. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/ST/123 
17 December 2011 
 (11-6874) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011 Original:   English 
 
  
PAPUA NEW GUINEA 
 
Statement by H.E. Mr. Peter Maginde 
Ambassador 
 
 
The 8th Ministerial Conference of the WTO is being held at a very challenging and a critical 
time, given the magnitude of various global challe nges as well as national challenges faced by all 
members that are represented here at this conference. 
 
We are all here because we all have great faith and support for the WTO system.  We all 
subscribe to a multilateral trading system that is rule  based, transparent and inclusive. Such a platform 
allows even the smallest pacific island states to b ecome members of the WTO.  This year we witness 
the accession of four new members which include the Russian Federation, Montenegro, Samoa and 
Vanuatu. 
 
Papua New Guinea wishes at this juncture to welcome the new members and offers a 
Melanesian welcome to Vanuatu and Samoa, who br ing the total number of Pacific WTO members to 
six, we hope that the Pacific region now gains due recognition of our specific development challenges 
and needs. 
 
Papua New Guinea regrets the long drawn out process of the Doha Round but the single 
undertaking must not be compromised.  The good will to conclude is there but certain protective 
measures and mechanisms are the reasons for such a long delay.  
Papua New Guinea took a decisive step few year s ago to fully open up our trade and tariff 
regime and we are now WTO compatible allowing over  80% of all items free of duty.  International 
trade now accounts for over 90% of our GDP.  We ha ve also signed and ratified with the European 
Union the interim Economic Part nership Agreement (iEPA) where we have duty free, quota free 
market access.  Perhaps we have been naïve, but  given the rapidly changing global economic patterns 
and the institutional structures going through rapi d transformations, the WTO must remain a beacon 
of hope, for small developing countries like my own.  
Pacific economies, including Papua New Guinea ar e very small and fragile, we have limited 
exportable commodities and are adversely affected by tyranny of distance and inadequate trade related 
infrastructure.  Our people in the rural areas are single- line small time traders that also accepts trade in 
kind as well.  We therefore, desire a fairer rule based multilateral trading system to enable our rural 
communities to trade their way out of poverty into prosperity.  
While PNG is richly blessed with a number of natural and marine based resources, we are 
also mindful of the pitfalls of such resources if  they are not properly managed with their returns 
equitably distributed.  Therefore certain macro economic policies, structural reforms and trade 
liberalization reforms have been put in pl ace to enable our economy to remain buoyant WT/MIN(11)/ST/123 
Page 2  
 
  notwithstanding the global financial cr isis.  Our kina has continued to gain strength due to the direct 
foreign investment inflows for the LNG project development.  
During our trade policy review at the WTO last  year, we mentioned that Papua New Guinea 
faces a number of real challenges including climat e change and meeting the MDG goals.  We are 
actively working to mainstream trade into our natio nal development plans to meet these challenges.  
Papua New Guinea would welcome assistance from memb er countries in a number of areas such as; 
institutional capacity building, trade facilitation, SMEs, technical barriers to trade, fishing and tourism.  Members can also open their markets to our export products as well as from other small 
vulnerable economies. 
 
Notwithstanding the need to address these challe nges, the largest impediment and constraint 
on our ability to meaningfully participate in the global trading system, remains the poor state of our trade related infrastructure.  Without immediate address and assistance to improve our ports, power and roads infrastructure, Papua New Guinea will neit her meaningfully participate in global trade nor 
improve the livelihoods of the millions living in rura l and remote villages.  We urge the international 
community under the WTO’s Aid for Trade initiative to partner with Papua New Guinea to address 
this critical need.  
Papua New Guinea aspires to retire from the ai d dependency syndrome with an economy that 
is progressively growing to su stain growth through trade. 
 
To achieve this aspiration, it is imperative that there is:  
 Special and differential treatment to small vulnerable economies in regards to disciplines 
on fisheries subsidies. 
 Meaningful market access commitments a nd binding trade agreements for trade 
facilitation. 
 Action taken to address consequences of clim ate change and its negative developmental 
impact on small island states. 
 
Before closing, Papua New Guinea also wishes to confirm our support to the statements from 
the ACP and SVE group representatives.  
In conclusion, we would like to urge both th e developed and the developing countries to pull 
together all our synergies to conclude the DDAs because under the globally integrated trading system, 
a rule-based transparent market syst em is a win-win for all members. 
 
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