WT/L/951  
 
9 June 2015  
(15-3000)  Page: 1/3  
  Original: English  
 
 SPEECH BY AMB. (DR) AMINA C. MOHAMED, CBS, CAV, CABINET SECRETARY, 
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE,  
DURING THE INFORMAL MEETING OF WTO TRADE MINISTERS ON THE 
MARGINS OF THE ORGANIZATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION 
AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD) MINISTERIAL COUNCIL, 
PARIS, 4TH JUNE 2015 
COMMUNICATION FROM KENYA 
The following communication, dated 8 June 2015, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of Kenya.  
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1. Thank you Hon. Stephen Ciobo for providing this opportunity and for inviting me to co-chair 
with you this informal meeting of colleague Mini sters responsible for the World Trade Organization 
(WTO), and which is also being attended by Ro berto Azevêdo, Director-General, Fernando de 
Mateo, Chairman of the General Council and friends. Thank you all for coming. I am pleased to be 
here.  2. I must tell you that on our preparations for this Tenth WTO Ministerial meeting, I am being 
micro-managed by President Kenyatta! At every stage, he asks me to provide him with precise 
reports on the state of play, description of problems and of probable solutions.   
3. This is not just because he was former trade Minister, but because he has taken the public 
position that the first WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in Africa shall neither fail, nor be subject to a low ambition exercise, nor be subj ect to endgame dramatic episodes that have 
characterized some other ministerial meetings. So to be clear, however we do it, Nairobi shall be a 
successful WTO Ministerial meeting.  4. The Nairobi Ministerial meeting is six months away. Not much time is left. We must, 
therefore, maximize every opportunity to consult, precisely on the principal issues before us and 
address, specifically, the key questions that we face, collectively.  
5. A few points to get our meeting started.  At  this stage, I believe that we require focus, 
specifically on the consultative process and envisaged substantive ingredients for the inputs to and outputs from MC10. 
 
On the process 
 6. First, what are the mechanics and steering me chanism that we should put in place now with 
the direct involvement of myself, the Director-G eneral and the Chairman of General Council. We 
cannot afford a process that slip slides all over. I believe that we need to structure and organize now, with focus and direction. 
 
7. Having chaired the General Council, I know  and I am convinced that we must get the 
business of the WTO done by working in work able, different, but complimentary formats and 
configurations linked to transparency exercise s in plenary meetings at appropriate moments. 
Uniform, undifferentiated consultative and negotiating formats can undermine confidence and negotiations. I would welcome your views and guidance. WT/L/951 
 
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8. Second, for transparency purposes, I should let you know what I have been up to and will sustain and upscale. I have been meeting with African trade ministers and the African Union Commissioner for Trade in different formats; seeking their advice, guidance and reaffirming with 
them that the first African Ministerial Confer ence must be ambitious in favour of trade 
multilateralism and must be successful. Africa must accept and share the responsibility of multilateralism and own MC10. They must not find themselves on the outside looking in. 
 
9. Third, I will be using the policy dialogue  in the China accession Round Table process to 
underscore the vital importance of domestic reforms, strengthening trade multilateralism and the benefits of a stable, predictable, rules-based inter-dependent global economy. The fourth WTO 
China Round Table, also the first to be held in Africa, will take place in Nairobi from 12
th to 
13th December, 2015 for all LDCs and African countries.  
 
10. It is sponsored by the Government of China,  organized by the WTO Secretariat and will be 
hosted by Kenya. I will open it with my counterpart s and participate. It is an important exercise for 
confidence building. Successful trade negotiations require confidentiality (away from the public 
eye), tact and discretion but at appropriate moments, they must be squared with openness and 
transparency to ensure buy-in and avoid blow-back.  11. I would welcome your understanding of the goings-on in your different constituencies. One 
question that I am being asked which I understand, but I find somewhat puzzling is whether 
Kenya can deliver Africa. I am not sure it is so much a question of whether we, as individual WTO members, can deliver our regions .  
 
12. I think that is far-fetched. I think that the real and legitimate expectation is whether we are able, collectively, to establish a process that inspires confidence with the clear understanding that 
the outcome must reflect pragmatism and realism and not anyone's wish list. 
 13. Finally, from past experience, I believe that we must not leave huge unresolved problems for the Ministerial proper. President Kenyatta is determined to ensure that the African Ministerial 
Conference succeeds and that in doing so, we shall not engage another WTO MC attendant with 
drama in the final moments.  
On substance 
 
14. I hope you can understand Africa's fundamental commitment to trade multilateralism; for 
Africa, for us, it is multilateralism first and last. We shall seek to use the Nairobi preparatory 
process to strengthen and advance multilateralism and strengthen the WTO as the engine of the rules-based multilateral trading system. We want to see the WTO more relevant, stronger and the first point of reference in writing non-discriminatory multilateral trade rules and for trade opening 
for recovery and growth in the global economy.  More specifically, on the outcome document since 
Bali to now, we have a clear understanding of where we should be headed. We must not seek to do everything. If we try to do everything, we will end up doing nothing. So, the outcome from 
Nairobi should reflect severa l core elements namely;  
 15. First, a post-Bali/Nairobi work programme that is realistic, balanced and which modernizes 
and updates the WTO negotiating agenda and puts the WTO back in centre field.  
 16. The work programme should be substantively robust, reflect the fundamentals in the Doha agenda and issues that will ensure that the WTO is  relevant and adaptable. Yet, it must not be a 
wish list. It must not divide the membership. It must contain benefits for the membership. Doha 
never died. The work programme should facilitate closure on Doha.   
17. We shall have to find closure on Doha. We can and should, through the work programme to 
be agreed. It would need to include agriculture, including an outcome on cotton and an understanding on food security; services; NAMA; trade and environment; fishery subsidies; an 
expanded information technology agreement and a package for LDCs. Through the work 
programme we need to re new WTO. And we can.  
 18. Second, between now and end of November, we must find the 2/3 requirement to ratify the 
Trade Facilitation Agreement. On my part I have wr itten to all African trade ministers and will have WT/L/951 
 
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  the Trade Facilitation Agreement discussed at the African Union Summit in South Africa as we did 
during our trade ministers meeting in Addis in May. We all need to push on this. In the same vein, we should do all that we can to ensure the rati fication and entry into force of the amendment to 
the TRIPS Agreement.  
 
19. Third, by Nairobi, we should also work to enlarge the WTO through accessions. On queue 
are the accessions of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan  and Liberia. I would like to thank Roberto 
specifically for his outstanding "delivery" on WTO accessions, with his Secretariat team. This is one 
of the areas of the WTO that is working exceptionally well. We all know that the only real market access that has been achieved in WTO has been through accessions.   
20. I have been a bit long, but I am aware of the questions and concerns that are being raised. 
The reports reach me in Nairobi.  On security, let me assure you that the Government of Kenya will ensure the safety and the well-being of part icipants. We will do everything-everything possible 
to ensure success at the Ministerial. 
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