RESTRICTED  
  
TN/AG/GEN/44  
TN/AG/SCC/GEN/17  
 
11 May 2017  
(17-2512) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Agriculture  
Special Session  
Sub-Committee on Cotton  Original: French  
 
 WTO NEGOTIATIONS ON AGRICULTURE  
Communicat ion from the co -sponsors of the  Sectoral Initiative  in Favour of Cotton1 
The following communication, dated 5 May 2017 , is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of Mali on behalf of the co-sponsors of t he Sectoral Initiative in Favour of Cotton.  
 
_______________  
COTONOU  MINISTERIAL DECLARAT ION ON COTTON  
We, the Trade Ministers of the four co -sponsors of the Sectoral Initiative in Favour of Cotton at the 
World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva (C4), on t he occasion of the 5th Regular C4 
Coordination Meeting in Cotonou (Benin) from 18 to 21 April 2017;  
 
Deeply concerned  with the international context characterized by the resurgence of 
protectionism and the uncertainty surrounding the WTO multilateral trade  negotiations in the lead 
up to the Eleventh WTO Ministerial Conference, scheduled to take place in Buenos Aires 
(Argentina) from 11 to 14 December 2017;  
 
Having taken note of and examined  the development of the negotiations and evaluated the 
distorting ef fects of domestic support, of export subsidies and of any other forms of cotton 
subsidies with equivalent effects granted by certain WTO Members;  
 
Stressing  that this support and these subsidies distort prices on the world cotton market, thereby 
contributi ng to the impoverishment of millions of people in the cotton producing and exporting 
African and least developed countries (LDCs);  
 
Also stressing  the crucial role of the cotton sector in achieving the Sustainable Development 
Goals (SDGs), notably as regar ds the fight against poverty and the contribution to food security in 
the cotton producing and exporting African countries and LDCs;  
 
Recalling  that Trade Ministers gave a clear and specific mandate for addressing the cotton issue 
at the WTO in the Ministe rial Decisions on Cotton adopted on 1 August 2004 in Geneva and on 
22 December  2005 in Hong Kong, calling for the cotton issue to be addressed "ambitiously, 
expeditiously and specifically";  
 
Recalling  our N'Djamena appeal of 16 November 2005, our subsequen t Ouagadougou 
Declarations of 20 June 2006 and 6 September 2007, and the Bamako Declaration of 
27 October  2016, not to mention the Bali Ministerial Declaration of 7 December 2013 on cotton;  
 
                                                
1 Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Chad.  TN/AG/GEN/44 • TN/AG/SCC/GEN/17  
 
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  Recalling  Decision WT/MIN(15)/46 , dated 19 December 2015, of the Tenth WTO Ministerial 
Conference (MC10) held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 15 to 19 December 2015, and the need for further 
substantive and measurable impacts;  
 
Recalling  the conclusions and observations formulated at the close of the different sessions of the 
WTO Director -General's Consultative Framework Mechanism on Cotton in Geneva and since the 
resumption of the post -Nairobi multilateral trade negotiations on cotton;  
 
Following  with great attention and interest the development of negotiations aimed at obtaini ng 
substantial, balanced and measurable results between now and the Eleventh WTO Ministerial 
Conference;  
 
1. Urgently call upon  all WTO Members granting domestic support that distorts the 
international market to strive for further progress in the work on cott on, with a view to 
achieving the objectives established for this vital issue;  
 
2. Stress  the need to achieve results under the domestic support pillar at the Eleventh WTO 
Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December 2017;  
 
3. Consider , therefor e, that the Eleventh WTO Ministerial Conference should be the 
ultimate deadline for carrying out the mandate given by the Trade Ministers on cotton 
more than 14  years ago, a mandate which has yet to be addressed in any adequate and 
meaningful way;  
 
4. Highly appreciate  the formal commencement of work on the regional integration 
programme "Route du Coton" (Cotton Roadmap), and express our gratitude to the 
International Trade Centre for its support in developing the Terms of Reference and the 
Programme Document;  
 
5. Once again express  our confidence in our negotiators in Geneva, and at the same time 
give them a fresh mandate to pursue the negotiations on cotton with a view to achieving 
the objective of total elimination of all forms of distortions in the internation al cotton 
trade in order to ensure the development of the cotton sector in our countries;  
 
6. Express  our readiness to continue the reforms under way in the cotton sector in our 
countries;  
 
7. Reaffirm  our commitment to multilateral negotiations as the ideal mea ns of seeking fair, 
balanced, substantial and measurable solutions, while at the same time stressing that the 
dispute settlement option will remain open if there is no satisfactory follow up to the 
Hong Kong mandate in Buenos Aires (Argentina);  
 
8. Remain  committed to working towards a conclusion to the Doha Round of negotiations, 
taking account of the concerns of developing countries, and more particularly those of 
the LDCs, which include several African countries;  
 
9. Thank  the South -South, North -South, bilater al, regional and multilateral development 
partners for their support for capacity building activities with respect to production, 
processing and exportation of cotton and cotton by -products in the African countries, in 
particular the LDCs;  
 
10. Invite  the stak eholders in the development process to contribute to the realization of the 
Cotton Roadmap programme, which will ultimately have a real, substantial and direct 
impact on the populations of our countries in terms of job and wealth creation, the fight 
agains t poverty, the improvement of food security, and socio -economic development;  
 TN/AG/GEN/44 • TN/AG/SCC/GEN/17  
 
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  11. Urge  our technical and financial partners to contribute to the implementation of 
integrative programmes and projects that could promote the production, processing and 
marketing o f cotton and its by -products in accordance with the development component 
of the MC10 Ministerial Decision on Cotton.  
 
Done at Cotonou on 21 April 2017  
 
 
 
For the Republic of Benin  
 
 
Mr Lazare Maurice SEHOUETO  
Minister for Industry,  
Commerce  and Crafts  
 
 
 For the Republic of Chad  
 
Mr Mahamat Hamid KOUA  
Minister for Industrial and Commercial  
Development and Private Sector 
Promotion  
 
For the Republic of Mali  
p.p. Minister for Commerce  
and Government Spokesperson  
 
Mrs Aya DIALLO THIAM  
Ambassador,  
Permanent  Representative  
of Mali in Geneva  For Burkina Faso  
p.p. Minister for Trade,  
Industry and Crafts  
 
Mr Seydou SINKA  
Ambassador,  
Deputy Permanent Representative  
of Burkina Faso in Geneva  
 
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