. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/21 
16 December 2011 
 (11-6587) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011 Original:   English 
 
  
DECLARATION OF MINISTERS OF THE GROUP OF SMALL, VULNERABLE 
ECONOMIES (SVES) TO THE EIGHTH SESSION OF THE WORLD TRADE 
ORGANIZATION MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
 
16 December 2011, Geneva 
 
 
The following communication, dated 16 December 2011, is being circulated at the request of 
the Delegation of Barbados on behalf of the SVEs.  
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We, the Ministers and Heads of Delegation of the Group of  Small, Vulnerable Economies 
(SVEs), having met on 15 December 2011 in Geneva , Switzerland, in the context of the Eighth 
Session of the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference: 
Reiterate the importance of maintaining a fair and equitable, rules based multilateral trading 
system, particularly for SVEs, and underscore th e central role of the World Trade Organization 
(WTO) in this regard.  
Re-affirm the relevance of the Work Pr ogramme on Small Economies contained in 
Paragraph 35 of the Doha Ministerial Declara tion and Paragraph 41 of the Hong Kong Ministerial 
Declaration. 
Recognize the challenges facing the world economic environment and therefore the 
difficulties in successfully concluding the Doha De velopment Agenda (DDA) negotiations in the near 
future.  
Call on Members to show the necessary political will to conclude the DDA negotiations and 
to translate commitments into concrete action, with  priority given to the modalities in favour of the 
small, vulnerable economies.   
Acknowledge that there may be a need to expl ore different negotiating approaches in the 
future within the Doha Mandate.  However, we emphasize that key principles of the multilateral 
trading system such as transparency, inclusiven ess and effective special and differential provisions 
must not be undermined.  
Emphasize the need to maintain the centralit y of development and the preservation of the 
principle of the Single Undertaking, in pursuit of a balanced and development centred outcome in the 
DDA negotiations.  WT/MIN(11)/21 
Page 2  
 
  Note the progress achieved on SVE priorities, and emphasize the importance of continuing 
constructive engagement to find c oncrete and appropriate  solutions to respond to the trade-related 
issues of Small, Vulnerable Economies.  
Stress the importance of preserving agreed flexibilities for SVEs in the modalities in 
Agriculture, NAMA and Services.  We also look forw ard to obtaining appropriate flexibilities in other 
negotiating areas such as Fisheries Subsidies, Do mestic Regulation and Trade and Environment. 
Re-affirm the WTO Aid-for-Trade initiativ e launched at the Hong Kong Ministerial 
Conference and reaffirm that Aid for Trade remains an important means of contributing to the fuller 
integration of Small, Vulnerable Economies into the multilateral trading system. To this end, we urge 
that international financial ins titution support SVEs in the implementation of their Aid-for-Trade 
strategies, and take into account the small size a nd vulnerability of our economies, when considering 
our requests for funding for Aid-for-Trade initiatives.  
Agree to intensify our efforts to promote our trade priorities in all negotiating areas under the 
Doha Development Agenda and in the context of the work of the regular WTO Bodies that could 
facilitate the meaningful integration of ou r economies into the multilateral trading. 
 
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