WT/MIN(13)/ST/34  
5 December 2013  
(13-6678)  Page: 1/2  
Ministerial Conference 
Ninth Session 
Bali, 3-6 December 2013  Original: English  
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. HON. CAROLYN RODRIGUES-BIRKETT 
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TR ADE - ON BEHALF OF THE CARIBBEAN 
COMMUNITY (CARICOM) 
 
GUYANA  
On behalf of the Caribbean Community, I wish to thank your Government and the people of 
Indonesia for the warm hospitality and excellent arrangements made for this meeting. 
 
Let me also welcome the new Director General, Ambassador Roberto Azevêdo and the energy and dynamism he has brought to the Organization co upled with the deep understanding that he has 
demonstrated for the issues of importance to developing countries, including small, vulnerable 
economies.   
The membership of the Caribbean Community wishes  to associate ourselves with the statements 
made on behalf of the African, Caribbean an d Pacific group (ACP) and Small and Vulnerable 
Economies.  
The Member States of the Caribbean Community  (CARICOM) wish to register our continued 
support for the multilateral trading system. We th erefore regret that the promise of the Doha 
Development Agenda (DDA) is still to be realized. We had hoped that this would have ushered in a 
new dispensation of development-oriented solutions to problems faced by economies such as ours 
in this era of globalization.  
We appreciate the considerable efforts which have been made over the past few months by the 
Director General and WTO Members to craft a package for adoption by this Conference. We are therefore disappointed that consensus was not possible in Geneva and call for the necessary political impetus so that the Bali package could be agreed and adopted before this Conference 
ends. We believe this is possible. 
 CARICOM places great importance on the negotiat ing function of the WTO which still holds the 
promise of finding development oriented solutions to a wide range of trade related issues of 
concern to small and vulnerable members. Another failure in the decision making function of the WTO will lead to a greater loss of confidence in the Multilateral Trading System's ability to deliver 
results, beneficial to all and in particular the most vulnerable. 
 As we look toward the Post Bali Work programme , CARICOM wishes to highlight a few key issues. 
 
We must work towards the completion of the Doha Development Agenda with particular emphasis 
on Special and Differential Treatment for deve loping and least developed countries. We must 
ensure, among other things that draft modalities which provide flexibilities for small, vulnerable 
economies, particularly in Agriculture and NAMA, are preserved and become part of a final 
outcome.  
CARICOM places great importance on the Work Pr ogramme on Small Economies and this must be 
intensified in accordance with the Ministerial Decision to be adopted by this Conference.  
 WT/MIN(13)/ST/34 
 
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  The operation of the Dispute Settlement process continues to be of concern. The ongoing reform 
negotiations must address issues of compliance with  rulings, especially those in favour of small 
economies. A CARICOM Member has experienced this first hand and situations like this serve to 
undermine the credibility of the Dispute Settlem ent Mechanism. The enhancement of Third Party 
Rights must also be addressed so that small economies can represent their interests more 
effectively.  
With regard to Aid for Trade, we call on the WTO Secretariat to intensify its advocacy and 
monitoring role. CARICOM launched its regional Aid for Trade Strategy earlier this year and the support of the international community in making this strategy a reality is vital as the region seeks to integrate into the global economy. 
 
CARICOM takes note of the growing trend towards plurilateral arrangements in the WTO system 
and their implications for the effective functioning of the multilateral trading system. This is a 
trend which requires careful evaluation. 
 We welcome Yemen into the WTO family. One of our Member States is also pursuing its accession 
negotiations and, in this context, CARICOM calls upon the WTO to support the simplification of the 
accession process for small and vulnerable economies. These countries should not be called upon to give concessions beyond th eir levels of development. 
 
In closing the Member States of the Caribbean Community place great importance on the effective 
functioning of the rules based multilateral trading system. We see this as the best guarantee for our successful integration into an increasingly globalized economy. I cannot overemphasize that it 
is the small and vulnerable economies that stand to lose the most if success eludes us here in Bali. 
For us, failure is just not an option. We must succeed in Bali.   
 
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