. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/ST/89 
17 December 2011  
 
(11-6657) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011 Original:   English 
 
  
SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES 
 
Statement by Mr Andreas Wickham 
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign A ffairs, Foreign Trade and Consumer Affairs 
 
 
First, let me join others in thanking the Government and People of Switzerland for the 
hospitality that they have shown and the arrangement s that they have made in hosting this conference 
for the second consecutive session in Geneva. 
 
Secondly, I would like to associate with the st atements delivered by St. Lucia and Antigua 
and Barbuda and those to be delivered by my colle agues from Grenada and St. Kitts and Nevis, all of 
whom have emphasized various elements of the them es to be addressed in this Conference as I will on 
the DDA negotiations. 
 
When the Doha Development Agenda was launche d at the Fourth Ministerial Conference we 
set out, hope high, maybe in retrospect too high, with the knowledge that development was at the 
heart of the Doha Mandate and that a devel opment outcome in each negotiating area was the raison 
d'être  of the Round. 
 
For this reason we are concerned at the current  impasse.  There is even more reason to be 
concerned, since it would be the first round of mul tilateral trade negotiations in the history of the 
multilateral trading system which could possibly fail may be the round meant for developing 
countries.  We are also deeply concerned at appare nt attempts to weaken the development ambition of 
the DDA. 
 
St.  Vincent and the Grenadines and the rest of the OECS are not the cause of the current 
stalemate;  neither do we hold the solution to movi ng the negotiations forward.   We are too small and 
inconsequential in international tr ade terms for that to be the case. 
 
It is, however, important for this confer ence to understand and appreciate we have 
individually and collectively invested significant hu man, financial and political capital over the last 
ten years, to identify and advance our trade and de velopment interests in the DDA negotiations and, 
therefore, have great interest in the successful c onclusion of the Round in the shortest possible time.  
This is even more imperative w ithin the current global economic crisis which has negatively impacted 
our countries. 
 
In so many ways we have been waiting on the si de lines for the bigger players to resolve their 
differences so that the talks can advance and we ca n, once again, seek to advance our interests and 
reap the promised development dividend of the Rou nd.  We are growing tired of waiting, and we call 
on key players to demonstrate the required leader ship and political will, commensurate with their 
participation in global trade, to bring the negotiations  out of the current doldrums and to arrive at the WT/MIN(11)/ST/89 
Page 2  
 
  right balance of rights and obligations that reflects  the varied levels of development within this 
organization.  
Recognizing that what we need now from this  Conference is clear political guidance and 
direction and a precise roadmap for concluding the Ro und, allow me to highlight our key perspectives 
on the way forward for the DDA. 
 
First, I wish to emphasise that my delegation sees the conclusion of the DDA as a total 
package.  It is a package b ased on the Doha mandate and reaffirmed and reinforced at 
Hong Kong Ministerial and in the July Package.  Furthermore it is a package containing different 
elements of a single undertaking.  While we can ac cept an operationalization of Doha paragraph 47 
we cannot accept a breaking of th e single undertaking.  Any early harvest or early implementation 
must be linked to a clear identification of when a nd how the end game for the remaining elements will 
be reached.  
Secondly, we wish to express caution in any exploration of new negotiating approaches in 
seeking to break the log-jam.  The current impasse is not one of process but of substance.  It is 
imperative for small countries like ours that the fund amental negotiating principles of consensus, full 
participation, transparency, and inclusiveness are not undermined.  All decisions in the negotiations 
must be made within the multilateral processes and our countries must immediately and fully benefit 
from all concessions granted in these multilateral negotiations. 
 
Finally, advances in the negotiations must build  on progress already made.  It is important for 
my delegation that gains made by the SVEs, ACP and ot her groups in which we are a part are secured.  
I must also state that these do not represent the to tality of our expectations in the Round and we look 
forward to gains in pending areas in fisheries s ubsidies, the SSM, domestic regulations, special and 
differential treatment to name a few. 
 
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