donor to Liberia had supported Liberia from the start, from the first working party meeting in 2012 until it formally acceded. Liberia's accession was a tribute to the untiring efforts of 
the Government of Liberia.  
1.83.  The high quality of the accession package would accelerate Liberia's integration into the 
global trading system and would provide for Li beria's economy for the years to come. Sweden 
congratulated the Government of Liberia for the impressive achievement of completing the 
negotiations swiftly with high ambitious commitments and praised the strong leadership of President Sirleaf and Minister Addy throughout the accession process. 
1.84.  The representative of Japan welcomed the Liberian delegation led by H.E. President Ellen 
Johnson Sirleaf and congratulated Liberia for its accession to the WTO. Japan had constantly 
supported the accession of new Members since acceding to the WTO would be an important step for one to integrate into the multilateral trading system. Japan commended Liberia for the high 
level of liberalization it had committed itself through the negotiating process and Japan was 
honoured to become the first Member to have concluded the bilateral negotiations with it.  WT/MIN(15)/SR/4 
 
- 11 - 
 
  1.85.  Japan hoped that its accession would provide Liberia an opportunity to speed up its 
economic growth through expanding trade and inve stment. In addition to Japan's strong support 
to Liberia's accession, Japan had also been providing various assistance including development of social and economic infrastructure and training of human resources. In particular, Japan was 
delighted to contribute to the reconstruction of the Somalia Drive in Monrovia, a thirteen kilometre 
highway which would pave the way for further economic growth and promotion of trade and 
investment. Japan would continue to play its role to support efforts of Liberia for sustainable 
economic growth and development.  
1.86.  Japan extended its heartfelt congratulations to H.E. President Sirleaf and the delegation of 
Liberia and appreciated the leadership of the Work ing Party Chair and the hard work done by the 
Secretariat during the entire process which helped made Liberia's accession possible. 
1.87.  The representative of the United Kingdom welcomed Liberia to the WTO community and said 
that it had been a difficult journey but one that was clearly worthwhile. Liberia's accession was a 
great achievement for Liberia and for its government under the leadership of President Johnson-
Sirleaf. It was barely a decade since Liberia had emerged from the dark period of civil war. The 
war had not only shattered people's lives and caused immense suffering, but had also severely impacted Liberia's economy, devastating the country's infrastructure and its export economy – 
which had historically generated much of the country's growth. Economic mismanagement before 
and during those years had led to a crippling debt burden and, in 2003, suspension from the IMF.  
1.88.  But those days were already behind Liberia. Its relations with international financial 
institutions had improved dramatically. The de bt relief Liberia had secured in 2010 had been a 
historic achievement. Those economic achievem ents had then been crowned by access to the 
WTO. Economic integration had proven to be a key ingredient of development in economies across the world. The United Kingdom was confident that Liberia would reap the benefits that came with 
WTO membership and stood ready to support Liberia bilaterally and multilaterally.  
1.89.  Liberia's accession was also important as an indication of faith in a strong multilateral rules-
based trading system that had the WTO at its core. The United Kingdom was heartened to see that 
so many other countries, including least-developed countries, were keen to move towards 
accession in the future. With its accession and with the agreement that hopefully would be reached in Nairobi, WTO Members would leave Nairobi with a renewed commitment to global growth and development and with a WTO fit-for-purpose to deliver. 
1.90.  The representative of Côte d'Ivoire was pl eased at the accession of Liberia to the WTO and 
congratulated H.E. President Ellen Johnson Sirlea f, her government and the people of Liberia. 
Apart from the many cooperation agreements sign ed to increase the volume of trade, food 
security, energy security and border security, Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia also belonged to the same 
regional organizations – the ECOWAS and the Union of the Mano River. It clearly appeared that 
Liberia's accession to the WTO would strengthen the level of consistency of all the economies of 
West Africa including Liberia and at the same  time would improve the economic and trade 
environment of the region.  
1.91.  Côte d'Ivoire paid tribute to the considerable efforts made by the Government and People of 
Liberia under the leadership of President Sirleaf who, despite the challenges, had shown constancy 
in the choice of economic development and pursuing to the end the negotiations for acceding to 
the WTO. Liberia had become a full-fledged Memb er of the WTO and it was therefore appropriate 
for Liberia, an LDC which had experienced crises that had seriously affected its economic 
infrastructure, to benefit in the context of Aid-for-Trade, of the Enhanced Integrated Framework 
and the special fund made available for Trade Facilitation and all the attention required by its development partners to ensure its better inclusion in the global economy. 
1.92.  The representative of Chinese Taipei welcomed H.E. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her 
distinguished delegation from Monrovia and ex pressed Chinese Taipei's appreciation to the 
Director-General, the WTO Secretariat, and its Accession Division for having conducted excellent work on the accession of Liberia. 
1.93.  Chinese Taipei was impressed by the fact that Liberia had undertaken profound domestic 
reforms and adjustments in recent years for its WTO accession. The negotiating team of Liberia WT/MIN(15)/SR/4 
 
- 12 - 
 
  had done an admirable job in the complex and challenging process. Moreover, as an African 
country, the adoption of Liberia’s accession to the WTO at MC10 in Kenya was of great significance to Africa as a whole. 
1.94.  Chinese Taipei welcomed the accession of the Republic of Liberia to the WTO and conveyed 
its congratulations to the Government and the People of Liberia on that historical occasion. 
Liberia's accession would be another indication of the WTO's success in assisting LDCs in their effort to join the organization. It would not only serve Liberia's interests but would also bring 
positive effects to the multilateral trade system for the benefit of all WTO Members. 
1.95.  The representative of Malaysia, also on behalf of the ASEAN, congratulated the Government 
of the Republic of Liberia for having successfully completed the accession process and 
subsequently joining the WTO as the 163rd Member. ASEAN commended Liberia for putting in 
place domestic reform programmes aimed at aligning its trade policy regime with the WTO 
multilateral norms. Malaysia called upon the international community to assist Liberia in carrying out its domestic reform process with a view to implementing its multilateral commitments. 
1.96.  Economic integration had proven to be a key catalyst to development of economies across 
the world and Malaysia was confident that Liberia would reap the benefits that came with being a WTO Member. Liberia's accession reflected the trust in WTO's role in disciplining global trade 
governance for Members big and small. Malaysia was heartened to see that many other countries, 
including least-developed countries, were in the process of accession to the WTO. 
1.97.  Malaysia's total trade with Liberia in 2014 ha d been valued at USD49 million, an increase of 
more than 16% from the previous year. Exports had increased by almost 39% to USD35 million 
and the main contributor to the growth of Malaysia's export to Liberia had been processed food 
and palm oil while other exports included chemicals & chemical products and machinery, appliances & parts. Major imports from Liberia included crude natural rubber, sawn timber and 
manufactures of metal. Together with other ASEAN  Member States, Malaysia would continue to 
support the ongoing efforts made by Liberia towards its full integration into the multilateral trading 
system and the promotion of trade and economic interests under the WTO. Liberia’s accession to 
the WTO would create valuable opportunities for economic growth and development both for itself 
and its trading partners at the WTO. 
1.98.  The representative of Canada was proud to have been one of the five WTO Members to 
engage in bilateral market access negotiations with Liberia as part of the accession process with 
only Japan beating Canada to conclude the negotiations first but only by a small margin. Canada 
congratulated Liberia on the accession negotiations – a tough process especially for LDCs and for an LDC dealing with the Ebola outbreak. Given those challenges, Liberia's accession was 
outstanding and Canada commended it for its efforts. Its accession was a real moment of light and 
of happiness. To have Liberia, an African country and an LDC Member, joining the WTO was a real affirmation of the importance of Africa, the LDCs and the WTO.  
1.99.  She acknowledged the personal vision and leadership of H.E. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf 
who had personally played such an instrumental role in her country's economic and political reforms and was an inspiration for many. The Chairperson had pointed out in her opening remarks that President Sirleaf was the only woman President in Africa at the moment – that was great. She 
urged Africa to have more female leaders. Empo wering women and girls was an essential part of 
the development agenda. It was not only fair bu t it was a way to achieve economic growth. In 
Canada, they practised what they preached – having fifteen men and fifteen women in its cabinet. 
It was therefore great to be graced by  the presence of President Sirleaf.  
1.100.  She also congratulated Minister Axel Addy  and his entire team for the determination they 
had shown and for remaining constructive during the negotiations. 
1.101.  Trade could change things and permit an  increase in living standards to make women 
independent and protect the environment. Accession was a real milestone in Liberia's evolution to become a peaceful and prosperous society with free and open elections, empowered women and youth, and economic justice for its citizens. She thus congratulated again President Sirleaf and the 
Government and the People of Liberia for acceding to the WTO. WT/MIN(15)/SR/4 
 
- 13 - 
 
  1.102.  The representative of the ITC, speaking  as an IGO Observer, said that a traditional 
Liberian proverb stated, “To the patient man will come all the riches of the world”. On Liberia's 
accession she said, “To the patient woman comes all the riches of the world”. As the WTO welcomed the Republic of Liberia to the organizati on, she paid tribute to a great woman, President 
Sirleaf. It was her vision of Liberia firmly anchored in the multilateral trading family, and her 
leadership to rally the country behind the initiative that had made accession possible. But behind every great woman there was a great man. It was the determination, patience and skills of 
Minister Addy and the entire negotiating team that had made accession happen.  
1.103.  It gave her a special sense of satisfaction that the ITC could contribute to Liberia’s efforts 
to seek WTO membership. Over the last 4 years, ITC had supported the Government of Liberia to 
build a comprehensive approach and roadmap leading up to WTO membership. For Liberia, 
ensuring that the views of the private sector ha d been reflected had been a priority. Recognizing 
that it was the thousands of SMEs in Liberia that would truly benefit from greater predictability and transparency which WTO rules offered and the market access and capacity building opportunities, 
Liberia had placed consultation with the private sector as a priority. ITC collaborated with the 
Government of Liberia in redrafting its National  Trade Policy to foster better coherence between 
Liberia’s WTO commitments and its membership of  the ECOWAS and ITC had worked with Liberia 
in the drafting of its services and goods offers. It had facilitated the participation of private sector 
representatives in meetings with international organizations in Geneva to enable them to appreciate the significance of WTO membership and it had worked closely with Liberian stakeholders to ensure that their voice and priorities would be heard. 
1.104.  The road to accession already concluded with the focus shifting to using WTO membership 
to help Liberia use trade as an engine for sustai nable and inclusive growth. She was confident that 
the many WTO Members who had supported Liberia in its accession, starting with Sweden whose 
contribution through the Kommerscollegium had been key – would then support Liberia to use 
trade to achieve the Global Goals of ending ex treme poverty by 2030. The International Trade 
Centre would remain by Liberia's side. It intended  to strengthen its partnership to increase the 
competitiveness of Liberian SMEs. It would continue to support the operationalization of Liberia's 
National Export Strategy in particular in areas such as tourism and furniture manufacturing. Liberia, a country of strength and determination,  and Liberians had shown their resilience. ITC was 
honoured to be its partner in the new phase of its history. 
1.105.  The representative of the World Bank, speaking as an IGO Observer, congratulated the 
Government of Liberia for completing its accession process. Liberia had faced many challenges in 
its history which made the energy and commitment given to joining the WTO even more notable. 
The World Bank's experience working with many other acceding countries around the world was 
that accession could have significant economic impact especially when coupled with the sustained effort for economic reform. The World Bank had worked closely with Liberia during the negotiating 
process and its focus then would be to help Liberia take advantage of the opportunities of the 
multilateral trading system. Completion of a DTIS  by the World Bank Group was an important step 
in the process. There would be other opportuniti es for the World Bank and the members of the 
international community to support Liberia in the path ahead. The World Bank looked forward to 
the presentation of Liberia's post-accession plan and was already prepared to present its concrete 
offer for support in more detail. 
1.106.  The Ministerial Conference took note of the statements and expressions of support. 
1.107.  The Chairperson announced that the Signin g Ceremony for the Protocol of Accession of 
Liberia would already take place to be presided by the Director-General. She invited President 
Sirleaf to join the Director-General at the signin g table and invited the Director-General to proceed 
with the Ceremony. 
1.108.  The meeting adjourned at 6 p.m. 
 
_______________ 
 WT/MIN(15)/SR/4 
 
- 14 - 
 
  ANNEX 
EXPRESSIONS OF WELCOME BY DELEGATI ONS TO THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA 
At the request of the delegations concerned, the following statements are included below as part 
of the Summary Record of the Tenth Ministerial Conference. 
 
1  BRAZIL 
1.1.  Today is a day of celebration. And it is wi th great pleasure that Brazil takes the floor to 
congratulate the distinguished Delegation of Liberia, headed by H.E. Madame Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 
President of the Republic of Liberia for becoming the 163rd Member of the WTO, a clear signal that this organization is moving steadily towards universality. 
1.2.  As we all know, the accession process to the WTO is a long and complex one. It is even more 
challenging when it comes to a Least Developing Country, requiring not only a long term 
commitment of political will, but also an intense technical work and expertise. 
1.3.  And yet, throughout these eight years of accession process, Liberia proved that it had enough 
of both. Many important domestic reforms were undertaken in order to comply with the WTO 
rules. They encompassed areas such as the Fore ign Investment Regime, Competition Policy, TBT 
and SPS regulations, among various other topi cs negotiated by Liberia with all Members. 
1.4.  In normal circumstances, this range of re forms alone would suffice to show the determination 
of an acceding country; but in this case , it wouldn’t do justice to Liberia. 
1.5.  Liberia was able to fulfil all of the requ irements for accession amidst one of the most 
challenging moments in its history, struggling to fight a deadly disease that deeply affected the 
lives of millions, with a considerable impact in the economy of the country. In this regard, I cannot 
help but remember the words of Minister Axel Addy, the main negotiator in this process, when he recalled the importance of the accession to the WTO as a catalyser for the future Liberia. A future 
we all here wish to be bright and prosperous. 
1.6.  This 10th Ministerial Conference is being held at a critical moment for the future of this 
organization. Liberia’s example of endurance and determination is a good reminder that a 
strengthened Multilateral Trading System can work to improve the lives of millions of the people, 
which should be the ultimate goal in the WTO. 
2  NIGERIA 2.1.  Nigeria would like to congratulate the people of the Republic of   Liberia, particularly the 
President, Her Excellency Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirlea f and her team, for this milestone achievement, 
and we welcome Liberia to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Family.      Liberia's membership would no doubt enhance her capacity to be more  competitive in line with her enhanced trade 
policies and legislative reforms. We commend the Director-General Roberto Azevêdo for his 
leadership and the WTO Secretariat, particularly Mr. Chiedu Osakwe, Director of the Accession Division, for the hard work and for facilitating the process to a successful conclusion. We are also 
grateful to Ambassador Joakim Reiter, the Chair of the Working Party, for his relentless effort and 
commitment as well as the entire Membership for their constructive engagement throughout the accession process. 
2.2.  Nigeria and Liberia have a long-standing re lationship anchored on the promotion of African 
unity, democracy, regional security and development.  At the sub-regional level, Nigeria and Liberia 
worked together with other West African countries to establish the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) commission in 1975. This Commission has fostered the harmonization of 
macroeconomic policies, trade liberalization and promotion of favourable industrial policy across 
the West Africa region. Nigeria has stood by Liberia through difficult times and we are delighted to WT/MIN(15)/SR/4 
 
- 15 - 
 
  see the remarkable turn around and landmark stride s, such as this. We are confident that Liberia 
has a bright future ahead. 
2.3.  This Accession is truly an important mome nt for Liberia and the WTO, as the organization 
advances toward the goal of universality of the multilateral trading system. We believe Liberia’s 
membership of the WTO will enable her participat e fully in the global economy and will offer the 
country tremendous opportunity with a predic table and stable environment for growth and 
development.   
2.4.  I have followed the significant reform agenda undertaken by Liberia and the sound economic 
policies enumerated by Her Excellency Mrs. Elle n Johnson Sirleaf. We have no doubt that the 
accession of Liberia to WTO would provide major benefits in terms of protection from discriminatory treatment, protection of intellectual property rights, transparency and consistency 
in government policies. This will invariably lead to long-term economic gains and increased Foreign 
Direct Investment (FDI) inflows. 
2.5.  In conclusion, my delegation looks forward to working closely with Liberia and assures Liberia 
of our continued support and collaboration. 
3  RUSSIAN FEDERATION 3.1.  On behalf of the Russian Federation I would like to express our sincere congratulations to the 
Republic of Liberia on this historic achievement. After a long and arduous journey that has taken 
eight years, the Republic of Liberia has reached th e final stage of its accession process. This is 
positive news for both Liberia and the WTO, as well as for Liberia’s bilateral relations with the Russian Federation. During the first ten months of 2015 our mutual trade turnover has increased 
by 23,3 % compared to the same period of last year. Russia’s export to Liberia has grown by 3,7 
times and equals to 3,4 million US dollars. We believe that Liberia’s accession to the WTO will have a future positive impact on our bilateral relations and will continue to strengthen our economic 
ties. 
3.2.  For the Republic of Liberia, being part of the multilateral trading system underlines its 
commitment to transparency, openness and the rule  of law. More important, WTO membership 
becomes an insurance against protectionism, which, in turn, is essential in an uncertain and 
rapidly changing global politi cal and economic environment. 
3.3.  The accession of Liberia is also beneficial to the WTO, as each accession helps to safeguard 
and strengthen the multilateral system and take s the WTO closer to its goal of universality. 
3.4.  We are convinced that this accession will provide an example to the other LDCs which are still 
in the negotiations process, and give a new momentum to their accessions. 
3.5.  The accession of Liberia is a sign of the continued importance of the multilateral trading 
system. It sends a strong and clear message that the WTO advances with its regular work, 
including on accessions, and the WTO membership is beneficially enlarged. Indeed, the conclusion of Liberia’s accession negotiations is an achievement to all WTO members. To the Government and 
people of the Republic of Liberia, I say: Welcome to the WTO. 
4  SIERA LEONE 4.1.  On behalf of President Ernest Bai Koroma, Sierra Leone is pleased to add its voice to the 
congratulatory messages extended to the Republic of Liberia on its accession to WTO. Liberia’s 
persistent efforts towards this achievement, provides a good example for all to emulate. My 
delegation is particularly pleased at the reforms that Liberia has undertaken from which Serra Leone is sure to benefit. 
4.2.  As a neighbouring and sister country to Liberia, we share common history and challenges, 
including the civil conflict and most recently the Ebola outbreak. We realise that our destinies are closely interlinked. WT/MIN(15)/SR/4 
 
- 16 - 
 
  4 . 3 .   I t  i s  w i t h  i n  m i n d  t h a t  S i e r r a  L e o n e  l o o k s  f o r w a r d  t o  c o n t i n u e  t o  w o r k  w i t h  L i b e r i a  a s  we  
strive to meet our common goals both within the Mano River Union, ECOWAS, the AU and beyond. 
__________