WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/11 
17 December 2011 
 (11-6661) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011  
 
  
EIGHTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE  
 
Chairman's Concluding Statement  
 
 
 My statement is in two parts.  The first part  represents Elements fo r Political Guidance which 
emerged from the preparatory process.  These Elements  were the subject of consensus in the General 
Council.  They were circulated in document WT /MIN(11)/W/2.  As the General Council Chairman 
has already assured Members, I wish to reiterate that  nothing in this text re-interprets or changes any 
WTO rules or agreements or prejudices any Member's rights and obligations.  In particular, the Doha 
mandate remains as formally agreed by Members in  its entirety and neither the consensus Elements 
for Political Guidance in Part I, nor the non-exhaustive summary in Part II of this statement, change or 
reinterpret it.  Neither the Elements nor my summary are legally binding.  
 Part II is my summary, under my own responsibility, of the main points which have emerged 
from the discussions over the past two and a half days . I have also taken into account declarations and 
written statements submitted by Members. The su mmary is not exhaustive but I hope that I have 
captured the key issues.    
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PART I 
 
ELEMENTS FOR POLITICAL GUIDANCE 
 
Importance of the Multilateral Trading System and the WTO  
 Ministers emphasize the value of the rules-b ased multilateral trading system and agree to 
strengthen it and make it more responsive to th e needs of Members, especially in the current 
challenging global economic environment, in orde r to stimulate economic growth, employment and 
development.   Ministers underscore that the WTO's role in k eeping markets open is particularly critical in 
light of the challenging global economic environment.  The WTO has a vital role to play in the fight 
against all forms of protectionism and in promo ting economic growth and development.  Ministers 
also acknowledge that experience has shown that protectionism tends to deepen global economic 
downturns.  Ministers fully recognize WTO rights and obligations of Members and affirm their 
commitment to firmly resist protectionism in all its forms.   Ministers underline the importance of the work of regular WTO bodies including their role in 
the oversight of implementing existing Agreemen ts; dispute avoidance; transparency through 
monitoring and reporting and as a forum for the cons ideration of trade-related issues raised by 
Members.  Ministers call for strengthening and improving their functioning. WT/MIN(11)/11 
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 Ministers recognize the important asset that the WTO Dispute Settlement system represents and commit themselves to strengthen it, including through concluding the DSU review negotiations. 
  Ministers welcome the accessions of Vanuatu, Samoa, the Russian Federation and 
Montenegro to the WTO and recognize the contri bution of accession to strengthening the multilateral 
trading system.  Ministers remain committed to effort s to facilitate accessions, in particular of least-
developed countries (LDCs).  
Trade and Development 
 
 Ministers reaffirm that development is a core element of the WTO's work.  They also reaffirm 
the positive link between trade and development and call for focused work in  the Committee on Trade 
and Development (CTD) which is to  conduct this work in accordance with its mandate and report the 
results achieved to Ministers at the Ninth S ession.  Ministers call on WTO Members to fully 
operationalize the mandate of the CTD as a focal point for development work. 
  Ministers reaffirm the need for the WTO to assi st in further integrating developing countries, 
particularly LDCs and, without creating a sub- category of WTO Members, small, vulnerable 
economies, into the multilateral trading system.    
 Ministers acknowledge the needs of LDCs a nd commit themselves to ensure that LDCs' 
interests are given due priority in  the future work of the WTO.  In this regard, they have taken 
decisions concerning LDC accession in document WT/COMTD/LDC/19, extension of the LDC transition period under Article 66.1 of the TRIPS Ag reement in document IP/C/59/Add.2, and LDCs 
services waiver in document TN/S/37.  Ministers also urge the full implementation of Decision 36 of 
Annex F of the Hong Kong Ministerial Declarati on of 2005 on measures in favour of LDCs.  
Ministers also welcome the Istanbul Programme  of Action for LDCs for the decade 2011-2020. 
  Ministers confirm their commitment to on-going dialogue and engagement to progress the mandate in paragraph 11 of the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration to address cotton "ambitiously, 
expeditiously and specifically", within the agricultu re negotiations.  Ministers highlight the value of 
on-going reporting on cotton, and invite the Directo r-General to continue furnishing periodic reports 
on the development assistance aspects of cotton to each Ministerial Conference.  Ministers commend the work being undertaken within the Direct or-General's Consultative Process to advance 
developmental assistance aspects of cotton.  
 Ministers reaffirm the integrality of special and differential treatment provisions to the WTO 
agreements and their determination to fulfil the Doha mandate to review them with a view to 
strengthening them and making them  more precise, effective and operational.  Ministers agree to 
expedite work towards finalizing the Monitoring Mechanism for special and differential treatment.  
They also agree to take stock of the 28 Agreement-specific proposals in Annex C of the draft Cancún text with a view to formal adoption of those agreed. 
 
 Ministers take note of the progress achieved on Aid for Trade and of the Third Global Aid for Trade Review.  They agree to maintain, beyond 2011,  Aid for Trade levels that at least reflect the 
average of the period 2006-2008 and to work with development banks to ensure the availability of 
trade finance to low income countries. Ministers reiterate their commitment to funding the WTO 
Global Trust Fund in a predictable and timely manner to  enable the Secretariat to continue to provide 
the Technical Assistance and Capacity Building required.     Ministers acknowledge the WTO’s co-ope ration with other development-related 
organizations, in particular, the International Trade Ce ntre (ITC).  Ministers reaffirm the ITC's role in 
improving and enhancing trade support institutions and policies for the benefit of exporting efforts;  WT/MIN(11)/11 
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  and in strengthening the export capacity of enterpri ses to respond to market opportunities.  Ministers 
encourage the ITC to support and assist devel oping countries to address business environment and 
market access issues affecting the private sector.  
Doha Development Agenda 
 
 Ministers deeply regret that, despite full enga gement and intensified efforts to conclude the 
Doha Development Agenda single undertaking since th e last Ministerial Conference, the negotiations 
are at an impasse.  
 Ministers acknowledge that there are significantly different perspectives on the possible 
results that Members can achieve in certain areas of  the single undertaking.  In this context, it is 
unlikely that all elements of the Doha Developmen t Round could be conclude d simultaneously in the 
near future.  
 Despite this situation, Ministers remain co mmitted to work actively, in a transparent and 
inclusive manner, towards a successful multilateral conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda in 
accordance with its mandate.     In order to achieve this end and to fac ilitate swifter progress, Ministers recognize that 
Members need to more fully explore different ne gotiating approaches while respecting the principles 
of transparency and inclusiveness. 
  In this context, Ministers commit to advance negotiations, where progress can be achieved, including focusing on the elements of the Doha D eclaration that allow Members to reach provisional 
or definitive agreements based on consensus earlier than the full conclusion of the single undertaking. 
 
 Ministers also stress that they will intensify their efforts to look into ways that may allow Members to overcome the most critical and fundam ental stalemates in the areas where multilateral 
convergence has proven to be especially challenging.   Ministers maintain that, in their negotiations , they will continue their work based on the 
progress already made.  Ministers affirm that any ag reements reached, at any time, have to respect 
fully the development component of the mandate.  
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 WT/MIN(11)/11 
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  PART II 
 
SUMMARY OF KEY ISSUES RAISED IN THE DISCUSSIONS 
  
Keeping markets open and resisting protectionism 
 
Ministers highlighted the importance of keep ing markets open and the need to resist 
protectionism  particularly in this challenging global econom ic environment.  Many Ministers sought a 
stronger message against protectionism, stating that  the prevailing economic climate had made it all 
the more essential.  In this regard, they urge d Members to commit to a standstill on all forms of 
protectionism; to roll back any protectionist measures that had been introduced during the crisis; to not introduce new protectionist measures while the Doha negotiations were on- going; and, to exercise 
maximum restraint in implementing measures that may be WTO-consistent but have a significant 
protectionist effect.  The need for a regular mon itoring mechanism was highlighted, including through 
reinforcing the Trade Policy Review Body.  Many  Ministers welcomed the Director-General's 
monitoring reports on recent trade developments. 
 
 Other Ministers said that the rules-based na ture of the WTO system with its rights and 
obligations needed to be taken into account.  Deve lopment aspects also needed to be considered.  
They stressed that in these challenging times, the ri ght of Members to use existing WTO-consistent 
policy space to achieve economic and developmen t objectives should not be curtailed.  Some 
Ministers also stressed that all forms of protectionism, not only tariffs, should be considered in any commitment.     A number of Ministers expressed concern over the increase of protectionism in agricultural 
trade in the form of trade-restri ctive measures without scientific or technical justification and not in 
conformity with the SPS and TBT Agreements.  Some Ministers also expressed concern with 
increasing resort to private standa rds and food labelling requirements. 
  It was suggested that a technical workshop on protectionism be convened in 2012 to examine all aspects of the issue, with particip ation by all relevant stakeholders. 
 
 Ministers widely acknowledged that improvi ng Members' compliance with notification 
obligations would enhance transparency across WTO bodies and help to discourage protectionism.  
Current global challenges 
 
 A number of Ministers stressed that for the WTO to remain credible and relevant it needed to 
address current global challenges.  Some of the i ssues mentioned in this discussion included climate 
change, energy, food security, trade and exchange ra tes, competition and investment. Some Ministers 
stated that it was time to explore these issues in WTO regular bodies to enable the membership to 
improve understanding of their implications for tr ade and development while continuing efforts to 
seek a conclusion of the Doha Round. 
  Other Ministers expressed reservations about  initiating negotiations on new issues.  They 
were concerned about the possibility of addressing issues selectively or shif ting the focus away from 
unresolved issues in the DDA negotia tions.  They stressed that any new issue should only be brought 
to committees in accordance with their normal ru les and procedures and within their respective 
mandates.     Some Ministers said that the WTO needed to pa y more attention to global value chains.  In 
this regard, calls were made to build on the Secr etariat's recent "Made in the World" initiative.   
  WT/MIN(11)/11 
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   Some Ministers welcomed the decision of the Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance to 
convene a seminar on the relationship between excha nge rates and trade in the first quarter of 2012. 
Some Ministers also highlighted the need fo r greater coherence between the WTO and other 
international institutions, including the IMF.   Dispute settlement  
 The central role of the dispute settlement syst em in ensuring predictability and security of the 
multilateral trading system was stressed by many Mi nisters.  The need to improve DSU procedures 
and make the system more accessible to least-dev eloped countries and small, vulnerable economies 
was stressed.  In that regard, many Ministers ur ged the completion of the DSU negotiations in 2012. 
  
Accessions 
 
 There was wide convergence on the importa nce of accessions to making the multilateral 
trading system truly universal.  Ministers welcomed  the adoption of the decision further streamlining 
LDCs accessions and urged its rapid operationalisation. Some Mi nisters drew attention to the 
substantive and procedural challenges in the accession process for other developing countries and 
urged streamlining of these processes too, including not subjecting acceding countries to commitments beyond their levels of development.  Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs)  
 A large number of Ministers pointed to the growing number of RTAs and stressed the need to 
ensure that they remain complementary to, not a subs titute for, the multilateral trading system.  In that 
regard, many Ministers stressed the need for the WT O to address the systemic implications of RTAs 
for the multilateral trading system and to study tr ends in RTAs and report to the Ninth Ministerial 
Conference.    
The role of the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD) 
 
 The importance of the development dimension of the WTO's work was highlighted by a large 
number of Ministers, many of whom stressed the need to strengthen the CTD as a focal point for 
development issues.  In that context, some Ministers suggested the full operationalization of the CTD's mandate including the review and monitoring of  special and differential treatment provisions in 
the WTO.  Others expressed support for the fina lization of the S&D Monitoring Mechanism and the 
adoption of Annex C of the draft Cancún text. Othe r Ministers also suggested that consideration 
should be given to outstanding implementation i ssues in line with Paragraph 12 of the Doha 
Ministerial Declaration.   
Food security 
 
 Many Ministers urged WTO Members to commit to remove and not to impose in the future, 
food export restrictions or extraordinary tax es for food purchased for non-commercial humanitarian 
purposes by the World Food Programme.  Other Ministers stressed the importance of addressing the root causes of food insecurity and underlined the im portance of allowing Members to use their rights 
under WTO Agreements.    
  Some Ministers signalled their support for a proposal to establish a work programme on 
trade-related responses to mitigate the impact of food market prices and volatility, especially on LDCs 
and NFIDCs, for action by the Ninth Ministerial Conference.  Several Ministers noted that the issue of food security was multi-faceted and needed to be l ooked at in its entirety, including the impact of 
export restrictions on international prices.    WT/MIN(11)/11 
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  Aid for Trade and the Enhanced Integrated Framework.  
 
 There was broad recognition of the importance of Aid for Trade to build trade capacity and facilitate the integration of beneficiary countries into  the multilateral trading system.  The specific role 
of the Enhanced Integrated Framework for LDCs  was underscored.  Some Ministers called for 
ensuring that Aid for Trade funding addresses the n eed of developing counties, particularly the 
specific needs of small, vulnerable economies and ur ged co-operation with othe r relevant institutions 
to that effect.  The importance of the regional dime nsion of Aid for Trade and of trade finance were 
also highlighted.   
 
Doha Round negotiations 
 
 Many Ministers expressed deep regret at the impasse currently facing the Doha Round.  They 
nevertheless reaffirmed their commitment to delivering on the Doha mandate.   
 
 On the work ahead, while a number of Mi nisters emphasised their openness to different 
negotiating approaches, some expressed strong r eservations about plurilateral approaches.   
  Many Ministers stressed the need for Members to start identifying areas where provisional or 
definitive agreements could be reached in the shorter term.  Others indicated the need to move step by 
step, bottom-up, to avoid repeating past failed attempts.   
 
 Many Members stressed that any different appr oaches in the work ahead should conform to 
the Doha mandate, respect the single undertaking, and be truly multilateral, transparent and inclusive.  
  In looking at future work, a large number of Mi nisters stressed the centrality of development.  
Many underlined the need to give priority to issues of interest to LDCs, including cotton.  Many 
mentioned the importance of all three pillars in th e agriculture negotiations.  Many also mentioned 
trade facilitation, special and differential treat ment, S&D Monitoring Mechanism and non-tariff 
measures.   There was a shared sense that a key question to  unlock the current impasse is the balance in 
contributions and responsibilities between emerging and advanced economies, although there were 
different views as to what the appropriate shares in this balance should be.   Several Ministers emphasized the importance of a transparent, inclusive and bottom-up 
approach in the work ahead while others stre ssed the need to take account of all Members ꞌ views and 
avoid attributing the views of a few to the whole membership. 
 
______________ 
 
  That concludes my summary. Before moving to close the meeting, I would like to say a few 
words of appreciation and share some personal reflections with you. 
  First of all, my warmest gratitude to all t hose who have worked so hard to make this 
Conference a success against considerable odds. I want  especially to thank Ministers Cadiz, Mustapa 
and Schneider-Amman, whose skills as Vice-Chair s have made a key contribution to the smooth 
handling of a busy agenda.  Thanks also to Amba ssador Agah for his skilful management of the 
preparatory process, Director-General Lamy fo r his strong support and advocacy, and the whole 
Secretariat team for their professionalism and dedica tion. Most of all, I want to thank you, the 
Ministers, for your constructive and co-operativ e participation. In these challenging times for 
international co-operation, I believe we ha ve set a good example in these three days.  
   WT/MIN(11)/11 
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   I see this Ministerial as significant in three main ways. Firstly, it has produced some positive 
decisions – the accessions of Russia, Montenegro a nd Samoa in particular, but also the Government 
Procurement Agreement and the seven Decisions we  have just adopted. Secondly, we have sent a 
strong collective message that the WTO is more than  ever important to the world. And thirdly, we 
have seen constructive dialogue among Ministers which has improved the WTO's atmosphere and 
outlook. 
  It is essential that we do not let this impr oved political mood dissipate. I believe the contacts 
among Ministers here have created a promising b asis for renewing the political dimension of the 
WTO in a lasting way. I hope that informal dial ogue among Ministers will continue actively after this 
meeting, and I commit myself to do everything I can to encourage that dialogue. 
  
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