WT/MIN(15)/ST/37  
18 December 2015  
(15-6759)  Page: 1/2  
Ministerial Conference 
Tenth Session 
Nairobi, 15-18 December 2015  Original: Spanish  
 
  STATEMENT BY H.E. MR GABRIEL DUQUE 
AMBASSADOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO THE WTO 
COLOMBIA  
I would like to share the following words from the Colombian Minister of Trade, Industry and 
Tourism, Cecilia Alvarez-Correa, on the occa sion of this Tenth Ministerial Conference. 
 The 20
th anniversary of the WTO is an important milestone for Colombia. 
 
Over these past two decades, the WTO has provided us, through its monitoring role, with a forum for supervision as well as for exchanging and lear ning from experiences in matters of trade policy. 
 
We have found effective solutions to a variety of  issues, some of which have been of signal 
importance, such as the bananas dispute, and a space for dialogue in which to address concerns 
relating to our trade regimes. 
 We have taken ample advantage of the resources available in order to move ahead with our institutional strengthening and capacity building. 
 
We have been able to participate in the arduous task of jointly developing new disciplines through the negotiations initiated at the WTO. Two years ag o, we reaped some of the rewards. Today, we 
are confident that we will leave the Conference with fresh and important news, particularly 
regarding the reduction of distortions in world agricultural trade.  
The WTO is held in high regard by President Juan Manuel Santos, who, in his capacity as 
Colombian Foreign Trade Minister in the early 1990s, had the honour of making Colombia one of the founding Members of the Organization.  
In one simple phrase, President Santos aptly explained why Colombia has attached primary 
importance to the work of the WTO since its very  inception: "A strong economy needs free trade. 
Market access is a basic prerequisite for keeping that economy strong and allowing it to grow". 
And this in turn generates greater investment, helps to create new jobs, and promotes 
environmentally friendly sustainable development,  social inclusion and a better quality of life. 
Lastly, enhancing the well-being of the population and promoting peace are among Colombia's 
priority objectives. 
 All of this is reflected in the Agreement that gave rise to the WTO. These are the very objectives of 
the Organization. Today, as we celebrate its 20
th anniversary, we reiterate our deep conviction 
that it is necessary to pursue our endeavours to fulfil these objectives. This is the path on which 
we have embarked, and we can proudly state that th e outcomes confirm that it is indeed the right 
one. 
 
This is an ideal moment for us to envision the Organization's next 20 years and to set ourselves new, forward-looking challenges. Today, I wo uld like to share the following two wishes: 
 
The first is to see a strengthening of all the pillar s of the Organization and the multilateral trading 
system, as we strive towards universality; improve compliance with our own agreements; rely on the principles of predictability and transparency to  help generate certainty in the marketplace; and WT/MIN(15)/ST/37 
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  facilitate greater participation of developing countries such as Colombia in global trade flows and 
value chains.  The second is to ensure that the WTO maintains its relevance in the international sphere. How can 
we achieve this? By delivering results; by addre ssing everyone's interests and needs with an open 
mind; by being open to discussion and working with new realities that cannot be ignored, such as illicit trade, which affects us all; by helping each other overcome the remaining barriers to global 
trade; and by working together in order to make the best possible use of the space that we have 
created and to generate new trade flows.  Both of these wishes are collective challenges: it is up to us Members to ensure that they become 
a reality. 
 The path taken over the past 20 years has not been  an easy one, but it has taught us important 
lessons on which we need to build, especially when it comes to negotiations, where we still have a 
long way to go and much to improve.  
Recent years have shown us that there is a genuine possibility of reaching agreements at the WTO 
while taking into account the diversity of opinions  and positions. This vari ety of views will enrich 
the Organization if we learn to live with it and take advantage of it.  
There are topics that cannot be overlooked: agricultural reform remains an outstanding issue of 
the utmost importance, and we must continue to work hard to resolve it. On the other hand, this does not mean that we cannot address other matters at the same time, or commence discussions 
on new issues that are already calling for our attention. 
 This concludes the message from my Minister, who in turn wishes to extend a warm welcome to 
Afghanistan and Liberia as new Members of the Organization and express her thanks to the 
Director-General, the WTO team, the Chair, and es pecially the Government of Kenya and the city 
of Nairobi for their work in ensuring the or ganization of this Ministerial Conference. 
 
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