WT/ACC/SYC/66
23 April 2015
(15-2174)  Page: 1/2
Working Party on the Accession 
of the Republic of Seychelles  
 
  ACCESSION OF SEYCHELLES  
VISIT TO VICTORIA, MAHÉ, 23-26 APRIL 2015 
 
REPORT BY MS HILDA AL-HINAI, CHAIRPERSO N OF THE WORKING PARTY ON THE ACCESSION 
OF THE REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES1 
Informal Group on Accessions (IGA) Meeting  
23 April 2014, 9:00 am 
 
Good Morning, 
 1. It is a great pleasure for me to be here with you today to report on the recent 
"Post-Accession Ratification Activity", which wa s organized by the Government of the Republic 
of Seychelles from 23 to 26 March 2015.  
2. At the start of my report, I would first like to congratulate the Government and the People 
of the Republic of Seychelles on the successful ratification of its Accession Protocol on 24 March 2015, by unanimous vote.  As you all kn ow, this facilitated the completion of the legal 
action necessary for WTO membership.  Seychelles is now set to become the 161
st WTO Member 
on 26 April 2015, 3 days from today.   
 3. As announced during the last IGA meeting, I visited Victoria, Mahé, together 
with Mr. Chiedu Osakwe, the Director of the Accessions Division; and Ms Petra Besla ć, Secretary of 
the Working Party, at the invitation of the Government of the Republic of Seychelles.  
The objective of this visit was fourfold:  
 
• facilitate the ratification of the Protocol on  the Accession of the Republic of Seychelles, 
including through an address to the National Assembly by the Director, Accessions 
on 23 March 2015;  
• improve the understanding of the benefits and obligations of WTO membership and 
Seychelles' specific accession commitments, through a series of meetings with 
key stake-holders; 
• exchange views with the Executive, the Legisl ature and the private sector on the question 
of challenges of membership, particularly in the immediate post-accession stage; and, 
• share Oman's post-accession experience. 
 
4. During our visit, we met with H.E. Pres ident Michel; H.E. Vice-President Faure; 
H.E. Minister Adam, new Minister for Trade, Finance and the Blue Economy; the National Assembly of the Republic of Seychelles; the Cabinet of Mi nisters; and, the Seychelles' Chamber of Commerce 
and Industry.   
 5. The National Assembly ratified the Protocol on  the Accession of the Republic of Seychelles 
by unanimous vote, on 24 March 2015.  On 25 March 2015, H.E. President Michel signed the 
Instrument of Acceptance of the Accession Prot ocol at a plenary meeting of the Cabinet of 
Ministers.  H.E. President Michel handed the Instrument to the Director, Accessions, 
who received it, on behalf of  WTO Director-Gener al Azevêdo.  Following the signing, the President 
made a statement to the Cabinet of Ministers, which was circulated to all of you, in document: WT/GC/168.    
                                               
1 This report has been prepared by the Chairper son of the Working Party on the Accession of the 
Republic of Seychelles.  It is ci rculated as a transparency report. WT/ACC/SYC/66 
 
- 2 - 
 
  6. At the Delegation's meeting with H.E. President Michel, he asked that we convey his 
highest regards and appreciation to you, the 'WTO family' .  He thanked all Members for their 
continuous engagement and support for Seychelles' accession.  The President underlined that Seychelles would continue to rely on technical support and assistance from its partners, 
particularly in the post-accession stage.  The Pr esident also asked the Delegation to convey his 
sincere appreciation to WTO Director-General Azevêdo for his support, particularly, in the final stage of Seychelles' accession.  H.E. President Michel emphasized that Seychelles would engage 
proactively to support the: 
 
• Post-Bali Work Programme in Geneva, includin g through the upgrade and increase of the 
number of staff at the Geneva Office;  
• Preparations for MC10 in Nairobi, Kenya, the first-ever Ministerial Conference to be held 
in Africa; and,  
• Doha Round negotiations, especially, in the area s of "strategic importance to the Republic 
of Seychelles". 
 
7. The Delegation's Mission was well-designed and implemented in close coordination with 
the Government of the Republic of Seychelles.   
 8. As a representative of the Sultantate of Oman that negotiated its WTO membership, and is 
actively involved in the regular work of the WTO, including ratifying negotiated agreements, such 
as the TRIPS Amendment and the Trade Facilitation  Agreement, I recommend this "Post-Accession 
Ratification Activity Model", for other areas of WTO work.  One of the many lessons we have learned from WTO accessions is that Trade Agreements are not self-ratifying.  Domestic ratification 
processes require multilateral intervention and suppo rt.  This "Post-Accession Ratification Activity" 
for Seychelles was the most recent example.    
9. To conclude, I would like to pay tribute to Seychelles' Negotiating Team, and, specifically, 
to former Minister Laporte, who led the Team; Mr. Charles Morin, Seychelles' Chief Negotiator; Ms. Cillia Mangroo, Director General, Trade Division; Mr. Mike Laval, Principal Trade Officer; and Ms. Rudy Rose, who was based here in Geneva.  In spite of the human resource constraints, 
the Negotiating Team has worked very hard and tirelessly to ensure Seychelles' integration into 
the rules-based Multilateral Trading System.   
10. I was honoured to serve Members of the Organization, as well as the Government of the 
Republic of Seychelles, as Chairperson of the Working Party.    
11. I would like to thank you, the Members, in pa rticular for your engagement and pragmatism 
in Seychelles' accession negotiations.  Many of your Delegations, including my own, the Sultanate of Oman, provided customized bilateral assistance.      
12. I would also like to thank Mr. Chiedu Osakwe and Ms. Petra Besla ć for working hard on this 
accession and for the team spirit they showed throughout the accession process.    
13. And finally, I would like to thank my Country's Government, the Sultanate of Oman, for 
supporting me, particularly H.E. Dr. Ali bin Masoud  Al-Sunaidi, Minister of Commerce and Industry, 
and all my other colleagues in the Ministry. 
 
14. This year is not only historic for the Government and the People of the Republic 
of Seychelles but also marks the 20
th anniversary of the Organization.  As former Chairperson, and 
as representative of the Sultanate of Oman, I appeal to all of you to continue to deliver on other 
Accession Working Parties.  Trade matters, and "trade works".  The 20-year history and results 
from WTO accessions are a case in point.  
15. And with this, my mission is accomplished. Thank you.   
 
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