. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(09)/ST/115 
2 December 2009 
 (09-6411) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Seventh Session Geneva, 30 November - 2 December 2009 Original:   English 
 
  
LESOTHO 
 
Statement by the Honourable Popane Lebesa
 
Minister of Trade and Industry  
  
 It is a special privilege and distinct honour to be afforded this opportunity to address this 7th 
WTO Ministerial Conference. 
 
 From the onset allow me, Chair to a ddress the Doha Development Round of Trade 
Negotiations and urge fellow WTO members to continue  to support issues of interest to all LDCs, in 
particular, Duty Free Quota Free Market Access w ith accompanying simplified rules of origin as 
stipulated in the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration, a waiver decision on preferential and more favourable treatment to services and services supplie rs of LDCs; and an am bitious, expeditious and 
specific outcome for cotton trade-related aspects, in  particular the elimination of trade-distorting 
domestic support measures and e xport subsidies, as stipulated in the Plan of Action. 
  The pace of the negotiations is very slow and unless there is a dramatic change the latest target date of concluding by 2010 is highly likely to be missed.  It is for the WTO membership to 
accelerate the pace.  Certainly substance should and does drive the process. It is also true that 
substance can be achieved within the time frame i ndicated. Considerable delays can only mean the 
erosion of the relevance and value of the DDA.   This conference takes place in the shadow of  the most devastating financial and economic 
crisis since the great depression of the 1930s.  The crisis has been on the rampage for about three 
years. It has hit the economies of most LDCs and low income countries particularly hard. Exports of 
both goods and services in such countries have drop ped drastically.  There had to be production cut 
backs and factory closures.  Unemployment rate has risen to socially and politically unacceptable levels.  Fiscal deficits have been stretched to th e limit.  In some cases public indebtedness has once 
again reached unsustainable levels. In the case of many the foreign exchange reserves holdings have 
dwindled.  Public revenue, which is  often dependent on indirect taxes for in this category of countries, 
has plummeted.  Poverty has become more widespr ead and has become deeper. T here is hardly any 
policy space left.   It should be borne in mind that it has been crises over crises in LDCs and low income 
developing countries.  There has been prolonged unfa vourable terms of trade, unsustainable levels of 
sovereign debt, oil and food price surges, that prece ded the current financial and economic crisis.  All 
these have set back our dreams such as MDGs a nd raising of the human development index many 
years behind set target time lines.   
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   Protectionism in all its various forms, should not  be the way to deal with the crisis. Such an 
approach has been proved to be counterproductiv e. Alternative avenues have to be explored. 
Obstructing trade flows can only make the crisis worse. Keeping trade flowing, on the other hand 
would give a glimmer of hope regarding recovery.  
 A plausible remedy to the challenge would be for development partners to support 
programmes that are geared towards dealing w ith supply side constraints. Productive capacities 
should be developed expeditiously.  Diversification should be tackled forcefully.  Value chains need 
to be lengthened substantially.  The private sector h as to be developed to a level where they can be 
truly worthy development partners of governments in the quest to raise human development index in 
our societies.  In that regard, the group should persist in calling upon developed countries to step up 
support to developing countries through initiatives such as AfT and the EIF, which is specifically 
meant for LDCs.  In doing so additionality of resources, ownership, minimal conditionality, 
expeditious disbursement, rigorous monitoring and ev aluation should be ensured. Market access alone 
will not suffice.  African countries should have plen ty to export in the form of goods and services. 
 
 It is with gratification to note that this Mi nisterial Meeting will address crucial issues such as 
accession, especially that of the LDCs.  The more inclusive and participatory WTO is the more of a 
truly global body it will become.  The more effectiv e it will be.  Setting in motion search for ways of 
strengthening the functioning of the WTO to ensure  that it adapts well to the challenges of coping 
effectively with changes that are occurring over time is the move whose time has come. 
 
 We take note that the Meeting will pr onounce on TRIPS non-violation complaints 
moratorium and on e-Commerce moratorium, with  the latter already enjoying the consensus. 
 
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