. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(09)/ST/39 
1 December 2009 
 (09-6114) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Seventh Session Geneva, 30 November - 2 December 2009 Original:   English 
 
  
DENMARK 
 
Statement by HE Mrs Marie-Louise Overvad
 
Ambassador Permanent Representative to the WTO  
   I take the floor on behalf of the Danish Minist er for Foreign Affairs, Dr Per Stig Møller.  
Like previous speakers, I wish to thank all those who have contributed to making this meeting a 
reality.  It is important that all WTO Members me et and confirm our commitment to the multilateral 
trading system.   Furthermore, this meeting is an opportunity to discuss the challenges facing us in global trade.  
Dialogue is the cornerstone of international coopera tion.  The litmus test, however, is our ability to 
transform debates into results and real progress on the ground. 
 
 The way forward for the WTO is to liberalize trad e for the benefit of all.  The gradual opening 
of markets should contribute to achieving furthe r objectives – sustainable development, poverty 
reduction, welfare and stability.  It is our obligation to make best use of the tools of the WTO to achieve these objectives.  As it is also our obliga tion to ensure that the WTO continues to hold the 
relevant and necessary tools to meet new challenges. 
  The multilateral trading system has served us we ll in the present time of crisis.  It has 
contributed to avoiding an uncontrolled spread of protectionism.  However, a further sharpening of 
the tools may be necessary.  The next stage of crisis management calls for an exit strategy.  It calls for 
the continued monitoring of markets.  And it ca lls for the dismantling of protectionist measures.  
A fundamental precondition for this is trust.  Th e WTO is essential to building confidence between 
Members – enabling us to climb down the ladder of protectionism.   As has been said, concluding the DDA would be the best means to fight protectionism.  And 
it would make a major contribution to recovery and renewed growth.  The potential gains from a 
DDA result are significant.  They are important to industry and trade, and they are important if we 
wish to reap the benefits of globalization.  Not least, they are important to developing countries.  A development-friendly conclusion of the negotiations should open new trade opportunities and allow 
developing countries to benefit from increased gr owth.  This will further increase synergy between 
trade and development to the benefit of both. 
 
 Added to that, a conclusion of the DDA will allo w us to move forward to new issues.  Beyond 
Doha, many areas of potential relevance to the work  of the WTO may be identified.  Allow me to 
mention just one, climate change.  At the UN's clim ate conference in Copenhagen in a few days' time, 
I trust that a multilateral agreement to combat climat e change will be reached.  It goes without saying 
that trade policy should contribute to climate change mitigation, as well as to the broader 
environmental agenda.  We hope that all Members will support intensifying work on climate-related 
goods, with a view to defining early actions in this field. WT/MIN(09)/ST/39 
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 As I said at the outset, what matters are the resu lts that we agree to.  Our dialogue is a means 
to meeting that objective – today, during this Mi nisterial Conference, and in the work of the 
Organization in the future.  
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