WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(05)/8 
13 December 2005 
 (05-5890) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Sixth Session Hong Kong, 13 - 18 December 2005 Original: English 
 
  
G-90 DECLARATION 
ON THE SIXTH WTO MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
 
Brussels, 1 December 2005
 
   The following communication, dated 9 De cember 2005, has been received from the 
delegation of Mauritius with the request that it be circulated as a document of the Sixth Session of the 
Ministerial Conference. 
 
_______________ 
 
 
G-90 DECLARATION 
ON THE SIXTH WTO MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
 
 
Preamble: 
We, Trade Ministers  from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, the 
African Union (AU) and the Least Developed Co untries (LDCs), commonly known as the G-90, 
met on 30 November 2005 in Brussels to take stock of the negotiations, to adopt a G-90 Platform 
and strategy for Hong Kong for the continue d work under the WTO Doha Work Programme. 
Recalling the Doha Ministerial Declaration adopted by  the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference in 
Doha Qatar in November 2001, in which WTO Members undertook to place the development needs 
and interests of developing countries at the hear t of the Work Programme adopted by the Doha 
Ministerial Conference; 
Recalling  the ACP Declaration on the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the WTO (WT/MIN(03)/4) and 
the G-90 common negotiating position in Cancun as outlin ed in the consolidated African Union (AU), 
African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and Least Developed Countries (LDC) 
Position on Agriculture; (WT/MIN(03)/W/17)03), Non-Agricultural Market Access 
(WT/MIN(03)/W/18), on Development Issues (WT/MIN(03)/W/20), and on the Singapore issues 
(WT/MIN(03)/W/19);  
Further recalling the ACP and  G90 Trade Ministers meeti ngs held on 11 and 13 July 2004 
respectively in Mauritius and their outcomes incl uding the ACP Ministerial Declaration on the WTO 
Doha Work Programme and the Elements of a G90 Platform on the Doha Work Programme; 
Acknowledging that  the July 2004 Package adopted by the WTO General Council of 27-29 July 2004 
was an important milestone in the progress of the Doha process of negotiations after the Cancun setback;   WT/MIN(05)/8 
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 Reaffirming  the outcomes of recent meetings, including th e Livingstone Declaration of the Fourth 
LDC Trade Ministers’ Meeting, adopted in Livingstone, Zambia, on 26 June 2005; the Cairo 
Declaration on the Doha Work Programme and Road  Map on the Doha Work Programme, adopted by 
the African Union Trade Ministers in Cairo, Egypt, on 9 June 2004; the Declaration of the African Union 2
nd Extraordinary Session of the Conference of Mini sters of Trade, held in Arusha from 21 to 
24 November 2005 and the ACP Declaration adopted by the Ninth ACP Ministers of Trade meeting 
in Brussels, Belgium on 29 November 2005; 
Appreciating  the recent positive initiatives to inject a new momentum in the Doha process of 
negotiations with a view to facilitating a succe ssful and balanced outcome of the Sixth WTO 
Ministerial Conference; 
Emphasising the need for the negotiations to be incl usive and transparent to ensure political 
ownership of the process and the outcome of negotiations,  
Concerned about the lack of progress in finding a pe rmanent solution through amendment of the 
TRIPS Agreement to enable countries with no or insufficient manufacturing capacity to access pharmaceutical products at affordable prices; 
Deeply concerned  also about the lack of progress and in adequate response to development and 
implementation issues included in the Doha Work Programme;  
Reaffirming the importance of a multilateral trade system  based on equitable rules as a tool for 
sustained economic growth and sustainable developmen t, as well as alleviating poverty with a view to 
its eradication and the need for Members of the G-90 particularly those that are least developed, small, vulnerable, landlocked and countries in war a nd post-conflict situations, to secure a meaningful 
share of world trade;   
Convinced  that the dominant structures governing global trading relations between countries are 
inequitable and continue to impede access to th e universally available opportunities provided through 
the multilateral trading system and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals; 
Bearing in mind  the outcome of the 2005 World Summit of the United Nations held in New York 
from 14-16 September 2005 and seeking additional , adequate and timely support from all our 
development partners and International Fina ncing Institutions in meeting the Millennium 
Development Goals (MDGs) and other programmes aiming at significantly reducing poverty; 
Recognising  that the implementation of the Doha Work Programme presents an opportunity to reform 
the multilateral trading system through balanced rul es, enhanced market acces s and well targeted and 
sustainably financed technical assistance and ca pacity building programmes that will enhance the 
legitimacy, credibility and universal nature of the sy stem and create a basis for a new equitable global 
economic order for the benefit of all WTO Members; 
Further recognising that more than fifty percent of the G-90 are Least Developed Countries (LDCs) 
and therefore emphasizing the need for this category of  countries to receive priority attention in order 
to facilitate their full integration into the multilateral trading system; 
Emphasizing  that G-90 countries have vulnerable economies, as most fall into categories of  Small 
Island Developing States, la ndlocked developing countries, Net Food Importing Developing 
Countries (NFIDCs), Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC), limited commodity exporting countries, and countries in war, post-conflict, and po st-natural disaster situations. Their vulnerability 
and lack of resilience to external shocks expose them to a high risk of marginalization from the 
multilateral trading system;  WT/MIN(05)/8 
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 Recognising the progress made in the work programme on Small Economies,  and emphasizing the 
need for WTO members to exempt these weak and vulnerable economies from tariff reduction 
commitments; 
Reiterating the need  for full inclusiveness and transparency in the negotiations to ensure political 
ownership of both process and the outcome of the ne gotiations.  In this regard, undertaking to ensure 
that the G-90 shall be adequately represen ted in all preparatory meetings of the 6th WTO Ministerial 
Hong Kong (China), and particularly in all restricted meeting; and  
Deeply concerned  with the slow and onerous process of the WTO accession; 
Hereby adopt the following common position for the forthcoming Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference 
negotiations under the WTO Doha Work Programme: WT/MIN(05)/8 
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 I - DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
 
 
1. Recalling that the Fourth WTO Ministerial Declaration places development at the heart of the 
Doha Work Programme, and given the critical impo rtance of development to the G-90 countries, 
we reiterate our concern over the lack of effective progress on development issues under 
negotiations. For the G-90 , a successful Hong Kong Ministerial  Conference  should have 
development outcomes. To this effect, substa ntial progress has to be achieved in the key 
development components of the Doha Process of negotiations including, inter alia: Special and 
Differential Treatment, Implementation Issues and Co ncerns, the special situation of LDCs, Small 
Economies, Commodity Issues, Technical Assistance , Capacity Building, Transfer of Technology 
and Trade, Debt and Finance. 
 2. We, declare that the success of the Doha Round will  be measured by its development outcomes.  
For the G-90, the priority areas are: 
 
(i-) Market access for products of export interest to G-90 Members; 
(ii-) Obligations to be undertaken by G- 90 Members should be proportional and 
commensurate with their level of development, and 
(iii-) Increased financial assistance for countries th at will experience adjustment costs and 
technical assistance for trade capacity  building and for improvement of the 
competitiveness of theG-90 Members.  
3. We are concerned at the failure to deliver any tangible result on development issues, despite the 
characterization of the work programme launched at Doha as a “development round” 
4. For the G-90 Members, development outcomes in each of the negotiating areas remains the raison 
d’être of the Round. This means that tangible de velopment results must be evident within each 
negotiating area and in the overall outcome.  
 
5.  We are concerned about the inadequacy of recen t proposals by some key developed countries and 
subsequent lack of flexibility to substantially reduce or eliminate agriculture protectionism and 
subsidies as well as their failure to incorporate flexibilities for G-90 countries which we consider 
as central to the development objectives of th e Doha Round and the key to progress in Hong 
Kong.   
 6. We urge that the scaling down of expectations for the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference should 
not lead to the reduction of the overall level of ambition of the development objectives of the 
Round, and further delays to the success ful completion of the negotiations.  
 7. We are committed to meaningful negotiations, whic h will ensure that the Sixth WTO Ministerial 
Conference in Hong Kong delivers a balanced  and fair outcome and makes progress towards 
achieving full modalities and maintaining the level of ambition agreed at Doha.  
8. We reaffirm the three benchmarks to assess th e development dimension in the negotiations and 
their outcomes provided in the Doha Ministerial Declaration, namely: 
(i-) balanced rules that provide developi ng countries the policy space to pursue 
development policies most suited to thei r levels of development and needs; 
(ii-) enhanced market access of interest to the developing countries; and  
(iii-) capacity building programmes and technical assistance for strengthening supply-side 
capacity of G-90 countries. 
  WT/MIN(05)/8 
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 Special and Differential Treatment 
9. We continue to reiterate that Special and Differe ntial Treatment is a core principle in the WTO 
and an important instrument for integrating the G-90 countries into the multilateral trading 
system.  Recalling that in paragraph 44 of the Doha Work Programme, Members agreed to strengthen the Special and Differential Treatment  provisions and make them more precise, 
effective and operational. Wearer seriously concer ned that after three years of negotiations, there 
is no real progress on this mandate. There has been many missed deadlines and total lack of concrete results.. 
10. Noting that following the July 2004  Package , Members States were unable to expeditiously 
complete the review of all outstanding Agreem ent-Specific proposals and report to the General 
Council with clear recommendations for decision in July 2005, we urge the 6
th WTO Ministerial 
Conference to adopt the LDCs-specific proposals on  special and differential treatment in a way 
that ensures that the content of these provisions  is indeed commercially meaningful, legally 
secure, precise and operational. 
11. We reiterate the urgent need to provide deve loping countries with appropriate policy flexibility 
and space, market access, balanced rules and increased targeted and sustainable technical 
assistance. 
12. We therefore urge that the remaining Agreement specific proposals as contained in TN/CTD/7 be 
addressed prior to July 2006. 
13. Furthermore, we call for the elaboration and c onclusion of a developmen t framework agreement 
in order to implement the mandate of incor porating the development dimension into the 
architecture of the WTO and the multilateral trading system.  
Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns 
14. We recall that in paragraph 12 of the Doha Mi nisterial Declaration, members agreed to find 
appropriate solutions to implem entation-related issues and concer ns. Positive results have not 
been achieved, neither under the mandates from Doha Ministerial Declaration, nor from the 
subsequent July 2004 Decision. Indeed, all the issu es and concerns raised in this context remain 
outstanding. We therefore urge that appropriate solutions be found and implemented without any 
further delay, prior to July 2006. 
15. Considering that this mandate is one of the cruc ial elements of the developmental components of 
the Doha Work Programme, we demand the settl ement of outstanding Implementation-related 
issues and concerns, as a precondition for taking on new commitments.  
Least Developed Countries 
16. We endorse the outcome of the Fourth LDC Trade Ministers’ meeting held in Livingstone 
(Zambia) from 25-26 June 2005 and reiter ate the following in favor of LDCs: 
(i-) Binding commitments by developed countries and developing countries in a position to 
do so, on duty-free and quota-free market acces s to all products from all LDCs to be 
granted and implemented immediately, on a secure, long term and predictable basis, 
with no restrictive measures introduced; 
(ii-) Complete exemption for LDCs from any reduction commitments; 
(iii-) A moratorium by developed countries on contingency measures that include anti-
dumping actions against LDCs exports; WT/MIN(05)/8 
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 (iv-) Enhanced support towards improving the e xport competitiveness of LDCs including 
capacity to meet SPS and other standards; 
(v-) Demand driven trade-related technical assistance in all areas of the Doha Work 
Programme negotiations with appropriate  provisions for implementation and 
adjustment support; 
(vi-) The need for all development partners to effect full debt cancellation for all LDCs, 
including in the measures of implementati on, in order to address their trade and 
development concerns.  
Small Economies 
17. We reaffirm the urgent need for the WTO member s to address, in a substantive and meaningful 
manner, the particular structural disadvantages and inherent vulnerabilities of small, vulnerable 
economies.  
18. In view of their specific characteristics and vul nerabilities, these countries lack resilience to 
external factors. Adequate provisions should be made to facilitate their integration into the 
multilateral trading system and to avoid further loss of their market share in global trade and their 
marginalisation within the world economy.   
19. In this regard, Members should adopt result-orie nted trade related measures in accordance with 
the Doha Ministerial Declaration and the July  2004 Agreement. These measures should be based 
on the proposals from the small economies, submitte d to the various negotiating groups and other 
bodies with a view to supporting the agricultura l, industrial and overa ll economic development 
and growth of small vulnerable economies in a sustainable manner. For NAMA, the proposal 
from small economies is that developing countries,  not covered by Paragr aphs 6 and 9 of Annex 
B, as well as countries participating in the total of the world trading goods, not exceeding 10% for 
the period 1995-2004, be allowed to apply ta riff reductions that don't exceed 15% with a 
minimum of 10% over the tariffs lines, with no more than half of the cuts at the lowest level. 
Meaningful consideration shall be given to th e proposals by small economies submitted to the 
NAMA and Agriculture negotiating bodies and ot her bodies with a view to addressing the 
countries specific circumstances in these negotiations. 
Landlocked developing countries and SIDS 
20. We also reaffirm the need for WTO to address th e particular problems, challenges and needs of 
landlocked developing countri es and small island developing co untries (SIDS) and landlocked  
Commodity Issues 
21. We urge WTO Members to address the crisis of  instability and secular decline in commodity 
prices with the aim of attaining stable, equitable and remunerative prices for these products in accordance with the proposal ta bled in the Committee on Trade and Development under reference 
WT/COMTD/W/113, WT/COMTD/W/130 and JOB (05)/113.  
22. We endorse the recommendations contained in the Arusha Declaration and Plan of Action on 
Commodities adopted by African Union Trade Ministers in the United Republic of Tanzania on 
24
th November 2005.   
Trade, Debt and Finance 
23. We recognize the establishment of the Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance (WGTDF) as 
one of the concrete manifestations of focusing on development  in the Doha Work Programme.   WT/MIN(05)/8 
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 We call on Members to establish a regular Committee on Trade, Debt and Finance with a view to 
advancing work in this area including addressing key issues of concern for G90 Members. In that regard, we:   
 
(i-) Call upon the Working Group to review releva nt WTO Agreements with a view to 
examining their causal relationship with the problems of financial instability, exchange rate volatility, financial flows, balance-of-pay ments, cost of adjustment, and external 
indebtedness. Such a review may result in a need for changes in such WTO 
Agreements, in order to effectively address the trade-related causes of external account 
imbalances or balance-of-payments problems experienced by G-90 countries.    
(ii-) Call upon the Working Group to coordinate w ith the Bretton Woods Institutions in 
accordance with the coherence mandate.  
(iii-) Reiterate that there is a need to provi de support for addressing the supply side 
constraints and cost of  adjustment that G-90 countries face as a result of trade 
liberalization since it worsens their terms of trade and creates broader macroeconomic 
problems, including having to meet  stringe nt trade standards. However, this support 
should be offered free of conditionalities and, should be provided strictly in grant form.  
(iv-) Call upon the Working Group to resolve the trade-related aspects of debt. 
Trade and Transfer of Technology 
24. We call for more focused work in the Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology with 
a view to finding sustainable solutions that  encourage and result in increased flows of 
technologies. In that sense, we recognize that some proposals from developing countries have been submitted and shall be the basis for furt her discussions in 2006, without prejudging the 
submission in the near future, of other proposals. 
Technical cooperation 
25. We reaffirm technical assistance and capacity building as core elements of the development 
dimension of the multilateral trading system.  We call on our development partners to adequately 
finance technical assistance pr ogrammes through the existing deliv ery mechanisms especially the 
Integrated Framework, the JITAP and other comp lementary mechanisms. However, we reiterate 
that G90 countries  need not only technical assi stance, but also financial and technological 
support to enhance their supply side capacity so as to  be able to fully participate in the multilateral 
trading system. 
II - AGRICULTURE
 
26. Agriculture is of critical importance to the economies of the majority of G-90 Member States and 
holds the potential to lift millions of people out of poverty. Therefore, we emphasize that the 
modalities to be agreed upon, should take into acc ount the need for appropriate policy space that 
would allow G-90 Members to pursue agricultu ral policies that are supportive of their 
development goals, poverty reductio n strategies, food security and livelihood concerns, while 
ensuring the maintenance of preferential acce ss and fostering improved market access for the 
agricultural products of G-90 Members, both in primary and processed forms.  
27. The G-90 Group is willing to contribute to the refo rm process in a manner that takes into account 
its financial constraints and development policy obj ectives. This contribution is subject to the full 
and satisfactory operationalisati on of the Doha mandate on Speci al and Differential Treatment 
(SDT) for G-90 Members with respect to the thr ee pillars of the negotiations, including through 
provisions on long-standing preferences; Speci al Products and Special Safeguard Mechanism WT/MIN(05)/8 
Page 8  
 
 (SSM); addressing the concerns of Net Food Importing Developing Countries (NFIDCs) and 
Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as reflected in  the Marrakech Decision; and flexibilities in the 
formula for tariff reductions. 
28. Food and livelihood security are of critical impor tance for the G-90. These issues require a 
holistic approach encompassing domestic food prod uction, food procurement capacity, food aid, 
export credits in respect of the S&D for NF IDCs and LDCs, STEs, SP and SSM. The various 
rules and disciplines have to be harmonized accordingly.  
29. The issue of erosion of preference margins cons titutes a vital concern for the G-90.  We will not 
be a party to a decision on agriculture, which do es not effectively and meaningfully address the 
erosion of preferences and the impact of refo rm on the preference-receiving countries. Failing to 
address preference erosion would impose a disproportionate share of the costs of reform on most 
G-90 countries, including the poorest and more vulnerable. 
Process 
30. We stress the importance of a transparent and in clusive negotiation process.   Only a bottom-up 
approach with the effective participation of  all negotiating groupings and Members will be 
conducive to a legitimate outcome that can be endorsed by all WTO members and a successful 
Ministerial Conference.  We will not accept a “ fait accompli ” in the negotiations.  Furthermore, 
we will only support  a document in Hong Kong that   is fully balanced with equal level of 
specificity across all pillars  
31.  We strongly emphasise that a fair and realistic middle ground acceptable to the whole 
Membership, can be obtained, only when all propos als on the table are considered and not those 
of a selected few. This approach shall be pr emised on   meaningful S&D and the necessary 
coexistence of different modes of agricultural production worldwide, taking into account the 
already agreed liberalisation of specific products exported from G-90 countries.  
Export competition  
32. We affirm that the implementation of parallelism in respect of the elimination of all forms of 
export competition by 2010 shall be without prejudi ce to the interests of NFIDCs and LDCs in 
respect of export credits and to the interests of  the G-90 in respect of Food Aid, State Trading 
Enterprises (STEs), both from the exporting and importing perspectives. 
33. We note with concern that the Marrakech Deci sion on NFIDCs and LDCs have not been 
implemented. Accordingly, we urge WTO memb ers to expeditiously implement the Marrakech 
Decision on NFIDCs and LDCs and call for a clea r reflection of the special and differential 
treatment component of any disciplines to be developed on export credits in accordance with 
paragraph 4 of this Decision.  
34. We stress the need for members to fully take into  account the interests of food aid recipients in 
developing disciplines on this issue. We consider that food aid should be granted in cash and kind. 
35. We call for the strengthening of the disciplines of  Article 12.1 of the Agreement on Agriculture 
on Export prohibition and Export restrictions.  
36. We underscore the importance for developing coun tries to continue benefiting from the special 
and differential treatment of Article 9.4 of the Agreement on Agriculture.  
37. Taking into account the critical role played by importing STEs in sustaining livelihoods, food 
security and poverty reduction and the economies of scale secured by exporting STEs in G-90  WT/MIN(05)/8 
 Page 9 
 
 
 countries, we stress that G-90 countries’ STEs shall be excluded from the application of any new 
disciplines on STEs. 
Domestic Support   
38. We consider that G-90 countries shall be allowed to maintain policy space for the development of 
the farming communities, based on targets of  poverty reduction, food and livelihood security, 
rural development, and other development policy objectives.    
39. The policy space should enable G-90 countries to ha ve adequate and timely resources to fulfil 
their essential developmental objectives. We d eclare that that policy space can be achieved 
through the S&D provisions under the domestic s upport pillar, Annex 2 and Article 6.2 of the 
Agreement on Agriculture, de minimis and measure s for maintenance and improvement of export 
earnings of the G-90. 
40. We affirm that Members shall engage in the  review and clarification of the green box criteria in a 
manner that will ensure that the green-box meas ures have no or have at most minimal trade-
distorting effects or effects on production, while at  the same time ensuring that there is adequate 
policy space for the G-90. 
41. We reiterate that G-90 countries shall be exem pted from reduction commitments in respect of de 
minimis  
42. We declare that there is need to enhance transparency by improving the disciplines on 
notifications. In this regard, the notification re quirements for G-90 countries should be simplified. 
 
Market Access 
43. Having made a contribution on market access in  document JOB (05)/257.Rev1, we strongly 
believe that these proposals provide the basis for a fair and equitable outcome of the negotiations. 
We expect the position outlined therein to be fu lly taken into account in discussions on market 
access.   
44. We reaffirm the need for improved market access  for all agricultural products originating from G-
90 countries, both in primary, semi-finished a nd finished form. To this end we call on the 
concrete operationalisation of SDT under the tiered approach as follows: 
  
i) The level of ambition in the tariff cuts sha ll address the concerns of G-90 countries, both 
from domestic and preferential access perspectives.  In this regard, the G-90  is willing to 
work on the basis of the benchmarks proposed in JOB(05)/257/Rev.1   
 
ii) A linear cut with flexibility shall be applied in  each tier to allow certain tariff lines within 
the bands to be subject to lesser cuts.   
 iii) There shall be no tariff capping; this concept is prejudicial to the development concerns 
of the G-90 Group. 
 
iv) Proportionality shall be achieved by guaranteeing that the overall outcome  of tariff 
reduction commitments by developing count ries is lower than that required from 
developed countries. 
 
v) Consideration shall be given in the negotiati ons to the specific situation of developing 
country Members with either high ce ilings or homogeneous low bindings.   WT/MIN(05)/8 
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 45. We urge that Paragraph 16 of TN/AG/W/Rev.1 be used as a reference for further consideration of 
the issues of preference erosion as established in paragraph 44 of the Framework Agreement.  In this regard, products exported from the G-90 that ha ve already been the subject of liberalisation, 
shall not again be open for accelerated tariff cuts in these negotiations. In respect of products relating to longstanding pref erences, there shall be, inter alia,  lower cuts in tariff reductions and 
longer implementation peri ods for such reductions. 
46. Furthermore, we affirm that products receivi ng preferential market access under long-standing 
preferences shall be designated as sensitive prod ucts by preference-providing countries. The 
treatment of such products shall be moderated in  light of its impact on preference erosion and 
development objectives.  Furthermore, any TRQs expansion on an MFN basis shall not be at the 
detriment of existing G-90 quotas. 
47. We emphasize that the provisions of Para 35 of the Framework Agreement shall be fully 
implemented so as to ensure that there are ope rationally effective improvements in tariff quota 
administration for existing tariff quotas so as to enable Members, and particularly the G-90, to fully benefit from the market access opportunities under tariff rate quotas. 
48. We reiterate that tariff escalation must be addr essed fully in accordance with paragraph 36 of the 
Framework Agreement without prejudice to the products benefiting from preferential 
arrangements. 
49. We call for meaningful modalities on Special Products (SP) and the Special Safeguard 
Mechanism (SSM). The SP and the SSM constitute unique instruments that would respond to the 
concerns of developing countries and least de veloped countries on matters related to food 
security, livelihood security and rural development.  Furthermore, modalities with respect to the 
designation of special products and treatment must  be devised in a way that provides maximum 
flexibility to G-90 countries. In this regard, we declare that SP for G-90 countries shall neither be 
subject to tariff reductions nor to any new ta riff rate quota commitment. Regarding SSM, we 
further declare that G-90 countries shall have  recourse to import price-triggered and import 
volume-triggered special safeguard mechanism, ap plicable to any agricultural product listed in 
Annex 1 of the Agreement on Agriculture. 
50. We declare that the provisions of Para 43 of the Framework Agreement on tropical products and 
products relating to the diversification from illic it narcotic crops, shall be without prejudice 
whatsoever to the provisions of Pa ra 44 on Long-standing preferences. 
51. We note that Non Tariff Barriers (NTBs) are a major obstacle to market access for G-90 
countries, and call upon the WTO membership to  immediately commence negotiations on Non-
Tariff Barriers with a view to finding a lasting solution. 
 
LDCs 
52. We declare that Developed countries, and other de veloping countries in a position to do so, must 
provide bound duty and quota free market access to  all agricultural products originating from all 
LDCs as pronounced in Paragraph 45 of the July 2004 Agreement. 
53. We further declare that LDCs shall be exempted from any reductions commitments 
III - COTTON
 
54. We urge that the trade-related aspects of th e cotton initiative be implemented expeditiously, 
ambitiously and with specificity. We also welc ome the Appellate Body and Panel Decisions on 
cotton adopted by the DSB on the 21 March 2005. We endorse the submission of the WTO Africa  WT/MIN(05)/8 
 Page 11 
 
 
 Group to the sub-Committee on cotton of April 22nd, 2005. In this respect, we call upon our 
developed-member partners to:   
 
(i) totally eliminate export subsidies by the 31st of December 2005,;  
(ii) Substantially reduce the domestic support that distort trade on cotton under the 
following time frame: 
• 80% by 31 December 2006 
• 10% by  1 January 2008 
• 10% by  1 January 2009 
 
(iii) Elaborate disciplines that prevent shifting of domestic support between different boxes; 
(iv) Substantially improve market access for the in ternational trade in cotton, duty free and 
quota free access for cotton and its by-produ cts for the LDCs cotton producers and 
exporters; 
(v) set up an emergency fund in favour of all African countries producers and exporters of 
cotton aimed at reinforcing their cotton sector with a view to contributing to the promotion and processing of cotton; 
(vi) Mobilize the technical and financial assistan ce for the reinforcement of the cotton 
sector in Africa that would build capacity to process and add value to cotton and its by-
products, and more particularly to make available the financial support promised. 
 
IV - BANANAS
 
55. We note with grave concern the arbitrators’  award in document WT/L/625 dated 27 October 
2005. We are gravely concerned with the EU’s response to this award, which has been to 
announce a new single tariff for implementation as of 1st January 2006, thus seriously 
undermining the existence of the ACP banana industries. 
56. We note with concern that the subject of banana  has been put on the agenda of the Ministerial 
Conference by a non-ACP interested party, which could pose challenges that further disadvantage 
the ACP banana producers and exporters.  
57. Bearing in mind the crucial importance of banana  exports to the economic, social and political 
stability of several ACP States, we call on Member s to ensure that the treatment given to ACP 
bananas will permit the continued sustai nability of the ACP banana exports.  
58. We also emphasize the importance of Members’ su pport for the request for an extension of the 
waiver and stress the need for its favourable cons ideration in order to ensure the continuation of 
ACP Members’ banana exports. 
 
V - SUGAR  
59. We strongly disapprove the disproportionate burden of the reform of the EU Sugar regime on the 
ACP Sugar supplying States. We urge that the Kisumu Action plan promoting the sustainable 
development, agreed at the 9th ACP Special Ministerial Conference on Sugar in Kisumu, Kenya, 
particularly with regard to the following positions , which need to be fully taken into account in 
the WTO negotiations: 
(i) Classifying sugar a sensitive product; WT/MIN(05)/8 
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 (ii) Lowest possible tariff cut implemented in equal instalments over 8 years as detailed in 
paragraph 16 of the Harbinson text; binding of tariffs in specific (non-AVE) rates, and maintenance of special safeguard, and  
(iii) ACP longstanding preference on sugar is bound as a TRQ of the EU compatible with 
article XIII of GATT. 
                           
 
VI- NON-AGRICULTURAL MARKET ACCESS
 
60. We urge that the NAMA negotiations be c onducted in a manner that is sensitive to the 
developmental needs of the G-90 countries. Acco rdingly, we view the following elements as 
critical for the G-90 in the NAMA negotiations:  
 
(i-) The continued push for an ambitious formula,  which would result in drastic cuts in G-
90 countries’ tariff schedules. This would put a serious strain on their fragile 
economies. Accordingly, negotiations must be based on “bound ra tes”. Furthermore, 
the modalities should fully incorporate the pr inciple of less than full reciprocity to 
address the specific needs of the G-90.. The modalities should also include appropriate 
flexibilities and special and differential treatment for G-90 countries;  
(ii-) The sectoral approach on products of export interest to the G-90 Group aimed at fast-
tracking tariff disarming would accelerate the erosion of our preferences. Therefore, we 
declare that appropriate modalities and re lated flexibilities should be developed to 
mitigate the erosion of these preferences; 
 
(iii-) Due to the critical importance of preferen ces for G-90 countries and the likely negative 
impact on their economies of erosion of such preferences, a methodology should be 
agreed upon to identify those products likely to be  affected so that they can be accorded  
special treatment that would aim  at preserving a commercially meaningful preference margin through marginal tariff cuts and a longer implementation period, as proposed in  TN/MA/W/53 dated 11 March 2005;     
(iv-) The treatment of unbound tariff lines, especia lly with lower applied rates remains a 
serious concern to G-90 Members. To ensure a fair and equitable outcome, we declare  
that explicit recognition must be accorded to  autonomous liberali sation and low applied 
rates should be assigned with a higher consta nt number of percentage points to establish 
the base rate; 
 
(v-) Flexibilities under paragraph 8 are stand-alone provisions and must not be linked to the 
formula. Conditions therein impose considerab le constraints on the policy space needed 
by G-90 countries; 
 
(vi-) In addition, the conditions in Para (6) of July 2004 Decision should be relaxed to give 
the concerned G-90 countries adequate fl exibilities to pursue their development and 
industrialization objectives; 
 (vii-)  NTBs deny market access for non-agricultura l products of G-90 Member States. These 
NTBs, which include technical barriers to trad e, rules of origin and other conditions, as 
well as anti-competitive market structures, need  to be addressed in the negotiations in 
tandem with other elements of the Annex B. we declare that Members shall exercise 
due restraint  in applying these measures to  products originating from G-90 countries. 
Furthermore, technical and financial assistance shall  be provided to assist G-90 countries  in meeting the necessary requirements;  WT/MIN(05)/8 
 Page 13 
 
 
  
(viii-)  WTO members must agree on binding commi tment on duty-free and quota-free market 
access for all products from LDCs to be granted and implemented immediately, on a secure, long-term and predictable basis, with no restrictive measures introduced. In addition, we reiterate the proposal for complete exemption for LDCs from tariff 
reduction commitments. 
 
VII - TRIPS AND PUBLIC HEALTH
 
61. We are concerned  about the slow progress in amending th e relevant provisions of the TRIPS 
Agreement that would enable countries with no or insufficient manufacturing capacity to access 
pharmaceutical products at affordable prices. We recall that on 30 August 2003, WTO Members 
adopted the Decision to implement paragra ph 11 of the General Council decision on the 
implementation of paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public 
Health. Since that Decision gives only a tem porary solution, we urge that the necessary 
amendments for a permanent solu tion be completed expeditiously. 
VIII - TRADE FACILITATION  
62. We recognize the potential benefits that woul d accrue to G-90 countries from undertaking trade 
facilitation measures. However, we urge that in the context of the current negotiations, 
development must be the main objective and focus. This will include, inter alia , ensuring that 
special and differential treatment in favour of G- 90 is accorded and made fully effective and 
operational; that international c ooperation is enhanced through the timely provision of sufficient 
and effective technical assistance and capacity-bu ilding in trade facilitation; and that the outcomes 
of the negotiations reflect the needs of G-90 countries for development policy space and 
flexibility. 
63. We call upon WTO Members to seriously take account of proposals contained in TN/TF/W/73 
dated 10 November 2005. In that regard, we reca ll the provisions contained in Annex D of the 
July Framework Agreement in respect of tec hnical assistance and emphasize its linkage to the 
undertaking of any commitments.  
64. We call upon the WTO Secretariat to expeditiously  conduct a study that compiles and examines  
various Trade Facilitation tools and measures that have been used by WTO members, the physical and policy infrastructure required to adopt and im plement such tools and measures, the timeframe 
for implementation, and their respective total cost s of implementation  including costs associated 
with policy and regulatory changes, physical  infrastructure development, acquisition of 
technology and human resource training. We call for the results of this study to be circulated to the Members as soon as possible.  
65. We take note of the proposed elements for clar ification of Articles V, VIII and X of GATT 1994 
as contained in the WTO Secretariat compilation (TN/TF/W/43/ Rev 4). We urge the Members to 
ensure sufficient clarification of the proposed elements to enable the full understanding of their 
implications before commencement of text-based negotiations.  
IX. SERVICES
 
66. We remain committed to progressive services liberalisation as a means of promoting the 
economic growth of all trading partners and th e development of G-90 based on the principles 
outlined in Article IV and XIX.2 of GATS.  We further reiterate and call for adherence to the 
development principles as outlined in the GATS 1994 and its preamble, and the Guidelines and 
Procedures for Negotiations on Trade in Services (S/L/93) and LDC Modalities. WT/MIN(05)/8 
Page 14  
 
 67. We reaffirm our commitment to complete an assessment of trade in services in overall terms and 
on a sectoral basis, with a comprehensive an alysis as to whether or not market access 
liberalisation to date has resulted in the economic  growth and development of G-90 , along with a 
review of the progress of the negotiations; 
68.  We insist that any text to be included in the Ministerial Conference should be parallel to 
Agriculture and NAMA. Members should agree to present a factual report of the status quo in all 
areas of services negotiations.  
 
69. We consider that the objectives that would be advantageous to all WTO Members include  inter 
alia:  
 
(i-) progressive liberalisation on a mutually beneficial basis; 
(ii-) the recognition and inclusion of all national policy objectives and levels of development 
and size of economies for individual Members of the WTO; 
(iii-) all Members have the right to regulate, a nd to introduce new regulations on supply of 
services, where necessary; 
(iv-) developed countries should “ level the playing field ” by facilitating the increasing 
participation of developing countries in trade in services, recognising that it would be beneficial to both develope d and developing countries; 
(v-) implementation of LDC Modalities by according market access in sectors and modes of 
interest to them; 
(vi-) Members shall ensure that the basic architecture of GATS is preserved; 
 
70. We consider that modalities for services negotiati on should not be renegotia ted.  We therefore 
reject all new modalities whether they are plurila teral approaches to negotiations or any other 
complementary or benchmarking approaches. The objectives outlined must be maintained in a 
pure request-offer process of several rounds and shall not be supplemented or replaced by any 
other approach that seeks to undermine the principles and objectives of the GATS.   
 71. We underscore that given the level of developm ent of our countries, the MFN exemptions and 
Economic Needs Tests (ENTs) are important instruments of policy space and development 
dimension.  Accordingly, G-90 shall be allowed to maintain them as long as they deem them 
necessary for their development.  
 72. We do not agree to the prescriptive nature of the modal objectives as laid out in the Draft 
Ministerial Declaration (JOB(05)/298) and reserve  the right to commit subsectors according to  
levels of development of G-90 countries and thei r development goals.  G-90 countries have been 
dissatisfied with the poor quality of offers th at many developed countries have submitted. We 
expect developed countries to open sectors requ ested by developing countries in accordance with 
Article IV of the GATS.  These principles shall apply to all modes of supply.   
 73. In Mode 4, we note that there has not been co mmercially meaningful offe rs made by developed 
Members of the WTO.    We consider that de veloped countries shall offer mutual recognition of 
professional services providers from G-90 countries. We further consider that to give the services 
negotiations a truly developmental focus, deve loped countries must accede to mode 4 requests 
submitted by developing countries as a par tial fulfilment of Article IV of GATS. 
  
74. We affirm the importance of undertaking a revi ew of progress of the negotiations and assessment 
of the work programme periodically during 2006.  WT/MIN(05)/8 
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75. We further note the importance of completing the rules track of the negotiations prior to 
considering any market access issues, under the same sector. 
 76. As part of the review of progress and assessment to  determine the implementation of Article IV of 
GATS, we shall examine the level and quality of assistance provided to G-90 Members, for 
facilitating putting in place effective regulatory framework. Members that make requests shall 
provide assistance for adequate regulatory framework  in the related sector for which a request is 
made.    
77.  We favour the development of a safeguard meas ure with the necessary flexibility to protect our 
export interests.  We encourage further discu ssion on how such safeguard measures would be 
operationalised, especially viewed from de veloping countries’ perspective.  
78. We note the importance of the development of horizontal disciplines under domestic regulations 
mainly due to the role such disciplines could pl ay in making mode 4 commitments more certain.  
Such disciplines would also clarify market rest rictions in export markets, in line with the 
implementation of Article IV of GATS.  
79. We reiterate that governments should be able to have control of their own national policy 
including freedom to control their domestic pr ocurement. We consider that negotiations on 
transparency in government procurement under trad e in services would be outside the mandate of 
the current negotiations as set out in the Doha Declaration and the subsequent July text. We 
therefore call for the deletion from the text of pa ragraph 4(b) of Annex C to Job (05)/298 – the 
Draft Ministerial text for Hong-Kong.   
X- WTO RULES
 
80. We take note of the exploratory work and iden tification of issues, which has occurred in the 
Negotiating Group on Rules. Balanced and enforceable  rules that help to create a predictable and 
consistent international trading economy are of  particular importance to the G-90 countries. 
However, these rules must recognize the prin ciple  of S&D treatment and flexibilities for 
developing countries and  these must be integrated  into the negotiations  and final outcome. In 
this regard, and in the context of  negotiati ons on WTO Rules, we declare that the following 
issues are of vital importance to the G-90:    
 
Anti Dumping and Subsidies and Countervailing Duties 
 
(i-) The development dimension of these negotia tions shall be fully addressed by ensuring 
that flexibilities and S&D T are integrated in the proposals tabled and in the Draft 
Ministerial Declaration for Hong Kong. 
(ii-) The need to avoid the introduction of unnecessary complex rules and disciplines under 
the Anti-Dumping Agreement and the Ag reement on Subsidies and Countervailing 
Duties which would prove difficult for G-90 Countries to implement and enforce .  
(iii-) The need to ensure that Anti-Dumping ru les and Countervailing Duty rules are not 
automatically or arbitrarily imposed on e xports originating from G-90 Countries, given 
their limited export base and high de pendency on few export markets. 
(iv-) Given the complexity of negotiations on Rules and the fact that many  G-90 countries 
have not been able to draft or implement Anti-Dumping or Countervailing Duty 
legislation because of capacity constraints, there is need to provide adequate technical assistance to G-90 countries to enable them to develop the necessary legislation and WT/MIN(05)/8 
Page 16  
 
 expertise in these areas. Furthermore, G-90 countries that have the necessary legislation 
need assistance to enable them  to effectively enforce their rights under the respective 
agreements. 
(v-) The importance of subsidies to assist the Small and Micro enterprises and incipient 
industries in G-90 countries to increase productive and export capabilities and to foster 
diversity in the production process should be recognized and not eroded in the subsidies 
negotiations. G-90 countries should be able to  utilize subsidies and other incentives to 
promote their development objectives given the minimal trade distorting effects of these 
programmes. 
 
Fisheries subsidies 
 
(vi-) The importance of the fisheries sector to the economies, development priorities, food 
security and livelihoods of G-90 countries should be taken into account in the negotiations and the development disciplines on fisheries subsidies.  Effective S&DT 
for G-90 should be an integral part of the negotiations. In particular, it should be 
recognized that G-90 countries are neither the cause of over fishing or overcapacity and 
hence should be allowed the flexibility to utilize fisheries subsidies to promote and 
enhance their under-developed fisheries industries.  
 (vii-) Specific provisions should be made for those G-90 countries with vested interests in 
supporting their fisheries sector to be able  to utilize fiscal incentives especially for 
artisanal and small-scale fisheries. In a ddition, development assistance and access fees 
should not be prohibited. 
 
Regional Trading Agreements 
 
(viii-)  We underscore the importance of ensuring that  the developmental aspects are fully taken 
into account in the negotiations aimed at  clarifying and improving disciplines and 
procedures relating to regional trade agreem ents as mandated under Paragraph 29 of the 
Doha Ministerial Declaration. 
 
(ix-) We recognize that the discussions have proceed ed along two main pillars: transparency 
and systemic issues. We underscore the importance of maintaining equal progress in each of the two pillars given their complementary nature. 
 
(x-) On transparency issues, we recognize the im portance of enhanced transparency and any 
discussion and agreement should integrate th e notion of S&D T recognizing the levels 
of development and capacities of G-90 countries. 
 
(xi-) We call for the revision of Article XXIV of the GATT so as to explicitly include 
Special and Differential Treatment and asymme try.  Any improvement and clarification 
of disciplines and procedures on RTAs shoul d take account of differing levels of 
development and should address,  amongst other issues, “substantially all the trade”, and 
transitional time frames in a manner that responds to the needs and interests of G-90 countries. 
XI- DISPUTE SETTLEMENT UNDERSTANDING
 
81. We recall that Paragraph 30 of the Doha Minist erial Declaration provides for negotiations aimed 
at improving and clarifying the DSU. Several G-90 countries have submitted proposals to the 
Special Session of the DSB that would enhance their participation in the dispute settlement 
system.  WT/MIN(05)/8 
 Page 17 
 
 
 82. We note that according to the mandate given, the ne gotiations on this issue were to be completed 
by end of May 2003. We regret to note that sever al deadlines have been missed.  Given the lack 
of progress in this work, we urge the Special Session of the DSB to expedite completion of the DSU negotiations taking into account our conc erns with regard to the accessibility and 
affordability of the system. 
83. We emphasize that DSU negotiations will remain outside the Single Undertaking, as provided for 
in the Doha Ministerial Declaration. 
XII - COHERENCE
 
84. The issue of coherence has been  confined to institutional cohe rence between the WTO and the 
Bretton Woods institutions. However, the emph asis should be on ensuring coherence between 
member’s WTO obligations and the policy advice given to developing countries by the Bretton 
Woods institutions. Such coherence should also include the provision of enhanced support by 
these Institutions to the G-90 countries to bolster their effort to promote productive investment, 
develop human resources and efficient infrastructur e, to enhance institutional capacities and build 
technological capability of our countries so as to benefit from market access opportunities. 
85. We re-emphasize the importance of promoti ng, without cross-conditionality and without 
additional conditions consistent a nd mutually supportive policies. In  this regard, we call for the 
closer coordination between these institutions in or der to ensure that these concerns are addressed. 
Moreover, the negotiating processes at the multilatera l, regional and bilate ral levels should be 
conducted in a coherent manner.  
XIII - AID FOR TRADE  
86. We emphasize the need for adequate and predic table development assistance for building the 
capacities for developing countries to increase a nd diversify their expor t and production bases. 
This should include financial assistance in the fo rm of grants and concessional loans to address 
removal of supply-side constraints, including infr astructural constraints. It should also include 
financial assistance to address the cost of adjustment. 
87. The ‘aid for trade’ programme should be comprehe nsive and holistic in nature and address trade-
related supply-side constraints across-the-board . An ‘aid for trade’ package should not be 
conditional upon the adoption of increased commi tments to a trade liberalization programme. 
88. In this regard, we emphasize the need to agree in Hong Kong to develop an ‘Aid for Trade’ 
package by July 2006. 
XIV - ACCESSION  
89. We reiterate our call for the full adherence to and implementation by the WTO Members of the 
“Guidelines on WTO accession procedures for LDCs” adopted by the General Council in December 2002.   
90. We also call upon the Hong Kong Ministerial me eting to mandate the General Council to review 
the said Decision on the Accession of LDCs w ith a view to updating it as provided for in 
paragraph 2 of that Decision as well as in the light of the Doha Work Programme.   
91. We declare that  acceding LDCs shall be entitle d to benefit from the existing S&DT provisions 
and those that would arise from the outcome of the Doha Work Programme WT/MIN(05)/8 
Page 18  
 
 92. Having regard to the high costs involved in the va rious stages of accession process, inter alia, in 
the document preparation, the undertaking of  actual negotiations, the implementation of 
negotiated outcomes and the setting-up of legal and institutional infrastructures: 
(i-) We urge that targeted technical assistance be provided to acceding G-90 countries in 
order to address the costly and complex accession process; 
(ii-) We call upon WTO Members to refrain from placing onerous demands on G-90 
countries  in the accession process; 
(iii-) We further call upon WTO members to agree th at if a G-90 party to the negotiations on 
the accession of any applicant country consid ers that the terms of reference of the 
relevant Working Party are not being observed, it may request the establishment of a 
panel. This panel would be appointed by the Director-General from a roster of 
independent experts, to examine the case and report with recommendations to the 
General Council or Ministerial Conference. 
(iv-) We request WTO members to respond speedily to G-90 countries that have applied to 
commence their accession process. 
 
 
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