WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(05)/ST/164 
17 December 2005 
 (05-6187) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Sixth Session Hong Kong, 13 - 18 December 2005 Original:   English 
 
 
 
HOLY SEE 
 
Statement by HE Monsignor Silvano Tomasi
 
Apostolic Nuncio  
 
(Speaking as an Observer) 
 
 
The Delegation of the Holy See wishes to expr ess its gratitude to the Chief Executive of the 
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, to the Se cretary for Commerce, In dustry and Technology, 
and to the people of Hong Kong for their kind welc ome and to congratulate them on the excellent 
arrangements that have been made for this Conference.  Equal appreciation goes to the Chairman of the General Council and to the Director General of the WTO for their efforts throughout the preparatory 
period.  
It was not possible for the Member States to reach a substantial agreement before the Hong 
Kong Conference.  Now, the objective is to draft a document that offers guidelines in order to continue 
the discussions.  Difficulties mani fested themselves at the time of making concessions following the 
guidelines established by the Do ha Declaration and the Decision adopted by the General Council on 
1 August 2004
1.  While these difficulties could ultimately  not be overcome, they still represent an 
opportunity to examine more carefu lly the contents of the aforemen tioned Declaration and Session in 
favour of development.  Such contents should then be  taken into account in each and every one of the 
new agreements, so that "a universal, rules-based,  open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral 
trading system, [which] can substantially stimulate development worldwide"2 may be reached. 
 
A few days ago, in his message to the F ood and Agriculture Orga nization (FAO) annual 
Conference, Pope Benedict  XVI spoke about this WTO meeting sa ying:  "In a few days many of the 
participants in this Conferen ce will be meeting in Hong Kong for negotiations on international 
commerce, particularly with regard to farm products.  The Holy See is confident that a sense of responsibility and solidarity with the most disadvanta ged will prevail, so that narrow interests and the 
logic of power will be set aside.  It must not be forgotten that the vulnerability of rural areas has 
significant  repercussions on the subsistence of small farmers and their families if they are denied access 
to the market
3". 
 
The Holy See recognizes the bene fit of an equitable and partic ipatory multilateral system of 
trade relations direct ed to attaining and developing the common good.  A spirit of solidarity among all 
countries and people should replace th e ceaseless competition that aims to achieve and defend privileged 
positions in international trade.  Protectionism too ofte n favours already privileged segments of society.  
Effective multilateralism, on the other hand, is an in clusive process which acknowledges that at the core 
of all social and economic relations, and hence of tr ade relations, is the human person, with dignity and 
                                                      
1 2004 July Package (WT/L/579, 2 August 2004). 
2 United Nations, A/RES/60/1, 2005 World Summit Outcome, N.27. 
3 Benedict XVI at the 33rd Conference of FAO, November 24, 2005. WT/MIN(05)/ST/164 
Page 2  
 
inalienable human rights.  Therefore, a rules-based trade system or, better, a fair system of trade rules is indispensable.  
A fair system of trade rules should be shaped according to the level of economic development 
of the Member States and give explicit support and special and differential  treatment to the poorest 
countries.  When the levels of development of the members are excessively unequal, the consent of the 
panties may not be sufficient to guarantee the justic e of their agreement: "trade relations can no longer 
he based solely on the principle of  free, unchecked competition, for it very often creates an economic 
dictatorship.  Free trade can be called just only when it conforms to the demands of social justice"
4.  
Moreover, the question of justice in today's trade rules is problematic because such rules tend to grant 
more privileges to these who possess more economic power.  A fair system of trade rules is an 
international public good.  Without a fair system of trade rules, vulnerable people in many developing 
and developed countries will be "locked in a poverty trap".  In fact, many poor countries are prevented 
from reaping the benefits of the new oppor tunities offered in the new scenario. 
 
Trade reforms can, in the short-term, bring about  for the poorest countries adjustment costs that 
could have a harmful impact on the lives of their c itizens.  International trade rules should enable 
governments to adopt the measures nece ssary to reduce the social costs of trade liberalization.  Indeed, 
the global gain from trade liberalization should allow for "compensating losers". 
 
This approach is in line with the concern to  put the human person at the centre of any 
development and trade strategy, recognizing that onl y by raising individual's capabilities, enabling every 
person and every social group to make the most of th e opportunities created by tr ade liberalization, will 
it be possible to implement a truly mutually beneficial fair trade.  
Opening access to new markets of fers a real opportunity for de veloping countries and is an 
important element of the developmen t process;  however, it is not per se  a sufficient condition for lifting 
countries out of poverty.  Poor countries need be equipped in order to take this opportunity.  Without 
appropriate infrastructure fo r access to markets, human capacity-building, it is unlikely that any country 
could benefit from trade.  A generous "Aid for Tr ade" initiative should be  predictable, specific, 
monitored and country-driven.  In this regard, consideration should be given to providing developing 
countries with the finances needed to address adju stment costs arising from the Doha negotiations as 
well as their supply side constraints.  Indeed, weak economies urgently need support for improving their 
supply capacity and trade-re lated infrastructure in order to be ab le to translate improved market access 
into increased exports.  
The international trading system should guara ntee a true partnership based on equal and 
reciprocal relations among rich and poor countries.  The WTO system s hould encourage participation of 
all States, above all of the most disadvantaged, in the negotiation process.  Trade rules should be 
negotiated by all, in the interest of  all, and adhered to by all, avoi ding closed-door decision-making that 
lacks the transparency and democracy necessary for the participation of the weak and voiceless.  The benefits that would result for developing countries would be larg er, stable and leading to their 
self-reliance. 
 
Free trade is not an end in itself but rather a means for better living standards and the human 
development of people at all levels.  The universal de stination of the goods of th e earth requires that the 
poor and marginalized should be the focus of particular concerns.
5  Trade exchanges should enable all 
people to have access to these goods.  Thus, essential services such as health, education, water, and food 
are not normal goods since citizens can not choose not to use them without  harm to themselves and high 
social costs for society.  Although often necessary, f ood aid can lead to unintended consequences that do 
                                                      
4 Paul VI,  Populurum Progressio, n.59. 
5 Cf. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church , n.182, Pontifical Coun cil for Justice and Peace 
(2004).  WT/MIN(05)/ST/164 
 Page 3 
 
 
not strengthen the food security of poor people.6  These public goods often require government 
intervention in markets to ensure equitable access to th em.  It is the task of the State to provide for the 
defence and preservation of comm on goods which cannot simply be  addressed by market forces. 
 
There exist important human needs which escape the market logic.  There are goods which due 
to their very nature cannot and must not be bought or sold7.  In a very special way, the movement of 
professionals and workers, a phenome non of increasing importance that  contributes in a critical way to 
the production of wealth, should he planned and mana ged in ways that optimiz e the benefits both for 
countries of origin and countries of destination, and above all for the migrants themselves.  The 
discussion on services should address items of in terest to the developing countries, especially those 
related to the movement of people, bearing in mind that the economic interests of the poor and the full 
respect of all human rights and the rights at work  of migrants are param ount in the negotiations. 
 
In today's world, where the knowledge economy is  becoming such an essential requirement, the 
concern for the TRIPS Agreement takes on new signi ficance.  While there is a need to protect 
intellectual property rights as an in centive for innovation and technology creation, it is also important to 
ensure broad access to technology and knowledge es pecially for low-income countries.  The new goods 
derived from progress in science and technology ar e key to world trade integration.  Improved 
technology and know-how transfer fr om the developed countries is ne cessary so that less-developed 
countries can catch-up and gain inte rnational trade competitiveness. 
 
Further, we welcome the recent amendment to the TRIPS Agreement on Public Health.  This 
amendment could assure poor c ountries access to the means for the production and importation of 
essential drugs needed to face th e main pandemics suffered by their populations.  It balanced the two 
important objectives of intellectual property rules:  creating incentiv es for innovation and spreading the 
benefits of the innovations as widely as possible.  However, care should he taken that this amendment 
not be weakened by regional and bi lateral agreements containing "TRIPS  plus" variants, which are more 
onerous for poor developing countries. 
 The Ministerial Meeting in Hong Kong could provide not only an important chance to restore 
confidence in the Doha Development Round, but also to restore full credibility  and legitimacy to the 
WTO system and to have the public at large understand its  value.  Despite all its inherent constraints, the 
WTO is unique among international organizations as a members-driven one with an ambitious policy of 
inclusion.  The mechanism of an effective Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) is evidence of a guarantee the equality of all countries before the law, regardle ss of their economic power, and it protects virtually 
all Member States from unfair, unilateral commercial actions.  
This Ministerial Conference has the potential to be remembered as a milestone in the 
establishment of a socially just in ternational trading system.  The mo re the rights and needs of the poor 
and the weak are taken into account, the greater b ecomes the possibility for justice and peace in our 
world, two indispensable conditions  for sustainable development and for the alleviation of poverty.  
These two goals constitute a common ambition to whic h all members can aspire as the negotiations go 
forward:  this is a guide for the road ahead. 
 
__________ 
 
 
                                                     
 
6 Cf. John Paul II, at FAO Head quarters, 5 December 1992, n.4 ;  "Food aid can do much good for 
recipient countries.  However, it should not be used by donor countries so as to result in commercial displacement of food commodities.  In the long-term, food  security problems will not be solved by increasing 
food aid dependency of entire populations" that should "receive an education that prepares them to provide 
healthy and sufficient foodstuffs on their own". 
7 Cf. Centesimus Annus n.40.