. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(05)/ST/137 
17 December 2005 
 (05-6141) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Sixth Session Hong Kong, 13 - 18 December 2005 Original:   English 
 
  
GRENADA 
 
Statement by HE Dr Patrick Antoine
 
Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the WTO  
   On behalf of the Government of Grenada and people, whom I am honoured to represent, I 
wish to thank the Government and people of Hong Kong, China for th eir warm welcome and 
excellent arrangements for this Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference. 
  I take this opportunity to welcome the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Tonga on their accession into the WTO.  I am confident that we will all benefit from their participation. 
  Four years ago, we launched the Doha Deve lopment Round of negotiations.  Sadly there has 
been limited progress on development issues.  As a small, vulnerable economy, Grenada would like to 
see concrete results on the work programme for sma ll economies.  We believe that this Ministerial 
creates the perfect opportunity to advance the Doha Development Agenda.  In this regard, we must 
agree to specific measures that small, vulnerabl e economies can benefit from in a tangible way. 
 
 Grenada anticipates a balanced outcome  from these negotiations, which creates the 
appropriate policy space for our con tinued development.  Notwithsta nding the fact that our economy 
has recently suffered form a most devastating hu rricane, which obliterated two and a half years GDP, 
we are still prepared to make our contribution within  our limited means, to this package of rights and 
obligations.  
 Grenada, like most small economies, continues to be highly dependent on international trade 
taxes for revenue.  International trade taxes acc ount for approximately 52 per cent of government 
revenue and literally sustains our budget.  While we are prepared to engage in the process of 
continuous reform of the global trading system, our country requires the necessary time to introduce 
reforms and structurally adjust the economy.  In this context we could not engage  in drastic cuts in our 
industrial tariffs which would prove  deleterious to fiscal stability. 
  We hope that during the course of these ne gotiations, balanced progress will be made in 
respect of the three pillars of the Agreement on Agriculture, with a view to achieving real 
commitments in domestic support, the elimination of export subsidies and market access.  It is the 
view of my country that SPs and SSMs are critical to addressing the food security, rural development 
and livelihood concerns of developing countries.  Special and differential treatment provisions must 
be implemented to address the constraints faced by developing countries.   My country is open to work with other like- minded Members in order to submit proposals for 
effective progress within the mandate of the Doha Development Round.  We share in the agenda of 
the G33, ACP and G90 groups. 
 WT/MIN(05)/ST/137 
Page 2  
 
  For the Government of Grenada, services are an essential element of these negotiations and 
we would like to see an ambitious outcome in this area.  Grenada has demonstrated its commitments 
to contributing to the negotiations on trade in ser vices by submitting an initial offer in which we 
undertook new, meaningful commitments.  
 Grenada welcomes with satisfaction the decisi on to amend the TRIPS Agreement and Public 
Health.  This clearly demonstrates willingness by Me mbers to place people at the heat of the DDA.  
Let this be our guiding principle in  moving forward in these negotiations. 
  The world is looking on;  we have a mora l responsibility to deliver the promise of 
development.  The time is now. 
  We must find accommodation for the plight of small economies and those Members benefiting from long-standing preferences.  We must  find a permanent solution to the imbalances 
which exist against the cotton producing developing  countries.  We can build confidence in this 
Organization if we achieve a fair, equitable, rules- based system that works fo r the many, not just for 
the few.  The poor cannot wait, therefore the time is now.   In all of this, Grenada remains cautiously  optimistic for a successful outcome to this 
Ministerial Conference.  
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