. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(09)/18 
2 December 2009 
 (09-6160) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Seventh Session Geneva, 30 November - 2 December 2009  
 
  
SEVENTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE  
 
Chairman's Summary 
 
 
 The Seventh Ministerial Conference of the WT O has brought together nearly 3,000 delegates 
representing all 153 Members as well as 56 Observers. 
 
 This wide and active participation has demons trated the importance WTO stakeholders attach 
to the system in these challenging times.  The financ ial and economic crisis has been the backdrop to 
our meeting. Recognizing the crucial part that the WTO has played in mitigating the effects of the crisis, Ministers focused on what the Organizati on can do now to help in the recovery. The WTO 
needs to come out of the crisis strengthened.  
 
 Members expressed a wide range of views and prio rities, and I cannot attempt to list them all.  
This is a non-exhaustive summary of key points that I have taken from the very substantive 
discussions of the past two and a half days.  
  First, the Round.  There was strong convergence on the importance of trade and the Doha 
Round to economic recovery and poverty a lleviation in developing countries. The development 
dimension  should remain central to the Round and particul ar attention should be paid to issues of 
importance to developing countries.    Ministers reaffirmed the need to conclude th e Round in 2010 and for a stock-taking exercise 
to take place in the first quarter of next year. Ther e was support for asking Senior Officials to continue 
to work to map the road towards that point. Gaps remain on substance and there was wide 
acknowledgment of the need for leadership and enga gement on the remaining specific issues over the 
coming weeks.   
 There was wide support for building on progress made to date. There was also support for not 
attempting to reopen stabilized texts. It was point ed out that while priority is being given to 
Agriculture and NAMA, it is important to advan ce on other areas on the agenda, including Services, 
Rules and Trade Facilitation.   
 LDC-specific issues  were underlined as needing particular attention, including Duty-Free 
Quota-Free market access, cotton, and the LDC Wa iver for Services. The particular needs of Small  
and Vulnerable Economies  were also emphasized. 
  There was broad agreement that the growing number of bilateral and regional trade 
agreements  is an issue for the multilateral trading system, and that there is a need to ensure that the 
two approaches to trade opening continue to comp lement each other. Some support was expressed for 
the eventual convergence of the two approaches.  However, the idea of extending to all Members 
benefits offered in a regional context was questioned by some. WT/MIN(09)/18 
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   There were suggestions that while the WTO RTA transparency mechanism had worked quite 
well, there is still room for improvement, throug h making the mechanism permanent, highlighting 
better the common elements in different RT As and introducing an annual review.   
  There was strong convergence on the importance of accessions in broadening and 
strengthening the WTO and on the importance of technical assistance at all stages of the accession 
process.  Many stressed the need to adhere to the 2002 guidelines for LDC accession. There was 
broad support for the suggestion that there should be a sharing of experiences, particularly those of the 
recently acceded Members.  There was, though, so me divergence as to how to advance accessions, 
whether through closer collective action or through th e usual practice of giving priority to bilateral 
channels. 
  There was wide recognition that providing mark et access to developing countries and LDCs  
is not enough on its own. Capacity-building  was seen as vital to addressing supply-side constraints. 
The importance of keeping up the momentum of Aid for Trade , including the Enhanced Integrated 
Framework, was stressed. There was wide agreem ent on the need to continue actively mobilizing 
resources and to keep up monitoring  implementation of commitments. 
                           Ministers had a wide-ranging discu ssion on enhancing the institutional effectiveness of the 
WTO. Its monitoring and analytical work  was widely seen to have been of particular value in 
helping to stave off protectionist responses to th e crisis. There was substantial convergence on the 
need to improve notifications as well as data  collection, analysis and dissemination.  
              High value continues to be placed by members on transparency and inclusiveness  in the 
WTO. Improving the institution's effectiveness should not compromise this principle.   
The value of the Dispute Settlement System  was underlined by many participants, with some urging 
that it be made more responsive to the needs and circumstances of poorer and smaller Members. 
               Numerous comments were made on other current and future issues  facing the WTO. 
Climate change  was raised by many. The contribution the WTO can make through removing barriers 
to trade in environmental goods and services was wide ly endorsed. There were also warnings against 
"green protectionism". Food security and energy security were also highlighted. Concern was also 
voiced about the effect of private standards on trade, especially for developing countries. Other items suggested for consideration included government procurement, competition and investment, though 
reservations were also expressed.                   
            There was broad agreement that the WTO must remain credible in the face of emerging 
challenges. There were calls for deepening the WTO' s relationship with other relevant international 
organizations, while respecting the WTO's mandates.                        It was widely acknowledged that the importance of the WTO extends beyond the Round. It was also noted that finishing the Round - a stimulus p ackage with limited fiscal cost - is vital in order 
to ensure that the WTO remains relevant. 
                 Finally, I would like to offer my  own assessment that this Conference, organized in keeping 
with the principles of full participation, inclus iveness and transparency (FIT), has itself made a 
positive statement about the WTO.  
 
 I would like to thank the Secretariat for their ha rd work in preparing this ministerial, and the 
Swiss authorities for their co-operation and assistance. Most of all I would like to thank all of you, Ministers and Delegates, who have participated so actively and constructively. I am sure we all look 
forward to our next get-together in 2011. 
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