. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(09)/ST/127 
2 December 2009 
 (09-6502) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Seventh Session Geneva, 30 November - 2 December 2009 Original:   English 
 
 
INDONESIA 
 
Statement by H.E. Dr. Mari Pangestu
 
Minister of Trade  
 
 
 We are meeting here in Geneva to renew our commitment and confidence in the WTO and 
the multilateral trading system under the current global economic environment. 
 
 The WTO and its predecessor, the GATT, has been successful in providing a stable 
environment for its members.  It has nurtured a rules-based multilateral trading system that has 
secured economic growth, development and em ployment throughout the past decade. 
  Indonesia has benefited from this stable trade environment and its domes tic reforms have also 
been shaped by the WTO framework .  Therefore, in this current  uncertain global environment, 
Indonesia and I hope all the member countries in th is room, remain committed to reaffirming and 
strengthening global confidence in the multilateral trading system.   The current global crisis and the current situ ation of weak recovery, have indeed been 
challenging to say the least.  Trade has plummeted with world trade expected to contract by some 
10 per cent and with many countries experiencing doubl e digit contraction of exports.   As a result 
jobs have been lost.  No doubt developing countries have been the hardest hit.  We have limited fiscal 
space and social safety nets, and we are also facing increased protectionism against our products. Under these conditions all of us face domestic political pressures.  What is important is that we have 
to exercise leadership in resisting not taking any ac tion to move in the right direction or even worse 
undertaking inappropriate actions which take us away from the path of necessary domestic reforms. 
 
 We are here to ensure that  the WTO and multilateral trading system can meet the challenges 
of an uncertain global environment and limit protec tion to benign actions taken within WTO rules and 
disciplines.  We welcome the monitoring exer cise of the WTO and speaking from Indonesia’s 
experience, it has provided the peer pressure to ensu re that pressures for protection can be limited to 
real need and in compliance with WTO disciplines.  In light of ensuring the integration of developing 
countries in the international trading system, we also  support the need to promote a more effective and 
expanded aid for trade and trade financing which h as helped and will continue to help, developing 
countries.  
 Most importantly the changing landscape of the world economy has demanded the 
multilateral trading system and the WTO to respond qui ckly and appropriately to the new situation.  
The failure by members to conclude DDR after years of intensive negotiations is the most 
fundamental problem that the WTO is facing.   The Doha round is a fundamental part of our stake to maintain confidence in the multilateral 
trading system, reduce threats of rising protectionism and stimulus to global recovery.  The benefit of 
the agriculture and non agriculture market access (NAMA) negotiations that have been agreed on and WT/MIN(09)/ST/127 
Page 2  
 
 which is on the table, with the centrality of agriculture, as estimated by various studies point to 
increasing trade flows at between US$120-160 billion.  Once services and trade facilitation are included, the benefits can be as high as US$520 billi on (Peterson Institute, 2009).  Furthermore, the 
benefits are balanced between de veloped and developing countries.  There are also benefits in 
removal of subsidies and agriculture support rela ted to less excessive polluting production methods.   
 
 There is a great deal of consensus, as well as  political support at the highest levels, for the 
necessity to conclude the eight-year negotiations of the Doha Development Round.  We all agree, and 
what more can be said that has not been said regard ing how to achieve this necessary outcome.  There 
is in fact nothing different that can be said than wh at has already been said in the last few months and 
re-emphasized in the last two days.  In the last two days groups such as G20, G33 and the Informal 
Group of Developing Countries (which make up 70  per cent of WTO members), have restated the 
same key messages.  In sum these key messages are:   First, an early and successful conclusion of  the Doha Development Round based on the 
development mandate and what is already on the table. 
  Second, let us not give up hope for concluding the negotiations by 2010. 
  Third, let us all transform political will into acti on so that we can have an effective stock take 
by early 2010, which will be the basis for the way forward to concluding the negotiations before the 
end of 2010. 
  Fourth, to get there we must all utilize all av ailable processes. This includes constructive and 
real engagement to address remaining issues as part  of the technical processes undertaken by senior 
officials in Geneva in the coming months.  The G 33 has been working on this front and stands ready 
to engage constructively on one of the remaini ng issues, SSM.  It also includes ongoing informal, 
bilateral and plurilateral processes at all levels to  seek greater understanding and transparency, as long 
as the process is then multilateralized.   As the Director-General, Pascal Lamy sai d, unity is strength.  These key messages 
demonstrate this, that is unity in the major of me mbers delivering the same strong messages in a loud, 
clear and resounding way. We hope that these m essages will be heard and responded by action and 
real engagement not just by the message bearers, but by all.  There must be political will so that the 
weight of the costs to development from the dela y in concluding the Round,  can be addressed sooner 
rather than later.  The millions of subsisten ce farmers, poor and hungry cannot wait too long. 
 
 Apart from the global financial crisis, concludi ng the Round is also important so that other 
profound global challenges, which require globa l attention and a more responsive WTO can be 
addressed.  This includes food and energy security as well as climate change.  These are the challenges, which require rapid, comprehensive and sustainable responses, and will necessitate 
capacity building and technical assistance for develo ping countries.  Developing countries need to be 
able to conduct their trade–relate d activities in a manner that is cons istent with environmental goals 
and sustainability and we must also ensure that there will be consistency and coherence between the 
WTO framework and the emerging inte rnational climate change regime. 
  To conclude, let me appeal my fellow Ministers and Heads of Delegates that we conclude this 
Conference with a clearer sense of how to move forwar d in light of the current global situation and on 
where the Doha Development Round stand.  We should  also be able to deliver a decisive support to 
the WTO’s effort in providing assistance to its Memb ers with regards to enhancing their capacity and 
integration in the multilateral trading system a nd in developing policies that complement their 
development agendas. 
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