WT/MIN(13)/ST/33  
5 December 2013  
(13-6677)  Page: 1/2  
Ministerial Conference 
Ninth Session 
Bali, 3-6 December 2013  Original: French  
 
  STATEMENT BY H.E. MR ALMA OUMAROU 
MINISTER OF TRADE AND PRIVATE SECTOR PROMOTION 
NIGER 
Allow me to begin by fulfilling a pleasant duty, that of conveying to the President 
of the Republic of Indonesia, the Indonesian Government and people fraternal greetings from His Excellency Mr Issoufou Mahamadou, Presid ent of the Republic of Niger, while reaffirming 
the strength of his attentive interest in the future of the WTO. 
On my own behalf and on behalf of the delegation  of Niger, I should like to express our sincere 
gratitude for the warm welcome we have received in Bali and for the practical arrangements that have been made to organize this Ninth Ministerial Conference of the WTO. 
Allow me to pay tribute to the outgoing Director-General of the WTO, Mr Pascal Lamy, for his 
outstanding accomplishments during his term at the head of the Organization and to extend my warmest congratulations to Ambassador Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo on his appointment as the 
sixth Director-General of the WTO. I commend his unflagging efforts to reinforce the role 
of the WTO as a key institution in the multilateral trading system and to successfully conclude the Doha Development Agenda (DDA). 
This Conference is taking place in a context with particular features, one in which the world 
economy is considerably weakened and several developed countries are caught in a downward 
spiral, characterized by high unemployment, weak global demand exacerbated by fiscal austerity, 
high public debt, and a financial system that remains fragile. 
In this context, a positive signal is now more th an ever needed from our Conference, in the form 
of the strong consensus that can be reached on the decisions submitted for our consideration, in order to boost the market and stimulate international trade. 
My delegation wishes at the outset to express its hope that the Bali package, resulting from 
intense, transparent and inclusive negotiations, will be adopted at this Conference. It is the fruit 
of the outstanding work done by our respective delegations and the culmination of the tireless 
efforts of this Organization's Director-General, who has managed to reconcile the various positions 
on these key issues. 
There is no doubt that an outcome involving th e adoption of this package will mark the end 
of a long period of uncertainty since Doha and allow the least developed countries (LDCs) 
in particular, including Niger, to take advantage of a fairer and more equitable trading system. 
This is why the delegation of Niger, which suppo rts the positions that have been expressed here 
on behalf of the least developed countries, the Af rican Group, and the ACP countries, is calling for 
greater flexibility on the issues that are still blocking the necessary momentum towards the 
adoption of the Bali package. It is therefore impo rtant to make this package a shared harvest that 
gives hope to all of us for the various opportunities it offers the least developed countries in particular. WT/MIN(13)/ST/33 
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  We reaffirm the importance of the components of this package, in that they are also a source 
of hope that the Doha Development Agenda will be properly taken into account, and that countries like ours will be able to further integrate themse lves into the world economy, which would afford 
them better prospects for their economic and social development. 
What is required is a set of key me asures favouring the LDCs, such as: 
- duty- and quota-free market access, including the related rules of origin; 
-  waivers in the area of services; 
- aid for trade, stressing here the cardinal importance of the Enhanced Integrated Framework, 
which requires increased support in order to safeguard the results obtained and further strengthen the actions taken; 
- agriculture in the light of its importance, bearing in mind that countries like ours, that are 
subject to recurring shortfalls in production, must address the need to guarantee food 
security for our populations. 
I would draw particular attention to the fact that, for Niger, a landlocked country, trade facilitation 
is an instrument that strengthens trade through the smooth and speedy procedures it advocates. 
At the same time, Niger insists on the pressing need to recognize freedom of transit as an equally essential element, so that the results generally expected are available to the countries concerned. 
I wish to reiterate our strong desire to arrive at the adoption of the Bali package for which we have 
worked. While once again we express our gratitud e to the Director-General of the WTO, we ask 
that the virtues of compromise be drawn upon in order to remove any obstacle to achieving this key objective in the development of our Organization. 
Lastly, Mr Chairman, since our arrival on the island paradise of Bali, our delegation, like many 
others no doubt, seems to have detected, in the chirping of the birds and the flapping of their wings, advance indications of an agreement within our reach, which we urge all Members 
to accept. We sincerely hope that our conclusions will reflect this state of mind. 
 
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