WT/MIN(13)/ST/64  
5 December 2013  
(13-6740)  Page: 1/2  
Ministerial Conference 
Ninth Session 
Bali, 3-6 December 2013  Original: English  
 
 STATEMENT BY DR ALEX GOMANI  
SECRETARY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE 
MALAWI 
On the onset, I would like to join those that have spoken before me in thanking the Government 
and people of Indonesia for graciously hosting this Ministerial Conference and for the warm hospitality accorded to me and my delegation since our arrival. I would also like to express my appreciation to you, Mr. Chairman; the Director General of the WTO; and the Chairman of the 
General Council as well as the Secretariat of the WTO for your remarkable role in organizing this 
important Conference.   
I would like to preface my statement by underlining  the need for the multilateral trade system to 
be responsive to the needs and economic conditions of Member states, particularly the least developed country Member countries such as my country, Malawi. As we are all aware the 
outcome of the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations has inherent serious imbalances which have 
negatively affected efforts by least developed co untries to integrate into the global economy.  
 In 2001, the whole WTO membership met in Doha, Qatar and agreed on the development agenda 
which was acceptable to all of us. The Doha Round generated high hopes of sustainable economic 
growth and prosperity among mil lions of the people, more specifically the poor. These hopes 
should not fade away. This is why our mandate has, was and still is to address the development 
deficit we inherited from the Uruguay Round. It is my expectation; that the Doha Development 
Round will therefore, address these imbalances. An ambitious outcome of the Doha Development 
Round is crucially important to create employme nt and through that, prosperity and economic 
growth in all parts of the world.  
 The Malawi Government believes that the Doha Development Round will be meaningful to LDCs if its outcome entails the establishment of a fair and pro-development rules-based multilateral 
trading system, which enhances our trade potential and creates sufficient policy space for our 
continued development. As a country we are cognizant of the progress that has so far been made in the Doha Development Round negotiations particularly on the Bali deliverables. We need to 
preserve what has been agreed, guard against backtracking and ensure that the key development 
aspects of the Doha Development Round are preserved. Malawi therefore advocates persistently that development is intrinsic to every aspect of the Doha Development Round. In this respect my 
delegation fully associates itself with the statem ents made by the coordinator of the ACP, Africa 
and LDC groups.  As a country which has premised its development on a trade based economic strategy Malawi is 
committed to the WTO and its ability to help create an international trade environment and 
rules-based system as an integral part of global  economic and trade governance. In this respect, 
Malawi is concerned with the delays in the conclusion of the Doha Development Round 
negotiations. We welcome the proposed package on Agriculture, Trade Facilitation and more 
importantly the LDC deliverables for Bali.   
Given our geographical challenge as a landlocked country, Malawi has a vital stake in the 
negotiations on Trade Facilitation. We, therefore, take cognizant of the good progress made in the negotiations. However, we are mindful of the ma ndate which explicitly links the undertaking of 
commitments to the provision of technical assistance and capacity building. We therefore call on WT/MIN(13)/ST/64 
 
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  our developed country partners to guarantee that our requests for technical and financial 
assistance will be entertained.  My delegation is hopeful that MC9 will be anothe r opportunity to deliver on these pressing issues. 
We however, call on a heightened sense of urgenc y, mutual understanding and flexibility to close 
the gaps in all the negotiating areas on the basis of the latest revised draft modalities to deliver on a complete Doha package. Once again, Malawi would like to reiterate that a tangible and 
meaningful developmental outcome of the Doha Development Round to LDCs, and Malawi in 
particular, is a key priority.   LDCs like Malawi are unable to take full advantage of the preferential market access offered to 
them due to a number of trade-related supply side constraints. These include high transport costs, 
stringent SPS requirements and standards, buyers’ requirements and complicated Rules of Origin, trade procedures and documentation.  
 
Measures to address these constraints will make a significant contribution towards achieving the 
Millennium Development Goal (MDGs) and assist the Malawi Government in implementing 
development plan. For this reason, Malawi is requesting additional resources through Aid for Trade 
and the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) initiatives to deal with these supply side constraints.   
I wish to join others in calling for an extension of the EIF programme beyond 2015. The guiding 
principles of the programme, namely ownership by LDCs, more substantial and predictable financial resources, more effective coordination and governance of the programme, and a focus on 
the results, are a recipe for success ahead. We are confident that initiatives such as EIF and Aid 
for Trade will help Malawi diversify her export base and improve our participation in world trade which is currently very minimal.  
 
Malawi acknowledges the role played by UNCTAD, ITC, UNDP, the World Bank, and IMF in assisting 
developing and least-developed countries in building their capacities in the trade sector among others and in particular, I call for increased and continued support to Malawi. Malawi also 
appreciates the bilateral technical assistance provided by development partners. 
 In conclusion, I would like to reiterate Malawi's commitment to the WTO and the multilateral 
trading system. Malawi like any other least developed country, will strive to contribute to the 
strengthening of the multilateral trading system despite our limited financial and human resources. 
 
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