WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  RESTRICTED 
WT/MIN(11)/SR/7 
20 April 2012 
 (12-2105) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eigth Session Geneva, 15 -17 December 2011  
 
  
SUMMARY RECORD OF THE CLOSING SESSION 
 
Held at the Geneva International Confer ence Centre (CICG), Geneva, Switzerland 
on Saturday, 17 December 2011, at 7 p.m. 
 
Chairperson:  His Excellency Mr Olusegun Olutoyin Aganga (Nigeria) 
  
1.  Action by Ministers (Agenda Item 2) ...................................................................................... 1  
2.  Date and Venue of the Ninth Session (Agenda Item 3) .......................................................... 2  
3.  Election of Officers (Agenda Item 4) ....................................................................................... 2  
4.  Closure of th e Session ........................................................................................................ ....... 2 
 
1. The Chairman called the meeting to order.   
1. Action by Ministers (Agenda Item 2) 
(a) Accessions of the Russian Federation, Samoa and Montenegro 
2. The Chairman reverted to Item 2 "Action by Ministers", which the Ministerial Conference 
had begun on 16 December with c onsideration of the Accession of the Russian Federation, and had 
continued on 17 December with the Accessions of Samoa and Montenegro.1  He informed Ministers 
that those delegations who had not had an opportu nity to welcome new Members during any of the 
accession sessions, might submit statements to the Secretariat for reflection in the record. 
(b) Draft texts for decision 
3. The Chairman reminded the Ministerial Conference  that there were seven matters before it.  
Six of these had been forwarded by the General C ouncil for action, and one, according to the mandate 
of the body concerned, had been sent direc tly to Ministers.  These were as follows: 
(i) TRIPS non-violation and situation complaints  – draft decision in paragraph 3 of 
document IP/C/59/Add.1; 
(ii) Electronic Commerce – draft decision in paragraph 10 of document WT/GC/W/645; 
(iii) SVE Work Programme – draft decision in document WT/COMTD/SE/7/Add.1; 
                                                      
1 The relevant Decisions were circulated in double symbol documents WT/L/839, WT/L/840, and 
WT/L/841, respectively. WT/MIN(11)/SR/7 
Page 2  
 
  (iv) Extension of the transition period for LDCs  under Article 66.1 of the TRIPS Agreement 
– draft decision in paragraph 4 of document IP/C/59/Add.2; 
(v) LDC accession – draft decision in paragraph 3 of document WT/COMTD/LDC/19; 
(vi) LDC Services waiver – draft decision in  the Annex to document TN/S/37; and 
(vii) Fourth Appraisal of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism – draft decision in paragraph 
43 of document WT/MIN(11)/6. 
4. He proposed that the Ministerial Conference a dopt the relevant texts on the seven matters 
contained in the above -mentioned documents. 
5. The Ministerial Conference adopted the Decisions.
2  
(c) Reports of the General Council and other WTO Bodies 
6. The Ministerial Conference took note of the reports of the General Council and other WTO 
bodies that had been forwarded to Ministers for consideration. 
2. Date and Venue of the Ninth Session (Agenda Item 3) 
7. The Chairman recalled that the Rules of Proce dure for Sessions of the Ministerial Conference 
(WT/L/161) required that the date of each regular session should be established by the Ministerial 
Conference at a previous Session.  In accordance w ith the established practices, he proposed that the 
Ministerial Conference request the General Council to  hold consultations with a view to deciding on 
the date and venue of the Ninth Ministerial Conference. 
8. The Ministerial Conference so agreed. 
3. Election of Officers (Agenda Item 4) 
9. The Chairman recalled that the Rules of Proce dure for Sessions of the Ministerial Conference 
(WT/L/161) also provided for the election of a Chai rperson of the Ministerial Conference and three 
Vice-Chairpersons to hold office from the end of the present Session until the end of the next regular Session.  In accordance with the established prac tice, he proposed that the Ministerial Conference 
request the General Council to hold consultations w ith a view to deciding on the election of Officers 
of the next Ministerial Conference.   
10. The Ministerial Conference so agreed. 
4. Closure of the Session 
11. The Chairman presented his concluding statement,  which was in two parts.  The first part 
represented Elements for Political Guidance which had emerged from the preparatory process and had 
been the subject of consensus in the General Council (WT/MIN(11)/W/2).  The second part was his 
summary, made under his own responsibility, of the main points which had emerged from the 
discussions during the meeting.  He reiterated that not hing in the text re-interpreted or changed any 
WTO rules or Agreements or prejudiced any Member's  rights and obligations.  In particular, the Doha 
mandate remained as formally agreed by Members in  its entirety and neither the consensus Elements 
for Political Guidance in Part I, nor the non-exhaustiv e summary in Part II of this statement, changed 
                                                      
2 The Decisions were subseque ntly circulated in documents WT/L/842-848, respectively.  WT/MIN(11)/SR/7 
 Page 3 
 
 
  or reinterpreted it.  Neither the Elements nor his summary were legally binding.  The Chairman read 
out Part II of his statement. The full statement was circulated in document WT/MIN(11)/11.   
12. Before closing the meeting, the Chairman thanke d all those who had worked hard to make the 
Conference a success against all odds.  He tha nked especially Ministers Cadiz, Mustapa and 
Schneider-Ammann, whose skills as Vice-Chairs had made a key contribution to the smooth handling 
of a busy agenda.  He also thanked Ambassador Agah for his skilful management of the preparatory 
process, Director-General Lamy for his strong support and advocacy, and the whole Secretariat team for their professionalism and dedication.  He also thanked the Ministers for their constructive and 
cooperative participation.  He said that the Eighth Ministerial Conference had been significant in three 
main ways.  Firstly, it had produced some positive decisions – the accessions of Russia, Montenegro 
and Samoa in particular, but also the Government Procurement Agreement and the seven decisions 
that had just been adopted.  Secondly, it had sen t a strong collective messag e that the WTO was more 
than ever important to the world.  Thirdly, there had been constructive dialogue among Ministers which had improved the WTO's atmosphere and outl ook.  It was essential not to let the improved 
political mood dissipate.  He believed that contract s amongst Ministers had created a promising basis 
for renewing the political dimension of the WTO in a lasting way.  He hoped that informal dialogue 
among Ministers would continue actively after the meeting, and committed himself to do everything 
he could to encourage that dialogue. 
13. The Director-General quoted a Russian proverb that said "Don't chop off the branch you are 
sitting on".  He felt that this wa s an appropriate saying for times of crisis, when governments were 
looking for drastic measures to address difficult so cial and economic problems.  In his opening 
statement, he had spoken of turbulence and inst ability, of rising unemployment and disappearing 
development gains.  There were serious, worryin g signs of economic retr action and isolationism, 
which to some people recalled the times that preced ed the 1930's depression.  The multilateral trading 
system embodied in the WTO was, at least in part, accountable for the fact that history was not being 
repeated. 
14. What had been heard during the Ministerial was that the WTO was part of the solution to the 
crisis, if Members were collectively determined to  keep protectionist pressures at bay, according to 
WTO rules.  During the Conference, Ministers had taken significant decisions and had discussed relevant issues.  There were now four new Member s and some Ministers had decided to cut a deal on 
GPA.  Ministers had also taken decisions of sp ecific importance to LDCs, including one relating to 
the streamlining of accession processes for LDCs, which no w needed to be operationalized.  Bilateral 
discussions between the Cotton-4 and some Members had helped move the cotton issue forward even 
if a lot remained to be done to fulfil the DDA mandate on this issue. 
15. In the three Working Sessions held in parallel with the Plenary, Ministers had discussed some 
of the most pressing issues of the multilateral trade agenda and it was clear that the WTO had plenty 
to work on in the following two years.  Ministers also had an in-depth debate about the DDA, which 
exemplified the legislative function of the WTO.  The DDA – which had been declared dead so many 
times, lambasted as a negotiation of the past, decrie d as a failure – was all the more important today, 
with an ever deeper crisis looming, than it was in the past.  Ministers had taken a first step during the 
Conference in recognizing that there was an impa sse, and a need to more fully explore different 
negotiating approaches, compatible with the principl es of inclusiveness, transparency, and bottom-up. 
Now there was a need to start exploring those a pproaches and go back to business.  In doing this, 
Ministers would show that they cared about the multilateral trading system and the WTO, and that 
they were willing to help finding solutions to the economic crisis.  
16. The Director-General said that this was the last regular Ministerial in which he would 
participate as Director-General.  His only stake in  this Organization had been and remained pure, 
genuine interest in seeing it reinforced, thriving, more  efficient, more inclusive, and more relevant.  WT/MIN(11)/SR/7 
Page 4  
 
  He was deeply convinced of the need to keep th e WTO strong and meaningful to fulfil its mandated 
objectives of raising the standards of living, en suring full employment and a large and steadily 
growing volume of real income and effective demand, and to contribute to sustainable development, as foreseen in the Marrakesh Agreement.  He w as convinced that political courage and goodwill could 
make a difference in helping the WTO weather the st orm.  He was also convinced that a wait-and-see 
attitude would not be helpful.  The lack of conve rgence that existed today on some issues would not 
solve itself with time.  He called on all Ministers, on all delegations, to start working immediately in a 
creative, constructive manner, keeping in mind that they should not, in any way, chop off the branch 
they were sitting on. 
17. The Director-General thanked the Chairman of  the Ministerial Conference for chairing the 
Ministerial gathering with a firm, yet gentle, ha nd.  He praised his professional skills as a shrewd 
negotiator and politician, which had been key to the success of the Conference.  The WTO 
community owed him – and his Vice-Chairs, Mi nisters Johann Schneide r-Ammann of Switzerland, 
Minister Mustapa Mohamed of Malaysia, and Mini ster Stephen Cadiz of Trinidad and Tobago – a 
debt of gratitude.  He also thanked Ambassador Fred Agah, Chairman of the General Council, who 
had steered the preparations for the Ministerial Conference in a most competent, balanced and 
professional manner.  His gratitude also went to the Swiss authorities, who had, in their usual discreet and efficient manner, helped with security and other logistical aspects of the Conference.  Finally, he 
thanked the WTO Secretariat staff for their skill and dedication in organizing this Conference.  There 
were many people in the Secretariat, at all levels, who had worked intensively to make this conference 
run smoothly.  Their role might not be very visible, but it was an essential one. 
18. The Eighth Session of the Ministerial Conference closed at 7.55 p.m. 
__________