JOB/GC/111  
 
7 December 2016  
(16-6698) Page: 1/2 
General Council    
 
 AGENDA ITEM 3  – REPORT BY THE CHAIRM AN OF THE  
TRADE NEGOTIATIONS C OMMITTEE  
WEDNESDAY, 7 DECEMBE R 2016 
Director -General's Report at t he Informal Heads of Delegation Meeting on 1 and 5 December 2016 
1.1.  Let me now report on my recent contacts and activities ove r the last two months.  
1.2.  Here in Geneva, I have continued my regular coordination with Chairs of Negotiating Groups, 
including on Tuesday last week. I have also met with group coordinators and a range of 
delegations. These meetings have been very helpful in  building a deeper understanding of 
Members ' views and expectations for our work ahead, including its developmental aspects. I will 
continue these exchanges over the coming months.  
1.3.  I have also participated in a wide range of meetings in capitals.  
1.4.  In Octo ber I was invited to attend the informal ministerial meeting in Oslo, which was 
convened and hosted by Norway. A range of Members  attended this meeting, including developed 
and developing countries, and LDCs. The coordinators of the Africa, LDC and ACP Gro ups were all 
in attendance.  You have already received the Chair's summary of the meeting, provided by 
Norway's Foreign Minister, Borge Brende. This was circulated in document JOB/GC/108. We will 
hear a further report on this meeting when I open the floor i n a few moments.  
1.5.  Also in October, I attended the Cotton -4 ministerial meeting in Bamako, Mali. C4 Ministers 
acknowledged that important advances had been made on cotton, particularly in the pillars of 
market access and export competition. They stressed the  importance of implementing the cotton 
outcomes from Bali and Nairobi, and the need for action on domestic support. Progress on 
domestic support in cotton is very much linked with the overall progress in agriculture, so will 
require renewed energy in those  negotiations.  
1.6.  In November I attended the APEC ministerial in Lima. Again, there was a constructive 
exchange, and a lot of support for our work here.  
1.7.  In addition, over this period I have attended meetings of the OECD, IMF, World Bank and the 
UN Chief Exe cutives Board for Coordination. And I  have made bilateral visits to Members  including 
Benin and Tunisia.  
1.8.  I won't detail the outcomes of all these activities, but I think a number of common points 
have emerged from my discussions:  
 First, a shared desire am ong Members  to deliver concrete results at MC11;  
 Second, the importance of sustained ministerial engagement throughout the preparatory 
process for MC11;  
 Third, that outcomes were more likely to be achieved through incremental progress 
rather than major le aps; and,  
 Fourth, the importance of advancing the development and LDC components of any of the 
issues that are being discussed.  
 
1.9.  I think that these elements – and others – would provide useful guidance for our work here.  JOB/GC/111  
 
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  1.10.   We can look back on a very constru ctive year of discussion and debate. As I have said 
before, I can't easily recall when we last saw this kind of dynamism and engagement at the WTO. 
Longstanding issues are being discussed in new ways. Other issues are also being debated. We 
can be pleased with the progress made and positive about the way forward.   
1.11.   But, in order to make further progress, and with MC11 in mind, we will clearly need to 
intensify our work in the New Year.   
1.12.   As discussions evolve, I am hearing divergent views in many areas. I am also hearing 
convergent views in many areas, but with different approaches.  
1.13.   Therefore, when we resume in 2017, I intend to start facilitating exchanges among 
proponents as well as delegations that have shown particular interest on specific issues. The ide a 
would be to share views and see how we might be able to move forward. I will do everything I can 
to help you and to facilitate this work.  
1.14.   It's important to stress, however, that any prog ress will need to be driven by Members . You 
are the ones who must b e pushing things forward. It is up to proponents to get traction and 
convergence behind their priority issues. Deliverables for MC11 will be defined by how much 
traction and progress is achieved by proponents.  
1.15.   Issues that are ripe by MC11 may be harvested . Issues that do not progress may still be 
harvested at a later stage. Of course linkages and trade -offs between different areas of work will 
likely emerge as we go along and they will also play a role in defining what can be achieved in 
Buenos Aires.  
1.16.   I have been encouraging proponents to take a multilateral approach whenever possible, 
without precluding the possibility of going in a different direction if that does not work. If 
proponents want to explore different options then I also urge them to keep them  open-ended and 
inclusive.  
1.17.   So please, continue to talk to each other. Remain pragmatic. Remain open -minded. And be 
ready to intensify work in the New Year. I will continue to reach out to Members , here and in 
capitals, to support you in any way I can.  
1.18.   That concludes my report . 
 
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