WT/MIN(13)/20  
 
4 December 2013  
(13-6645)  Page: 1/2  
Ministerial Conference 
Ninth Session 
Bali, 3-6 December 2013  Original: English  
 
G-20 MINISTERIAL COMMUNIQUÉ 
BALI, 2 DECEMBER 2013 
The communication, dated 2 December 2013, is being circulated at the request of the Delegation 
of Brazil on behalf of the G-20. 
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 We, the Ministers of the G-20, met on 2 December 2013, in Bali, Indonesia, before the 9
th World 
Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference, to review the Bali agricultural deliverables, to 
discuss the state of play in the WTO negotiations, to envisage ways to further enhance the coordination of developing countries, and to celebrate the G-20 tenth anniversary.  
 
Despite the intense efforts and contributions from the G-20, we regret that it was not possible to conclude in Geneva an agreed set of de liverables before our arrival in Bali. 
 
We urge Members to engage constructively during the 9th Ministerial Conference, bearing in mind the importance of further strengthening the DDA negotiations. Results in export competition and tariff rate quota administration are of utmost importance and will help to advance issues with a 
clear development dimension. 
 In this context, we underline the need for rapid results in the reform process in agriculture, in 
accordance with the Doha Development Mandate. Dist ortions caused by high levels of protection in 
agriculture, including subsidies, continue to undermine the long-term development prospects of many developing countries, especially the least developed ones. 
 
We recall the long standing work and contributions of the G-20 for the agricultural negotiations of 
the Doha Round. In its 10-year history, this Group has left an important legacy. Since its inception, in 2003, the G-20 has consistently voiced the need for the elimination of trade-distorting 
policies maintained by developed countries. It has also defended that results should live up to the 
development dimension of the Doha mandate.   
The need to reform agricultural disciplines remains as true and urgent today as it was in 2001. The 
G-20 will therefore reinforce the efforts to achieve compliance with the Doha Round mandate on agricultural negotiations, given that agriculture remains the stronghold of protectionism in 
international trade and the great delay in the continuation of the reform process.  
 We deeply regret that the overdue elimination of all forms of export subsidies and disciplines on all export measures with equivalent effect was not achieved in 2013 as set out in the Hong Kong 
Ministerial Declaration. Our determination to put an end to these measures is undiminished. 
Among all the measures that distort trade, expo rt subsidies are by far the worst.  Economic, 
political, technical and ethical reasons add up to make their continuation an aberration. This was 
one of the main messages of the first G-20 Ministerial Communiqué, issued in Cancún, in 
September 2003, more than ten years ago. Since then , we are still awaiting concrete steps for the 
elimination of all forms of export subsidies.  
 
We therefore stress that the elimination of all fo rms of export subsidies, in accordance with the 
Agricultural modalities embodied in document TN/AG/W/4/Rev.4, shall be a priority in the post Bali negotiations. 
 WT/MIN(13)/20 
 
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  Given its developmental importance, we underscore that agriculture shall remain the center-piece 
of WTO negotiations after Bali. Therefore, we stre ss that future negotiations must have disciplines 
and commitments on Agriculture at their center an d address the concerns of developing countries, 
especially the LDCs. 
 
Furthermore, as we did before, we recall our serious concern over the increase of protectionism in agricultural trade as a result of the adoption of measures without scientific or technical justification 
and not in line with the Agreements on Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures or on 
Technical Barriers to Trade. Such measures affect developing countries in a disproportionate way and constitute another unjustified trade barrier developing countries face in order to fully enjoy their market access rights under WTO disciplines. The G-20 notes with concern the increasing 
resort, largely in developed countries, to private standards and food labeling requirements that are 
not in full conformity with th e abovementioned WTO agreements. 
 
Finally, the G-20 expresses its gratitude for the valuable insights and contributions from the 
coordinators of the following developing country groups that attended the G-20 Ministerial: The 
African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States – ACP (Jamaica), the Least Developed Countries – 
LDCs (Nepal), the African Group (Morocco), the Small and Vulnerable Economies – SVEs 
(Barbados), the G-33 (Indonesia), the Cotton-4 (B urkina Faso) and the Arab Group (Egypt).  
 
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