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WT/ACC/LBR/24  
 
 
15 January 2016  
(16-0339)  Page: 1/6  
Working Party on the Accession of Liberia  
 
ACCESSION OF LIBERIA 
 
SUMMARY OF THE FOURTH AND FINA L MEETING OF THE WORKING PARTY 
This document is the record of the proceedin gs at the Fourth and Final Meeting of the 
Working Party on the Accession of Liberia held on 6 October 2015.    
 
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 WT/ACC/LBR/24 
 
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 1  OPENING STATEMENTS 
1. The Chairperson of the Working Party on the A ccession of Liberia (H.E. Mr. Joakim Reiter, 
Sweden/ UNCTAD Deputy Secretary General) called to order the Fourth and Final meeting of the 
Working Party on the Accession of Liberia on 6 Octo ber 2015.  He said that, as set out in Airgram 
WTO/AIR/ACC/5 of 22 September 2015, the purpos e of the meeting was to consider the draft 
Accession Package of Liberia  and to decide to transmit the Report of the Working Party to the 
10th Ministerial Conference in December for approval.           
2. In accordance with standard accession practice, the Chairperson proposed that the 
meeting takes place in formal and informal settings.  The Fourth Meeting would start off, formally, 
during which the representative of the Acceding  Government and Members of the Working Party 
would be invited to make statements for the record.  After these statements, the formal session 
would be suspended and the meeting would continue informally.  In the informal setting, the 
Working Party would review and consider the draf t Accession Package of Liberia.  Following the 
consideration of the draft Accession Package in the informal setting, the Fourth Meeting of the 
Working Party would resume in formal session and thereafter, adjourn. 
3. It was so decided.   
2  FORMAL SESSION OF THE WORKING PARTY  
4. The representative of Liberia (H.E. Mr. Axel Addy, Minister of Commerce and Industry and 
Chief Negotiator), in his opening statement, conveyed the immense appreciation from Liberia for 
the Secretariat team for its support, leadership, and flexibility in concluding Liberia's accession process.  
5. As a starting point, he stated the gratitude of the Delegation of Liberia for the leadership of 
H.E. Ms Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia whose vision and commitment to long-term reforms for economic transformation had driven th is process. He applauded his technical team who 
had steadfastly worked on this process over approximately eight years.  He was honoured to serve 
this visionary reformer.   
6. He reiterated gratitude for the leadership and support of the WTO Director-General 
Roberto Azevêdo who had personally taken this accession as an MC10 deliverable and led his team 
in ensuring all assistance and courtesies were extended to the Liberian delegation. He added that this process would not have been concluded if it was not for the Director-General's commitment to accession as one of the avenues for poverty alleviation in countries like Liberia.  
7. He pointed out that the conclusion of this accession was a result of sustained engagements 
with stakeholders in Liberia, the committed and talented technicians of his Delegation, the dynamic leadership of the Chairperson of the Work ing Party on the Accession of Liberia, the WTO 
Secretariat, as well as, the strong support of Members, in particular Sweden (through SIDA and 
the Swedish National Board of Trade), the United  States and the European Union.  He also 
highlighted support from the ITC, UNCTAD, EIF, USAID, Overseas Development Institute, the 
World Bank, IDEAS Centre, King and Spalding, ACWL, Canadian International Senior Lawyers 
Project, the ECOWAS, the WTO LDC Group,  the WTO African Group and the ACP. 
8. He signaled that Liberia remained committed to the process as it believed in the 
multilateral trading system and the power of trad e in contributing to poverty reduction in the 
country. He added that Liberia believed that dome stic reforms, however painful at times, would 
facilitate the enabling of the business environment and would encourage fair and healthy competition - these were drivers of innovation, economic diversification and resilience in 
economic crises.   WT/ACC/LBR/24 
 
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  9. He acknowledged that, even though Liberia had reached a critical milestone, there was still 
a lot to do. He reiterated Liberia's commitments made during the accession process and underlined that with the same level of partnership and support in the post accession strategy, those commitments would translate to implementing the pr omises made to Liberian citizens – for a more 
transparent, predictable and competitive Liberia that would improve livelihood. He added that his 
dream was that accession would pave the way for a better Liberia where its citizens could exercise their full potential. 
10. In conclusion, H.E. Minister Addy requested the Working Party for its support to conclude 
Liberia's accession process and the adop tion of the draft Accession Package ad referendum .   
11. Twelve (12) Members of the Working Party in tervened to welcome and congratulate the 
Delegation of Liberia.  Members expressed their appreciation to the Chairperson of the Working 
Party on the Accession of Liberia for his leadership in facilitating the accession process of Liberia.  
Members congratulated the WTO Secretariat, in particular the Accessions Division, for its contribution, support and tireless efforts leading to  the finalisation of the draft Accession Package 
of Liberia. 
12. The representative of Lesotho, on beha lf of the African Group, commended the 
achievements by the Government of Liberia in its accession and noted that this was a rather short 
period of time in comparison to other accession s. This proved the commitment of the Government 
of Liberia, even under challenging circumstances, to join the WTO. He added that the addition of Liberia to the WTO Membership would be another token of confirmation on how important the multilateral trading system was for the African continent.  Furthermore, he acknowledged that 
accession was not easy but against all odds, Liberia had undertaken substantial reforms that had 
upgraded its domestic trade regime to compliance with WTO rules. He mentioned that the African 
Group had taken note with great sense of satisfaction of the three documents submitted by 
Liberia.  These evidence of the willingness and unequivocal determination of Liberia to accede to 
the WTO.  He concluded by encouraging the Working Party to adopt, ad referendum , the draft 
Accession Package of Liberia. Th e African Group looked forward to welcoming the Republic of 
Liberia as a Member of the WTO. 
13. The representative of Nigeria noted that this was a historic day for the ECOWAS, as Liberia 
had remained, for a long time, the only ECOWAS party that was not a WTO Member. He 
recognized the immense efforts of Liberia in this process and added that there were estimates that 
this accession would lead to large positive economic impact. He also added that this accession 
added an important strength to the WTO. In conc lusion, he called upon all Members and partners 
to provide technical assistance and capacity building to assist Liberia in its post accession stage. 
14. The representative of the United States noted that while combatting the devastation of the 
Ebola epidemic, Liberia continued, and concluded its negotiations efficiently and with specific 
attention to its own economic reform and development goals.  He added that H.E. Minister Addy 
and his team had accomplished a lot in a short time and applauded their achievement.  
He commended the WTO Secretariat officials of the Accessions Division that had worked with them 
every step of the way.  He pointed out that the goods and services schedules were comprehensive and ambitious in the context of Liberia’s status  as a least developed country (LDC); domestic 
regulations were aligned with WTO provision; new institutions had been established; and, reform 
efforts would continue during Liberia’s relative ly short transitional arrangements.  The draft 
Accession Package negotiated clearly sent a si gnal that Liberia was open for business. He 
concluded by saying that this was Liberia's victory and the United States looked forward to 
receiving Liberia as a full Member as soon as possible. 
15. The representative of the European Union me ntioned that the European Union had worked 
closely with the Government of Liberia during it s accession process.  She noted the exemplary and 
unfailing commitment of the Government of Liberia up until the end of the process and appreciated its co-operation. Each accession process involved important choices and political challenges, especially in the country's capacity to change and adapt its legislation in line with the WTO rules. 
The representative of the European Union congra tulated Liberia for successfully doing that, and 
also for other economic and administrative reforms conducted in its business sector. The European Union would continue its close collaboration and provision of technical assistance to help Liberia in 
the implementation of its commitments.  WT/ACC/LBR/24 
 
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  16. The representative of China appreciated the effo rts of H.E. Minister Addy and the Liberian 
negotiating team. He especially acknowledged the efforts on the liberalization of the trade and 
investment regime and noted that this accession was a 'win-win' process. He declared that this would be one of the best gifts to the WTO Twentieth Anniversary celebrations and envisaged that 
this would be another episode of a success story.  Bilateral trade stood at US$2 Billion and China 
had accorded 97 per cent duty free treatment to Liberia. He hoped for a further increase in bilateral trade and was ready to welcome Liberia as a new Member. 
17. The representative of the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and 
Matsu (Chinese Taipei) mentioned that the Chinese Taipei was particularly impressed by the 
far-reaching domestic reforms and adjustments that Liberia had undertaken to implement on its 
WTO accession. She commended Liberia's negotiating team for a most admirable job in this 
complex and challenging process. During the process, she appreciated the leadership and efforts of 
H.E. Minister Addy in helping to resolve the vari ous issues that arose during the several rounds of 
their bilateral negotiations. She pointed out that they were also pleased with the fact that many 
WTO-relevant agreements had already been enacted into law by the Government of Liberia, while 
the other implementing regulations had been issued and promulgated in line with the revised Legislative Action Plan. She was convinced that Liberia’s WTO membership would produce a 
significant increase in the amount of bilateral trade between Liberia and Chinese Taipei.  She 
added that this accession was not just in the interest of Liberia, but also had a positive effect on the multi-lateral trading system. 
18. The representative of Côte d'Ivoire noted that Liberia had shown a great deal of 
determination in carrying out the necessary domestic reforms for WTO compliance and this was 
admirable. He pointed out that Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia shared two regional groupings: the Mano 
River Union and the ECOWAS and, thus shared policies at the sub-regional level. This was one of 
the reasons why Côte d'Ivoire fully supported Liberia's accession to the WTO and looked forward to 
the formal adoption of the Accession Pa ckage of Liberia at MC10 in Nairobi.  
19. The representative of Yemen mentioned that the LDC group fully supported and 
anticipated Liberia's accession.  He added that accession was just the beginning. Post-accession 
was crucial for full integration into the multilateral system. He looked forward to concrete plans from the Secretariat towards creating a 'post-accession strategy' with best practices for Recently Acceded Members. He conveyed a warm welcom e to Liberia and called upon Members of the 
Working Party to adopt the Draft Accession Package, on an ad referendum  basis. 
20. The representative of India acknowledged the challenges of the accession process, which 
required acceding members to undertake a series of commitments in respect of their regulatory 
and trade policy framework as well as undertake legislative actions for implementing these 
commitments in line with WTO rules and requirements.  He thus commended Liberia, in spite of its numerous challenges, for managing to implement wide ranging reforms and initiate steps towards 
bringing its legislation and foreign trade regime in compliance with WTO disciplines. He added that 
India had been a strong supporter of the early accession of Liberia to the WTO and wished the 
Government of Liberia every success in its future endeavors towards its integration into the multilateral trading system.  He concluded by sayi ng that his delegation supported the adoption of 
the Draft Accession Package of Liberia, on an ad referendum  basis. 
21. The representative of Canada joined other Members in congratulating Liberia for its 
admirable progress in the accession process. He acknowledged the visionary and inspiring 
leadership of H.E. Ms Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia in bringing Liberia 
to this stage. He also recognized the role of the Chief Negotiator of Liberi a, the Chairperson of the 
Working Party on the Accession of Liberia and the Secretariat in this feat. Canada looked forward 
to welcoming Liberia as a WTO Member. 
22. The representative of Singapore mentioned that she saw a bright path ahead for Liberia's 
accession.  Singapore was particularly impressed with the pace and commitment of the accession 
process.  She paid tribute to the immense effort put in by the Chairperson of the Working Party on 
the Accession of Liberia and the Secretariat.  Sh e added that Singapore was heartened that Liberia 
was on the same page as itself, on the WTO’s role as the pre-eminent institution driving and shaping global trade policy. Furthermore, she pointed out that a rules based multi-lateral trading 
system was of particular importance to small countries like Liberia and Singapore. Singapore 
looked forward to welcoming Liberia as a WTO Member. WT/ACC/LBR/24 
 
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  23. The representative of Japan mentioned that they had supported LDCs' accession to the 
WTO, as Japan believed that acceding to the WTO would be an important step forward for any 
least-developed country, such as Liberia, to be integrated into the multilateral trading system. He agreed with H.E. Minister Addy that joining the WTO would expand Liberia's trade and result in 
sustainable economic growth. Furthermore, he expressed his appreciation to Liberia for its 
extended and unprecedented hard work particularly  following the previous year's reactivation of 
the accession negotiation. He also pointed out how the cumbersome and complicated nature of 
accession negotiations on the domestic reform had not inhibited Liberia from committing to high 
levels of liberalization - and this had permitted the swift conclusion of the negotiation. He added that Liberia was a great example for other least- developed countries to follow. In conclusion, 
Japan looked forward to formally adopting the Acce ssion Protocol of Liberia at the MC10 in Nairobi. 
24. The Chairperson thanked Members for their statements and support for the accession of 
Liberia to the WTO and suspended the formal session. 
3  INFORMAL SESSION OF THE WORKING PARTY  
25. The Working Party considered the draft Acce ssion Package of Liberia and the revised 
Legislative Action Plan in its informal session.  
4  ADOPTION OF THE ACCESSION PACKAGE OF LIBERIA 
26. The Fifth meeting of the Working Party resu med in its formal session. The Chairperson 
proposed that, in accordance with longstanding accession practice, the Working Party consider the 
draft Accession Package of Liberia for adoption, ad referendum , in its specific components, in the 
sequence, as follows:  (i) the Draft Report of the Working Party on the Accession of Liberia 
(WT/ACC/SPEC/LBR/4/Rev.3); (ii) the Draft Schedu le of Concessions and Commitments on Goods 
(WT/ACC/SPEC/LBR/5/Rev.1); (iii) the Draft Sche dule of Specific Commitments on Trade in 
Services (WT/ACC/SPEC/LBR/6/Rev.1); (iv) the Draft Decision of the Ministerial Conference; and 
(v) the Draft Protocol on th e Accession of Liberia.   
27. It was so decided.   
28. The Chairperson proposed that the Working Party adopts, ad referendum,  the Draft Report 
of the Working Party on the accession of Liberia (circulated in document 
WT/ACC/SPEC/LBR/4/Rev.3 on 4 September 2015). 
29. The Working Party so agreed.  
30. The Chairperson proposed that the Working Party adopts, ad referendum,  the Draft 
Schedule of Concessions and Commitments on Goods of Liberia (circulated in document 
WT/ACC/SPEC/LBR/5/Rev.1 on 28 July 2015).  
31. The Working Party so agreed. 
32. The Chairperson proposed that the Working Party adopts, ad referendum,  the Draft 
Schedule of Specific Commitments on Trade in Services of Liberia (circulated in document 
WT/ACC/SPEC/LBR/6/Rev.1 on 28 July 2015). 
33. The Working Party so agreed. 
34. The Chairperson proposed that the Working Party adopts, ad referendum,  the Draft 
Decision on the Accession of Liberia contained in the Appendix to the Draft Report of the Working 
Party on the accession of Liberia.   
35. The Working Party so agreed. 
36. The Chairperson proposed that the Working Party adopts, ad referendum,  the Draft 
Protocol on the Accession of Liberia contained in the Appendix to the Draft Report of the Working 
Party on the accession of Liberia. WT/ACC/LBR/24 
 
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  37. The Working Party so agreed. 
38. The Chairperson noted that further to his consultations with the Delegation of Liberia, the 
timeframe envisaged by Liberia for ratification of its Protocol of Accession to the WTO was 15 June 2016. 
39. The Working Party so agreed. 
5  CONCLUSION  
40. The Chairperson concluded that the Working Party had adopted, ad referendum,  and by 
consensus, the entire draft Accession Package of  Liberia.  The Working Party had successfully 
completed its mandate. 
41. The Chairperson conveyed the congratulations of  Director-General Azevêdo, Chairperson of 
the General Council, Ambassador De Mateo (Mexico), and the entire WTO Membership to Liberia.  
He added that he would request Director-General Azevêdo to place Liberia's Accession Package on 
the agenda of the Tenth Ministerial Conference in December 2015. Also, in accordance with usual practice, the Secretariat would circulate Liberia's final Accession Package in the WT/ACC-series for 
transmission to the Ministerial Conference. 
42. The Chairperson paid homage to the Delegation of Liberia, particularly, to H.E. Ms Ellen 
Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia.  Her visi on for Liberia, courage and determination made 
Liberia's accession possible.  He added that Members, unanimously, co mmended H.E. Minister 
Addy, Chief Negotiator, and his team who remained fully committed to pursuing the accession negotiations to their just conclusion.   
43. The Chairperson reiterated the long and arduous nature of accession to the WTO which 
required difficult policy decisions and national law-making.  The Government of Liberia had done 
admirable work in responding promptly and constructively to Members' requests and in putting into place WTO-consistent legislation.  He thanked Members for their engagement, goodwill, 
and spirit of pragmatism, which had enabled th e team to bring this accession process to a 
successful completion.  This was a tribute to both the multilateral trading system and the Government of Liberia.   
44. The Chairperson noted that Liberia's WTO accession was a strong, positive and clear signal 
for its commitment to engage with the global economy in the framework of the rules-based trading system.  For the WTO, Liberia's accession signified a warm welcome to another least-developed country to the multilateral trading system.  This, in turn, had systemic benefits such as improved 
compliance with market access commitments in goods and services and with WTO rules. 
45. In his concluding remarks, the representative of Liberia, H.E. Minister Axel Addy expressed 
the appreciation of his Government to the Working Party Chairperson for his leadership, the 
Working Party Members for their dedication and suppo rt and, to the Secretariat for its tireless and 
energetic efforts in facilitating the Accession of Liberia. He added that this accession process had resulted in new and strong friendships thus resulting in a 'labour of love'. With Liberia being 
Africa's oldest and first democracy, this accession was viewed as pivotal in Africa's transformation.  
46. The Working Party took note of the statements made and agreed that the mandate of the 
Working Party on the Accession of Liberia had been concluded.   
 
 
 
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