WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(05)/ST/79 
15 December 2005 
 (05-6056) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Sixth Session Hong Kong, 13 - 18 December 2005 Original:   French 
 
  
BENIN 
 
Statement by HE Mrs Massivatou Latoundji Lauriano
 
Minister of Industry, Trade and Employment Promotion  
  
 First, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Benin, I should like to thank the 
Authorities and people of Hong Kong, China, for th e warm welcome they have extended to us since 
our arrival here, a demonstration of the legenda ry hospitality of this country and its people. 
   We also express our deep appreciation for the excellent organization of the Conference and the exceptional working conditions and facilities,  which are evidence of our host country's 
organizational capacity.  
 This session of the Conference's work is of capital importance. 
  The Doha Round of trade negotiations comes at so  crucial a juncture that the Members of the 
WTO, both individually and collectively, the populations of their countries and international public opinion, are awaiting with concern the ou tcome of this meeting in Hong Kong. 
 
 This mood can be explained by the fact that for this round of negotiations, we set objectives that are shared by a great many Members of the Organization, the most common aim being to make trade a locomotive for development.   Furthermore, we have also recognized that it is important and necessary to pursue the reforms 
introduced by the Uruguay Round to make trade just and fair, and a real factor for the promotion of 
growth and development.   For that reason the developing countries, and pa rticularly the least developed countries, have 
remained steadfast in their resolve to make known th eir needs and concerns and to seek, together with 
the other players, the most suitable ways and me ans of achieving results that secure their real 
participation and effective integr ation in international trade. 
  The expectations of the developing countri es and the least developed countries concern the 
following issues specifically: 
 
• Agriculture is the backbone of the economy in  developing countries and least developed 
countries. 
 
 Indeed, for these countries agricultural production and trade are of strategic importance both as a source of staple foods and as the main factor in rural development, and because they contribute 
significantly to employment promotion and the formation of budget revenue. 
 WT/MIN(05)/ST/79 
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  Agriculture accounts for some 40 per cent of GDP and over 70 per cent of export earnings, 
and occupies more than 80 per cent of the active population.   We remain committed to attainment of the obj ectives set by the Members of the WTO in the 
current negotiations on agriculture with a view to: 
 
 - a substantial improvement in market access and the granting of bound duty-free and 
quota-free access for products exported by the least developed countries; 
  - the reduction in all forms of export subsidi es and ultimately their elimination at a date 
to be set by this Conference; 
  - a significant reduction in all forms of trade-distorting support.   The Members of our Organization will also have to deal with the other restrictions on market 
access for agricultural products, such as tariff pe aks, high tariffs, tariff escalation and non-tariff 
barriers.  They will likewise have to devi se simple and harmonized rules of origin. 
  One major concern to which we would draw atte ntion is the erosion of preferences that some 
developing countries have enjoyed for many years.  We must work on finding a suitable and viable mechanism to deal with the trade consequences of pr eference erosion in order to contain it's negative 
effects on economic development in these countries. 
  We also wish to reassert the n eed to ensure that food aid is granted on the basis of balanced 
disciplines that would be adapted both to emergency situations and to the provision of regular food 
aid by preventing, controlling and dealing with th e adverse effects of commercial displacement from 
food aid. 
 
• Cotton, now a notorious issue, has become emblematic of these negotiations. 
In July 2004 the Members of the WTO decided to find suitable solutions by dealing with the 
cotton issue ambitiously, expeditiously and specifi cally under all three pillars:  market access, 
domestic support and export competition. 
We remain convinced that, together, we will reach a consensus on cotton which will without 
doubt help to make the Doha R ound a genuine development Round. 
 We have a duty to take the necessary leap fo rward that will make this legitimate aspiration 
and quest of the poor and vulnerable countries a reality. 
 The vulnerability of the least developed countri es, their particular needs and their special 
circumstances warrant affording them different tr eatment in international trade and allowing them 
flexibilities.  In fact, this is the reason for th e recommendations submitted to the Members of the 
World Trade Organization for review and adoption. 
 These proposals are specific and are worth examining with all due care in order to 
accommodate the differences in the circumstances of LDCs in formulating th e disciplines, rules and 
principles that will govern interna tional trade under the Doha Round. 
  The Least Developed Countries would be most grateful if the Members of the WTO would 
adopt, here at Hong Kong, the proposals they have  submitted on special and differential treatment,  as 
a sign of their firm resolve to support these countries, efforts to participate more fully in international 
trade.  WT/MIN(05)/ST/79 
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  The Least Developed Countries are likewise c oncerned by the negotiations on market access 
for non-agriculture products.  The outcome we ac hieve must not jeopardize the industrialization 
efforts of these countries.  On the contrary, we mu st ensure that the choice of formula provides the 
necessary balances to accommodate their circumstances and their levels of development. 
 Here again, special and differential treat ment, flexibilities, less than full reciprocity, 
preference erosion and non-tariff barriers are the issues that we must take into account. 
 And while the least developed countries ma y not be expected to undertake reduction 
commitments, there is nonetheless the other major i ssue of the binding of their tariff levels and the 
granting of credits for autonomous liberalization. 
 With regard to services, like several ot her developing and least  developed countries,  Benin 
would like underscore the need for these countries' pr ogressive liberalization efforts to be taken into 
account.  Moreover, it is important that such effort s be accompanied by the technical and financial 
assistance needed to undertake adjustments and, above  all, by an evaluation of the costs prior to 
making any commitments in this area. 
 The proposals made by the least developed countries in the sectors and sub-sectors of interest 
to them likewise deserve careful consideration.   The Members of the WTO should also respond 
favourably to the requests of this group of countries, particularly with regard to the supply of services 
under Mode 4:  "Movement of natural pe rsons, tourism, communications, etc..." 
• With regard to trade facilitation, my de legation appreciates the progress made by the 
Negotiating Group in the work undertaken to da te and the status re port submitted by the 
Chairman of the Group contained in Annex E to the draft Ministerial Declaration. 
My delegation recommends that the necessary techni cal and financial assistance be mobilized 
in support of the work to be undertaken in pur suit of the objectives and priorities set by the 
developing countries and particularly the least deve loped countries, with effective application of 
special and differential treatment in the formulati on of rules on transparen cy in trade and on trade 
facilitation generally. 
I should like to take this opportunity to tha nk the international institutions and bilateral 
partners that contributed to the organization of  a national seminar on trade facilitation in Cotonou, 
from 21 to 25 November 2005.  The Government of Benin will ensure that effective and coherent 
action is taken on the recommendations produced by the workshop. 
My delegation has learned of the recent initiativ es taken by the international institutions and 
bilateral partners in the area of Aid for Trade.  We deeply appreciate the pledges made and thank the 
institutions and bilateral partners that ha ve undertaken to make these contributions. 
My delegation would also like to invite the other bilateral and multilateral partners to join in 
such encouragement to the efforts under way in th e developing and least deve loped countries, through 
production and trade related capacity-building. 
To this end, my delegation supports the recomme ndations set out in the draft Declaration of 
our Conference in the sections on the Integrated Framework and technical assistance, regarding the 
need to mobilize new and additional resources for th e implementation of projects and programmes  set 
up under the Integrated Framework. 
It also fully appreciates the contribution made by the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance 
Programme (JITAP). WT/MIN(05)/ST/79 
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 JITAP has contributed real value added to the human and institutional capacity building 
efforts to promote participation in trade for the African counties that benefited from the Programme. 
My delegation would accordingly invite the WTO and the other institutions participating in 
the Programme, along with the bilateral donors, to continue and increase their support for the 
activities of JITAP so that they can be expanded and extended to other African countries which so 
request. 
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