. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  TN/AG/SCC/GEN/7 
12 January 2007 
 
 (07-0165) 
Sub-Committee on Cotton Original:   French 
  
 
OUAGADOUGOU DECLARATION ON THE SECTORAL INITIATIVE 
IN FAVOUR OF COTTON 
 
Communication from Burkina Faso
 
 
 
 The following communication, which was recei ved on 11 January 2007, is being circulated 
among Members and Observers, for information purposes,  at the request of the delegation of Burkina 
Faso.  
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  We, the Ministers of Trade of the co-sponsors of  the Sectoral Initiative in Favour of Cotton, 
meeting for consultations in Ouag adougou (Burkina Faso) on 8 January  2007 with the participation of 
the WAEMU Commission; 
 
 Stressing  the vital importance of cotton to the economies of several African countries; 
  Recalling  the important decisions that the Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) 
adopted in July 2004 in Geneva and reaffirmed at  the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference held in 
Hong Kong from 13 to 18 December 2005, reques ting that the cotton issue be addressed 
"ambitiously, expeditiously and specifically "; 
  Considering  the adverse impact of the domestic support for cotton production and the cotton 
export subsidies granted by the developed countri es on the economies and populations of the African 
cotton-producing countries; 
 
 Considering  that the cotton industry in our countries is deteriorating day by day to the point 
where it could well disappear, and that the socioeconomic difficulties facing the cotton-producing populations are growing more acute, aggravating th e poverty and destitution in our countries, which 
are among the poorest in the world; 
 
 Stressing  that the suspension of the negotiations is delaying the settlement of the cotton issue, 
thereby adding to the damage caused to our countries and our cotton producers; 
  Considering  the recent decision of the Court of Just ice of the European Communities to do 
away with the system of decoupling between levels  of support and the production of cotton adopted in 
2004;  1. Make an urgent appeal  to WTO Members for a rapid, effective and full resumption of the 
negotiations, including the negotiations on cotton. TN/AG/SCC/GEN/7 
Page 2  
 
  2. Request , in that connection, the rapid implementation of the decisions adopted by 
WTO Members on both the trade and development aspects of the cotton issue. 
3. Urge  the developed countries to eliminate s ubsidies and domestic support granted for the 
production and export of cotton that distort the international cotton market. 
4. Request  the Director-General of the WTO, for the sake of the necessary coherence between 
the trade and development aspects of the cotton issu e, to speed up the process of consultations on 
suitable approaches and mechanisms  to deal with the income losses resulting from subsidies and 
domestic support. 
5. Urge  the development partners to effectiv ely implement the recommendations of the 
WTO Regional Workshop on Cotton, held in Co tonou on 23 and 24 March 2004 with a view to 
strengthening the cotton sector in the African countries. 
6. Request , to that end, that the WTO Director-General organize, as soon as possible during 
2007, a meeting to review the status of the develo pment aspects of the cotton sector in conformity 
with the mandate provided by the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference. 
7. Express our serious concern  as to the implications of the deci sion by the Court of Justice of 
the European Communities to abandon the system of decoupling between levels of support and the 
production of cotton adopted in 2004, since this repr esents a serious setback as  regards expectations 
of settling the cotton issue. 
8. Call upon  the European Communities to take appropr iate action to ensure that the cotton 
production regime within the EC is in line with the level of ambition of the Doha Development 
Agenda. 
9. Express  our firm resolve to pursue the WTO negotiations with a view to reaching a solution 
for cotton that is in keeping with the July 2004 Framework and the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration. 
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