JOB/GC/79  
 
7 May 2015  
(15-2435)  Page: 1/2  
General Council    
 
  AGENDA ITEM 5: TENTH SESSION OF THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
 
PROGRESS REPORT ON LOGISTICAL PREPARATIONS – STATEMENTS BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE 
MC10 TASK FORCE – DEPUTY DIRECTOR-GENERAL SHARK AND THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL 
TUESDAY, 5 MAY 2015 
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STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE MC10 TASK FORCE – DEPUTY DIRECTOR-GENERAL SHARK 
I appreciate this opportunity to provide an upda te on logistical preparations for MC10. Since 
Nairobi, Kenya was chosen as the venue, the WTO's MC10 Task Force, which I chair, has been 
working very closely with our Kenyan counterparts. This has included three missions to Nairobi, 
digital video conferences and countless phone calls and exchanges via email. Overall, I am pleased 
to report that preparations are going well and we are confident that we will have a good 
environment for a productive conference. 
 At every stage, the Kenyan Government has emphas ized that MC10 is a national priority and we 
have seen this reflected in a remarkably quick start to our preparatory work and solid engagement 
on all the areas of work that we  have been discussing with them. 
 As I believe most of you know already, MC10 w ill take place at the Kenyatta International 
Conference Center, or KICC. The management of the KICC has deep experience in handling large 
events and we have found them to be a good partner in every way. There is sufficient space and facilities for all the key needs of the Ministerial Conference, including a bit more space for bilateral 
and plurilateral meetings than we have been able to offer in the recent past. We have also secured 
one large and one medium sized conference room at a nearby hotel in order to ensure that we can accommodate requests for space for regional and other group meetings during periods of peak 
demand.  
 The Kenyan Government has chosen to manage th e allocation of hotel space though an event 
organizer and allocated that task to the firm Gina Din. This is a normal practice that has also been 
followed at past Ministerial Conferences in order to ensure that all needs are met for delegations 
both large and small. The details are spelled out in information notes that have already been circulated to you. We have met with Gina Din and found them to be highly professional and service 
oriented. I understand that some delegations have gone directly to hotels to make bookings. While 
this is understandable, since in some cases you may have embassies who work closely with particular hotels, I strongly urge you to go through the event organizer as requested by the 
Kenyan Authorities. Space in the hotels has b een block booked by the Kenyan Government and 
Gina Din is responsible for allocating it. If you ha ve already made reservations directly with hotels 
you should still put in a request to Gina Din, indicating that these reservations have been placed.  
The accreditation process for the conference will begin in the coming months for Members, 
Observers, NGO's and press. We are upgrading our IT capabilities to facilitate the accreditation 
process and we will be providing an informal brie fing for Members and Observers on this and other 
IT related work tomorrow. Further information on th e accreditation process will be provided to you 
later as preparations advance.  JOB/GC/79 
 
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  Security is always an important area of preparations for Ministerial Conferences and this one is no 
exception. We had very detailed discussions on this  with the Kenyan Authorities during a mission a 
few weeks ago and came away from them quite re assured. We found that the Kenyan Authorities 
take the issue of security very seriously. This is a whole-of-government endeavour and the work of 
all the agencies and entities that will have a role in security is being well coordinated by the 
Ministry of Interior. We found the security officials we met with to be highly professional and committed. We also found a strong sense of commitment to ensure that all necessary resources 
for the security effort would be made available. The KICC will have multiple layers of security, 
security at the hotels which delegations will be using will be enhanced and security measures will 
also be put in place for means of transport for not only Ministers and other VIPs but also the shuttles that will be used to transport delegates.  An Information Note on security issues will be 
issued in the very near future. 
 An information note on health issues is also in an advanced state of preparation and will be issued 
shortly. 
 Per normal practice, a team from Kenya will be co ming to Geneva for an Information Session with 
Members. The date has not been set yet but we expect it to take place somewhere between late 
June and the July General Council meeting. Again, as usual, during the visit of the Kenyan team 
we will be arranging opportunities for individu al meetings between th em and any delegations 
wishing to delve more deeply into particular i ssues. A further Information Session will be held 
closer to the Ministerial Conference in the Fall. 
 While I have the floor, I would like to say a few words about the special Trust Fund for LDC 
participation at MC10. You will recall that both the General Council Chair and the Director-General 
have emphasized the importance of ensuring that we are able to continue our proud tradition of supporting the costs of LDC participation at Ministerial Conferences through this Trust Fund. We 
have received positive responses from a number of delegations and this is deeply appreciated. But, 
quite frankly, we still have a ways to go. On be half of the Chair and the Director-General I would 
like to strongly urge you to consult with your Capitals with a view to helping meet this important need. 
 
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STATEMENT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL 
I would like to thank DDG Shark for his statement and for his work with the Secretariat and the 
Kenyan team to ensure that MC10 is a success for all.  
 
I would just like to add my voice on the issue of the special Trust Fund to support the participation of LDCs at MC10.   
I would like thank those Members who have respon ded positively so far. But, as DDG Shark has 
said, there is still a substantial funding gap as things stand today. I urge you to act to bridge this gap.  
 
The ability of our least-developed Members to fully engage in our work is a fundamental test of our organization. And it will be an essential prerequisite for success in Nairobi – just as it was in Bali. 
 
We have to support their participation in every way we can. And so I trust that you will do everything in your power to respond to this very urgent call.  
 
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