WT/MIN(17)/55  
 
12 December 2017  
(17-6852) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Eleventh Session  
Buenos Aires, 10 -13 December 2017  Original: English  
 
JOINT MINISTERIAL DECLARATION  BY 
ARGENTINA; AUSTRALIA ; BENIN; CANADA; CHI LE; COLOMBIA;  COSTA RICA; 
CÔTE  D'IVOIRE; DOMINICAN RE PUBLIC; EL SALVADOR;  GUATEMALA; HONG KONG , 
CHINA; ICELAND; ISRA EL; KAZAKHSTAN; THE STATE OF KUWAIT; REP UBLIC OF KOREA;  
LAO PEOPLE 'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLI C; LIBERIA; LIECHTEN STEIN; MAURITANIA; 
MEXICO; MONTENEGRO; M YANMAR; REPUBLIC OF MOLDO VA; NEW ZEALAND;  
NIGERIA; NORWAY; PAK ISTAN; PANAMA; PARAG UAY; PERU; QATAR;  
RUSSIAN FEDERATION; SENEGAL; SINGAPORE; SWITZERLAND;  
CHINESE TAIPEI; THAI LAND; THE FORMER YUG OSLAV REPUBLIC  
OF MACEDONIA; TUR KEY; UKRAINE; URUGUA Y AND VIET NAM  
DELIVERED ON 11 D ECEMBER 2017  
The following joint communication, dated 12 December 201 7, is being ci rculated at the request of 
the delegation of Switzerland.  
 
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We, t he Ministers from 44 developing and developed Members that are strongly supportive of 1.  
the m ultilateral trading system, are concerned that the World Trade Organization (WTO) is facing 
challenges.  
We reaffirm the principles and objectives set out in the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the 2.  
WTO and the centrality of the rules -based multilateral tra ding system.  
We greatly value the WTO 's framework of rules, which has helped to foster international trade 3.  
and development, facilitated the peaceful settlement of trade disputes, and served as a bulwark 
against protectionism. This has contributed to the s trength and stability of the global economy.  
We recall the successful WTO Ministerial Conferences in Bali in 2013 and in Nairobi in 2015 and 4.  
welcome the positive developments in the WTO since the Nairobi Conference. Notably, we 
welcome the entry into force , in 2017, of the Trade Facilitation Agreement and of the Protocol 
Amending the Agreement on Trade -Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. We call on 
Members to further their efforts towards the full implementation of all Bali and Nairobi decision s. 
We acknowledge the essential role of regular WTO bodies in ensuring oversight of the 5.  
implementation of WTO agreements, and underline the importance of Members ' compliance with 
notification obligations.  
We note that the WTO 's trade monitoring work contr ibutes to the effective functioning of the 6.  
multilateral trading system, by enhancing transparency of trade policies and practices of Members. 
In this context, we take note of the successful conclusion, in 2016, of the Sixth Appraisal of the 
Trade Policy Re view Mechanism.  
We note that the WTO 's Dispute Settlement Understanding has established and continues to 7.  
offer an essential means for the settlement of disputes among Members that is unique in 
international agreements. We underline the importance of ensuri ng its effective functioning. In this 
regard, we call for all vacancies on the Appellate Body to be filled without delay.  WT/MIN(17)/55  
 
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  We consider a productive negotiating function to be essential for the WTO to continue 8.  
delivering meaningful outcomes for Members of al l sizes and at all levels of development. In this 
regard, we note with concern the lack of progress in our negotiations since the WTO Ministerial 
Conference in Nairobi.  
We welcome the accessions to the WTO, in 2016, by Afghanistan and Liberia and remain 9.  
committed to further expanding the Organization 's membership.   
We note the major role trade can play in the promotion of sustainable development and the 10.  
alleviation of poverty, as recognized in the United Nations ' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable 
Development. We  underline the importance for all Members, and in particular developing and 
least developed countries, to benefit from opportunities that the multilateral trading system 
generates.  
We reaffirm the central importance of development in the WTO. In this context, we underline 11.  
the role of technical assistance and capacity building, including through the Enhanced Integrated 
Framework to support Least -Developed Countries ' (LDCs) integration into the multilateral trading 
system. We also note the Sixth Global Review of Aid for Trade in 2017 and ongoing efforts to fully 
implement the Decisions taken in Bali and Nairobi for LDCs.  
We note that the international trading environm ent continues to evolve with developments 12.  
such as global value chains, use of digital technologies, and the pursuit of regional trade 
agreements, and recognize the need for the WTO to be responsive to these developments.   
We confirm our commitment to a su ccessful 11th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC11) in 13.  
Buenos Aires and express our confidence in MC11 Chair Susana Malcorra and WTO 
Director -General Roberto Azevêdo. We call on all Members to safeguard the integrity of the open, 
rules-based multilateral tradi ng system embodied in the WTO. We will continue working with all 
Members to address the challenges facing the organization to ensure its sound functioning.  
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