. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/ST/55 
16 December 2011 
 (11-6622) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011 Original:   Spanish 
 
  
HONDURAS 
 
Statement by H.E. Mr Melvin Redondo 
Under-Secretary for Economic Integration and Foreign Trade 
   On behalf of the Republic of Honduras, I wi sh to thank the Swiss authorities for their 
hospitality and the generous welcome extended to us in Geneva.  I also wish to thank the 
Director-General of the WTO, Mr Pascal Lamy, and the WTO Secretariat for organizing this 
important Ministerial Conference.   We warmly welcome Vanuatu, Samoa, the Ru ssian Federation and Montenegro, countries 
which have completed their process of accession to this Organization and have thus adopted a 
non-discriminatory regulatory framework and committe d themselves to greater trade openness.  Their 
accession will contribute to strengthening the world economy and will pave the way for further 
growth in trade, investment, employment and income for all.   I am pleased to announce that my Governme nt has ratified and notified to the WTO the 
Protocol amending the TRIPS Agreement, as a s ubstantive contribution by my country to the 
proceedings of this Ministerial Conference. 
  Honduras continues to see the WTO as the appropr iate forum for defining the rules that 
govern international trade.  In the light of the cu rrent economic and financial crisis, we are convinced 
of the need to strengthen and reinvigorate the multil ateral trading system and this Organization, in 
terms of both its systemic structure and its institutional status. 
 
 Accordingly, the work being done by the differe nt organs of the WTO must be strengthened, 
in particular the functions of the Committee on Trade and Development as the body responsible for 
coordinating development activities in all areas of interest to the developing and least developed 
countries. 
 
 The current stalemate in the Doha Round ne gotiations must not stand in the way of 
achievement of a fair and balanced package of resu lts - given sufficient political will on the part of the 
larger Members of the WTO - which takes into account the interests and needs of all Members. 
 
 As a small economy, Honduras attaches great significance to the Doha Development Agenda 
negotiations, considering that their conclusion must fit into the framework of equitable results in 
keeping with the Doha and Hong K ong Mandate for the development dime nsion.  As a member of the 
Group of Small and Vulnerable Economies and the G33, Honduras seeks to obtain effective special 
and differential treatment together with other flexib ilities that will enable it to safeguard the most 
sensitive sectors of its economy.  We therefore subm it that the resumption of this negotiating process 
must be based on the modalities texts of 2008, in order to continue buildin g on the successes already 
achieved. WT/MIN(11)/ST/55 
Page 2  
 
   We urge Members to continue the discussi ons on the special safeguard mechanism for 
agriculture, taking into account development needs, including food security and means of subsistence. 
  We reaffirm that the conclusion of the negotia tions and the entry into force of their results 
must be considered as part of a single undertaking.  Any other approach that may be considered must 
give priority to development themes under the manda te, and the results must be applied in accordance 
with the most-favoured-nation principle.   Regarding the negotiations that do not form pa rt of the Doha Development Agenda, we are 
aware that the discussions have achieved different levels of progress;  we are therefore in favour of 
them being continued at their own pace, in accordance  with the mandates of the respective bodies.  In 
the case of rules of origin, the negotiations shoul d be limited to harmonizing non-preferential rules 
and the negotiation should be contained within th at framework.  With regard to the Dispute 
Settlement Understanding, we suppor t the conclusion of the negotiati ons, provided that the result 
strengthens this mechanism by making it more accessible to all Members and that it serves the 
purpose of expedited compliance by facilitati ng recourse to effective trade remedies. 
  We encourage Members to conclude the Doha Agenda before incorporating new topics in the 
negotiations under way.  The Doha Agenda was agreed  with due regard for the needs and interests of 
developing countries and is suffici ently broad and complex without seeking to include new issues at 
this stage of the process. 
 
 We are concerned that, as a result of the gl obal economic and financia l crisis, international 
trade has undergone its steepest decline in recent year s.  Consequently, we urge Members not to give 
in to protectionist practices which have adverse effects on the exports of developing countries, 
economic activity and employment;  in particular , we could mention the persistent and growing 
recourse to the application of sanitary and phyto sanitary measures and technical barriers to trade, 
without scientific justification.   At the same time, we urge that prio rity be given to implementation of the 
Aid-for-Trade programme, which must be directed to  helping recipient countries to build their supply 
capacity and trade-related infrastructure, which they  need in order to apply and benefit from the WTO 
Agreements and, above all, to address the challenges of future trade liberalization. 
  In conclusion, we take the opportunity to e xpress our confidence that the results of this 
Conference will contribute to strengthening the multila teral trading system and we trust that we will 
obtain clear guidelines for the satisfactory c onclusion of the Doha Development Agenda. 
 
 
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