WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  TN/AG/SCC/GEN/10 
WT/CFMC/26 4 November 2009 
 
 
(09-5497) 
Sub-Committee on Cotton Original:   French 
  
 
DIRECTOR-GENERAL'S CONSULTATIVE FRAMEWORK 
MECHANISM ON COTTON 
 
Communication from Burkina Faso
 
 
 
 The following communication, dated 8 October 2009 , is being circulated, at the request of the 
delegation of Burkina Faso, on behalf of the co -sponsors of the Sectoral Initiative in Favour of 
Cotton (C4).  
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OUAGADOUGOU DECLARATION OF THE MINISTERS OF TRADE
 
OF THE CO-SPONSORS OF THE SECTORAL INITIATIVE  
IN FAVOUR OF COTTON (C4 ) 
 
 1. We, the Ministers of Trade of the co-sponsor s of the Sectoral Initiative in Favour of 
Cotton (C4 ), meeting for consultations in Ouaga dougou, Burkina Faso, on 8 October 2009; 
2. Considering  the vital importance of cotton to the economies of several African countries in 
general, and the C4 in particular; 
3. Considering  the domestic support for cotton produc tion and the cotton export subsidies 
granted by the developed countries, and their a dverse impact on cotton prices and on the economies 
and populations of the African cotton-producing coun tries in general and of the C4 in particular; 
4. Considering  that the cotton industry in our countries is deteriorating day by day to the point 
where it could well disappear, and that the soci o-economic difficulties facing the cotton-producing 
populations are growing more acute, aggravating th e poverty and destitution in our countries, which 
are among the poorest in the world; 
5. Considering  the reforms undertaken at great sacrifice in the cotton industries of the 
C4 countries to make the sector competitive, the pos itive impact of which has been reduced to nought 
by the massive subsidies granted by certain developed countries to their cotton producers; 
6. Recalling  the decisions that the Members of the World Trade Organization adopted in 
July 2004 in Geneva and reaffirmed at the Sixt h WTO Ministerial Conference held in Hong Kong 
from 13 to 18 December 2005, calling for the cotton issue to be addressed "ambitiously, 
expeditiously and specifically" ; 
7. Considering  the Declaration of the African Trade Ministers at the 8th AGOA Forum held in 
Nairobi from 3 to 6 August 2009, the Ministerial D eclaration of New Delhi of 4 September 2009, and TN/AG/SCC/GEN/10 
WT/CFMC/26 Page 2 
 
 
  the G-20 declarations of l'Aquila and Pittsburgh ca lling for the conclusion of the Doha Round by 2010 
at the latest; 
8. Considering
 the actions undertaken and statements made by the C4 Coordinator in 
Washington (July 2009), Nairobi (August 2009) and New Delhi (September 2009) to explain the 
concerns of the African cotton-producing countries: 
 (a) Launch an urgent appeal  to WTO Members for a rapid, effective and full resumption 
of the negotiations, including the negotiations on cotton, on the basis of the proposals contained in the C4 submission (TN/AG/GEN/22-TN/AG/SCC/GEN/6 of 
16 June 2006) as well as the additional disciplines appearing in the Draft Modalities 
for Agriculture (document TN/AG/W/4/Rev.4 of 6 December 2008); 
  (b) urge
 the developed countries to eliminate dom estic support granted for the production 
of cotton that distorts the international market, as well as all export subsidies; 
 
 (c) ask  that the Hong Kong Ministerial decision to address the cotton issue ambitiously, 
expeditiously and specifically be respected  while maintaining coherence between the 
trade and development aspects of the issue, and that any decisions resulting from the negotiations be diligently implemented; 
  (d) encourage
 the WTO Director-General, for th e sake of the necessary coherence 
between the trade and development aspects of the cotton issue, to continue the 
process of consultations on suitable approaches and mechanisms to deal with the income losses resulting from s ubsidies and domestic support; 
  (e) emphasize
, in the context of the current energy , food, financial and economic crises 
affecting our countries, the need to examin e the cotton issue on the basis of an early 
harvest; 
  (f) request
 a solution for cotton based on a system ic approach with ambitious results 
accompanied by clear and precise figures; 
 
 (g) request  that the modalities achieved in the lat est negotiating text of 6 December 2008 
be consolidated without any attempts at backtracking; 
  (h) request
 the United States and the European Union to submit concrete 
counterproposals so that we can negotiate on the levels of elimination or substantial 
reduction of domestic support measures  that distort trade in cotton; 
  (i) reaffirm
 our flexibility and willingness to work  towards narrowing the gap between 
the different positions with a view to finding a satisfactory solution to the cotton issue; 
 
 (j) express
 our firm desire and our determinati on to continue the negotiations at the 
WTO with a view to concluding the Doha Round by 2010. 
  TN/AG/SCC/GEN/10 
 WT/CFMC/26 
 Page 3 
 
 
   Done at Ouagadougou on 8 October 2009  
  For Benin     For Burkina Faso  
 (signed)     (signed) 
 Samuel AMEHOU    Mamadou SANOU  Ambassador Representing the   Minister of Trade,  Minister of Trade    Business Promotion and Handicrafts  
 
 F o r  C h a d      F o r  M a l i    (signed)     (signed)  Mahamat Ali HASSAN    Ahmadou Abdoulaye DIALLO 
 Minister of Trade and Industry   Minister of Industry, Investment and Trade 
 
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