WT/MIN(15)/ST/20  
18 December 2015  
(15-6735) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Tenth  Session  
Nairobi , 15-18 December 20 15 Original: English  
 
 STATEMENT BY H.E. EN G. SULTAN BIN SAEED AL  MANSOORI  
MINISTER OF ECONOMY  
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES  
Allow me at the outset, on behalf of my government, to thank the gracious people and 
government of The Republic of Kenya for hosting this very important ministeria l conference. The 
hospitality by which we were received is testament to the generous nature that we all know too 
well of the lovely African Continent. I would also like to thank the WTO secretariat for preparing 
the documents before us today, a huge task t hat yo u all need to be commended for.  
 
The UAE will save no effort to cooperate and collaborate with all of you for the good of the 
organisation and the multilateral trading system.  
 
Bali declaration has carried elements of a looking forward program with p olitical and technical 
guidance. We have agreed to remain committed to work actively and collectively, and to keep 
thinking out of the box towards overcoming any new stalemate facing our extreme commitment to 
the success of the Doha development round of ne gotiations. We must keep that spirit and 
collectively get over the hurdles that our Multilateral Trading System (MTS) is facing. Here we are 
today; all convinced that we are able to fully explore approaches serving the various main 
principles of the world trade organisation and MTS.  
 
Over the past two decades we, all of us, have experimented up to a high extent that the system 
has worked with success. It worked for the benefit of all the member states regardless the 
turbulences and the stalemates that the system went through.  
We do not want to compromise this.  
 
On the occasion the 20th anniversary of the WTO, despite the tremendous challenges that the 
organisation went through since its establishment no one could deny one simple basic fact that the 
organis ation has lived up to the expectations. The member states cannot but confirm that WTO 
was a real negotiation forum for trade rules and continues to promote development and stands as 
a unique forum for dispute settlement. We strongly commend and recognise t he various programs 
supervised by WTO.  
 
The United Arab Emirates welcomes the adoption of the various decisions and recommendations 
before the ministerial conference on issues related to negotiations and ordinary work of WTO.  
 
In preparation to the Minist erial conference, a regional ministerial meeting for The Arab Group was 
held and it was clearly agreed amongst the group that Arab Countries, members and observers are 
committed to the Multilateral Trading System (MTS) rules and the Doha Development Agenda  
(DDA).  
 
The UAE associates itself fully to the communique which includes; that the accession process to 
the WTO should be streamlined, facilitated and expedited with fair conditions, the need for the 
revision of the guidelines of Intergovernmental Organi zations as observers and to seriously 
consider adding the Arabic Language in the WTO as a working language. In addition to that, while 
welcoming the participation of Palestine in this ministerial conference, we call on members to 
seriously consider the obs erver -ship status requested by Palestine to the WTO.   
 WT/MIN(15)/ST/20  
 
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  In this regard, The UAE believes that new accessions to the organization are marks of confirmation 
to the universality of this organization and we would like to congratulate the Islamic Republic of 
Afghanistan and the Republic of Liberia for finalizing their accession negotiation to the 
organization.  
 
It is needless to say that The UAE, as the member states of the WTO and the international 
community, is a true believer in the multilateral trading syst em and attaches great importance to 
the rule - based multilateral trading system, hence we would always stand strong to engage in a 
constructive manner with the member states to work towards its success.  
 
On that basis, the government of The UAE is committ ed to contribute in a concrete manner to 
global trade and to Multilateral Trade rules. As for the purpose of implementing Bali MC9 decision, 
it is my pleasure to inform the conference that the UAE Cabinet had approved the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement and w e are in the process of notifying the WTO.  
 
I wish our deliberations will carry the success needed for the directions towards a clear guiding 
roadmap after Nairobi. In the UAE, our political leaders have taught us to be optimistic and to 
prefer highlightin g the perspectives of success and achievements; we therefore remain fully 
confident that, in spite of apparent uncertainties, by their intense work and constructive efforts, 
the Ministers will make Nairobi of a success.  
 
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