WT/MIN(15)/18
15 December 2015
(15-6613)  Page: 1/2
Ministerial Conference 
Tenth Session 
Nairobi, 15-18 December 2015  Original: English
 
 DECLARATION OF MINISTERS OF THE GROUP OF SMALL, VULNERABLE ECONOMIES 
(SVES) TO THE TENTH SESSION OF THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION  
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
 
The following communication is being circulated at  the request of the Delegation of Guatemala on 
behalf of the SVEs.  
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We, the Ministers and Heads of Delegation of the Group of Small, Vulnerable Economies (SVEs), 
having met on 15
th December 2015 in Nairobi, Kenya, on the margins of the Tenth Session of the 
World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference: 
 
Reiterate  the importance of preserving a fair, inclusive and transparent, rules-based multilateral 
trading system, and underscore the centrality of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in this regard.  
 
Emphasize  that effective special and differential treatment, a key principle of multilateralism, 
must not be undermined. 
 
Reaffirm  the importance of the Work Programme on Small Economies contained in Paragraph 35 
of the Doha Ministerial Declaration and Paragraph 41 of the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration. 
 
I n  t h i s  r e g a r d ,  w e  s t r o n g l y  u r g e  t h a t  t h e  r e q u ired support is provided to implement the Work 
Programme.  
 
Note the progress achieved on SVE priorities, es pecially the work conducted in the CTD's 
Dedicated Session on the challenges and opport unities experienced by Small Economies when 
linking into global value chains in trade in goods and services,  and look forward for the future 
work on the Work Programme, including the discussions on the challenges that small and 
vulnerable economies experience in their efforts to reduce trade costs, particularly in the area of 
trade facilitation. 
 
Recognize  that economic recovery still remains one of the challenges affecting the world 
economic environment. Thus, a successful conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) can contribute to the economic growth and deve lopment of the small and most vulnerable.  
 
Urge Members to exercise the requisite political will to reinvigorate and successfully conclude the 
Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations with priority given to the areas of interest and 
modalities in favor of the SVEs.   
 Urge  Members to exercise caution and ensure that the bodies of the WTO are not used to promote 
a system of plurilateralism at the expense of  the multilateral trading system (MTS).  
 Reiterate  the need for the preservation of development-centered negotiations and the continued 
safeguard of the principle of the Single Unde rtaking for the achievement of a balanced and 
development oriented outcome in the negotiations that is sensitive to the development objectives 
of SVEs.  WT/MIN(15)/18 
 
- 2 - 
 
   
Further  reiterate  the need for Members to continue to address in a substantive and meaningful 
manner, the needs of small, vulnerable economie s, and to adopt specific measures that will 
facilitate their fuller integration into the multilateral trading system.  
 
Urge  Members to commit to preserve the flexibilit ies that have already been identified and 
stabilized in the process of the trade negotiations including in Agriculture and NAMA, and provide 
enhanced flexibilities for SVEs in other negotiat ing areas in view of their special needs and 
circumstances, as part of any future outcome.   Call for the priorities of SVEs to be duly addresse d in all areas of the negotiations and regular 
work.  
 Reaffirm  the need for special consideration and targeted assistance to be given to SVEs, inter 
alia, in the areas of Aid for Trade, Trade and Transfer of Technology; Trade Facilitation, Trade 
Finance and Development Assistance which are priorities for special consideration by the WTO and anticipate the appropriate attention to be paid to these issues in the on-going work of the WTO. 
 
Emphasize  the necessity for the continued and further inclusion of SVEs as an integral part of the 
discussions on, and consultations within the regu lar bodies and work programmes of the WTO as 
we seek to become more fully integrated into the multilateral trading system. 
 
Stress the importance of continuing the constructive engagement to find concrete and appropriate 
solutions to respond to the trade-related issues of Small, Vulnerable Economies. 
 
Express  appreciation to the Government and people of Kenya for their warm and generous 
hospitality and for their contribution to a successful Tenth Session of the World Trade Organization 
Ministerial Conference. 
  
15 December 2015  
Nairobi, Kenya 
  
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