. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/ST/7 
15 December 2011  
 
(11-6548) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011 Original:   English 
 
  
BANGLADESH 
 
Statement by the Hon.  Muhammad Faruk Khan 
Minister of Commerce 
  
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the LDC Group.  
I congratulate you, Mr Chair, on your election.  I also thank the Directo r-General and his team 
for the excellent arrangements made for this Conference. 
 We are meeting here at a critical juncture.  The signs of recovery from the global financial 
and economic crisis are still tenta tive and fragile.  Increased trad e barriers tend to undermine the 
multilateral trading system.  International food pr ices remain volatile.  Hard-earned development 
gains, especially in LDCs, witness a reversing trend.  Poverty remains on the rise in many parts of the 
globe. 
 In this backdrop, our job in hand is no less pressi ng.  For LDCs, we have invested a lot of our 
time, energy and resources for a fair and equitabl e outcome from Doha.  We cannot afford to let go 
off all that investment.  We cannot allow Doha to fail.  We must forge ah ead to break the current 
deadlock in DDA negotiations. 
 Doha does give us an opportunity for that.  Para graph 47 allows for "early harvest" within the 
"Single Undertaking".  This must, however, be firmly rooted in development and uphold the multilateral consensus building process. 
 
LDCs have long been advocating for an "early harvest" of their priority issues.  We must 
retain that focus as we move forward with an in cremental approach to concluding the Doha Round.  
An early outcome on LDC priority issues would be th e real "litmus test" of the Members' resolve to 
deliver. 
 
The much-awaited decision on LDCs' Services waiver is a manifestation that it can be done.  
What's been instrumental here is the combinati on of political will, informed choices and a spirit of 
compromise.  We'll need a mix of all these to ma ke the waiver decision operational and meaningful. 
 
The centrality of development in the DDA should help us stay focused and on track.  As we 
remain seized with outstanding development issues, we must question the merit of bringing in the 
so-called "new issues" into the bargain.  Deve lopment is a self-fulfilling objective that needs no 
counter-balancing.  
We should give a fair chance to the Committe e on Trade and Development to live up to its 
mandate.  The implementation of S&D provisions for LDCs needs to be reviewed on a regular basis, 
backed by sound data and evidence.  The Secretariat' s work in this regard needs to be complemented WT/MIN(11)/ST/7 
Page 2  
 
  with transparent and timely notifica tions by Members.  This would be particularly relevant for the full 
and early implementation of Decision 36 of Annex F of the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration on 
measures in favour of the LDCs. 
 Our quest for addressing cotton ambitiously, expeditiously and specifically still remains a 
distant prospect.  We need to show the determination to find a viable solution to the existential crisis 
of cotton producers in the C4 countries. 
 We strongly believe that a well-functioning rul es-based multilateral trading system is in the 
best interest of LDCs.  A fair and equitable gl obal trade regime should help the LDCs tide over the 
adverse impacts of the global economic slowdown.   We must remain cautious about going down a 
plurilateral path as an alternative to the multilateral process.  We also urge that bilateral arrangements 
follow the preferences and flexib ilities accorded to LDCs within the multilateral trading system. 
 
The same spirit should prevail in negotiations on LDCs' accession to WTO.  The decision to 
set up benchmarks in goods and services would in troduce a multilateral dimension to the current 
market access negotiation process with acceding LDCs .  We need targeted technical assistance to 
facilitate the accession of LDCs.  We welcome th e accession of the Russian Federation, Samoa and 
Montenegro. 
 The Enhanced Integrated Framework also need s further acceleration when it comes to Tier 
II (two) projects.  The stringent criteria applied in the process of approval have often been onerous for 
LDCs. 
 In the Aid-for-Trade framework, we must draw  on the lessons learnt, especially those coming 
from the Third Global Review, to enhance owne rship and partnership among the beneficiary 
countries.  The flow of additional, predictabl e, sustainable and effective resources for the 
Aid-for-Trade initiative as well as the Global Trust Fund remains a critical concern, especially in the 
current global economic landscape. 
 Transfer of technology to LDCs has also been  a far cry from our expectations.  The policy 
incentives offered by developed country Members to their enterprises and institutions must be 
attractive enough for them to share technologies with  LDCs in a relevant and purposeful manner. 
 
The priority needs assessments by LDCs for compliance with the TRIPS Agreement is a 
work-in-progress that demands considerable efforts.   LDCs, therefore, need an extension of the 
transition period under Article 66.1 of the Agreemen t.  The exemption on pharmaceutical patents for 
the LDCs also merits further extension be yond 2016 to ensure their access to medicines. 
 Despite all the challenges, trade has indeed b een a vehicle for growth and development in 
LDCs.  This has been broadly recognized in the Is tanbul Programme of Action.  In order to ensure 
policy coherence, we urge the WTO to contribute to  the implementation of the Istanbul Programme of 
Action, and to work with development partne rs in a coordinated a nd consistent manner. 
 
We must remind ourselves that there is a human face to our discussions on trade and 
development.  It is our job to gi ve a voice to it.  When trade makes a difference in the lives of a cotton 
grower in Mali, or a cocoa producer in Uganda, or  a miner in Zambia, or a garments worker in 
Cambodia, we can claim to have done our job.  Le t us join our forces to do a good job at that. 
 
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