WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/ST/73 
17 December 2011 
 (11-6639) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011 Original: French 
 
  
CHAD 
 
Statement by H.E. Mr Allahou Taher Mahamat 
Minister of Trade and Industry 
   Mr Chairman, the Chadian delegation warmly congratulates you on your election to preside over the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO). 
 
 It is a great pleasure for me, from this rostrum, to speak to you on behalf of my delegation and on my own behalf.  I endorse the st atements made by Burkina Faso on behalf of the C-4, Bangladesh 
on behalf of the LDCs, Kenya on behalf of th e African Group and Mauritius on behalf of the 
ACP countries.  
 I would also like to thank the Secretariat of th e WTO for organizing this Conference at a time 
when the Doha Round is in an impasse.   I commend and congratulate the Director-G eneral of the WTO on his competence and 
consistent helpfulness, which have  contributed to strengthening th e credibility of our Organization. 
 
 The holding of the Eighth Ministerial Sessi on of the WTO is particularly crucial for 
WTO Members as a whole and the least developed countries in particular.   While this is not, admittedly, a negotiating c onference, it remains important that the necessary 
decisions on the future and the completion of th e Doha Development Round should remain at the 
heart of the discussion and the proposals that will be made. 
  The Sectoral Initiative in Favour of Cotton has been and continues to be symbolic inasmuch 
as it constitutes an unprecedented example of the involvement of vulnerable countries in the multilateral trading system.  It is an exemplary in stance of their contribution to the establishment and 
enforcement of rules that promote the elimination of distortive practices in international trade and 
encourage States to derive due benefit from their co mparative advantage(s) and make trade a genuine 
means of wealth creation, an engine of devel opment and a tool in the fight against poverty. 
  In addition, it is recognized by all that  the C-4 has succeeded in making the initiative a 
central dossier of the Doha Development Agenda (D DA), and there is now general agreement that the 
Doha Round cannot be brought to a conclusion without  first dealing with the cotton dossier, which 
has become a test case for the multilateral trading system.   As regards what happens post-2011, the C-4 and the other African cotton-producing countries 
reiterate their appeal to WTO Members in general and to the protagonists of the cotton dossier in 
particular to engage effectively in the negotiations, on the basis of the fund of experience contained in WT/MIN(11)/ST/73 
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  the draft modalities on agriculture of 6 December 2011, keeping in view the need for coherence 
between the trade and development aspects of the issue.   The solution to the cotton issue must be based on a systemic approach and there will have to 
be clear and precise figures to finalize the outcomes. 
 
 Concerning the importance of the multilatera l trading system, my delegation requests 
the WTO to reaffirm that the Doha Round will be co mpleted and will fulfil its promise in respect of 
development.  All the monitoring and surveillance functions of the WTO should take account of the 
development issues raised since 1995 by the developing countries and progressively since the launch 
of the Doha Round.  The substantive work of the WTO must be calibrated to maximize benefits and 
authorize the full participation of developing countries  in the multilateral trad ing system, particularly 
that of the least developed countries (LDCs) and the small and vulnerable economies (SVEs).  The WTO has a duty to place trade and development at th e heart of its work programme and to facilitate 
the integration of develo ping countries by assuring them of tangible benefits. 
 
 With regard to trade and development, th e Committee on Trade and Development (CTD) was 
mandated in 1995 to keep under constant review the participation of developing Member countries in 
multilateral trade, to consider measures and initiativ es to help developing Member countries and, in 
particular, the LDCs in expanding their trade and th eir investment opportunities, and to support their 
trade liberalization measures.  A further mandate of the CDT is to review periodically, in consultation 
with the appropriate WTO bodies, the application of specific provisions of the multilateral trade 
agreements and the Ministerial decisions in favour of developing countries, particularly the LDCs, 
and to report thereon to the Gene ral Council with a view to the a doption of appropriate measures. 
  To that end, it is necessary to strengthen the role of the CDT and to reinvigorate its work 
under its mandate regarding the monitoring of the app lication of the special provisions and special and 
differential treatment under the WTO agreements and the impact of the WTO agreements on the 
economic and social situation of de veloping countries, in order to promote their integration into the 
multilateral trading system.   The WTO must examine the improvements to be made in the area of support for trade, both in 
bilateral programmes and in the initiatives aimed at supporting regional integration. 
  Regarding the Doha Round, a rapid and fruitful  conclusion of the Round can only be based on 
clear and concrete results focused on developmen t.  From this point of view, any new or 
pragmatic approach to move the Doha process forwar d, including any provisiona l or definitive "early 
harvest", can only be accepted on condition that: 
  - The Single Undertaking is not compromised, and priorities for any "early harvest" 
relate to key issues for the LDCs and the countries with vulnerable economies; 
  - the question of development stands at the heart of any such "early harvest"; 
 
 - decisions to move forward on provisi onal agreements are taken multilaterally; 
  - any results, including so called plurilatera l results, in the Doha context, must be 
applied on the basis of the most-favoured-nations (MFN) clause;  and 
 
 - all results must take account of the overall balance of the Doha Round. 
  WT/MIN(11)/ST/73 
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   Unfortunately, the results pertaining to the main components of the Doha Development 
Agenda have not shown any significant forward mo vement.  While reiterating our disappointment at 
this situation, Chad remains confident that all the Member countries of the World Trade Organization 
will do their utmost to bring the Doha Round to a successful conclusion.  
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