. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(05)/ST/121 
16 December 2005 
 (05-6084) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Sixth Session Hong Kong, 13 - 18 December 2005 Original:   French 
 
  
GABON 
 
Statement by HE Mr Paul Biyoghe Mba
 
Minister of Commerce and Industrial Development, in charge of  
NEPAD  
   It is for me an honour and a real pleasure to  take the floor before this illustrious assembly. 
 
 I should like to take this opportunity to congratulate, on behalf of the President of the Republic and of the Government and people of Gabon, the authorities and people of Hong Kong, 
China for the remarkable efforts they have made for the organization of this summit meeting.  I 
should also like to thank them for the warmth of  the welcome and for the facilities provided for my 
delegation. 
 
 I should also like to express my appreciation fo r the work carried out by the WTO Secretariat 
for the successful conduct of this Conference.    Finally, I welcome the support provided, in particular, by the United Nations, the 
International Monetary Fund and the World Bank fo r a successful conclusion to the Doha process. 
  Hong Kong follows meetings in Cancún in 2003 and Doha in 2001, where this new round of 
trade negotiations, the so-called Development Round was initiated. 
  This round should lead to a substantial impr ovement in market acces s for agricultural and 
non-agricultural goods, some relaxations in the te rms of the TRIPS Agreement, together with 
strengthened special and differential treatment.  In  addition, it should help the developing countries 
not only to implement the outcomes of the trade ne gotiations, but also to increase their production and 
exports of goods and services.    
 Four years after the beginning of the Doha Round a mood of disillusionment has set in.  The 
results obtained have failed to meet the hopes that were raised:  market access remains blocked for 
agricultural products on account of the persistenc e of subsidies, high customs duties and other 
technical barriers to trade.  
 Even greater commitments to liberalization are expected of the developing countries in the 
service sector.   While there is reason to welcome the progress recently achieved in the field of TRIPS, 
substantial efforts still remain to be made to meet  the expectations of the developing countries with 
regard to market access, capacity-building and, in more general terms, all the development issues, of 
which infrastructure and Aid for Trade are the most important areas. 
 WT/MIN(05)/ST/121 
Page 2  
 
  My country, Gabon, remains committed to the mu ltilateral trading system and deeply believes 
in its benefits.  It is very much on the basis of this conviction that my country, following the policies 
maintained and supported by the President of the Re public and Head of State, His Excellency El Hadj 
Omar Bongo Andimba, is working actively to implem ent NEPAD in Africa, and participating in the 
work of the Central African Economic and M onetary Community (CAEMC) and the Economic 
Community of Central African States (ECCAS), with  a view to facilitating the integration of the 
continent and of its subregions into the wo rld economy and ensuring the emergence of large 
structured and buoyant markets, where trade can and must develop, and establishing the foundations 
of sustainable development whose effects are felt and shared by all.  
 From this same perspective, Gabon strongly supports the developing countries that produce 
cotton, sugar and bananas, which are vital produc ts for their economies and the welfare of their 
populations.   In addition, Gabon is firmly convinced that tr ade is one of the engines of economic growth 
and must help to improve people's standard  of living and help to reduce poverty.  
  Gabon will be attentive to the positive responses given to the issues relating to agriculture, 
fisheries and forestry, all of which are essential for the diversification of its economy.   Gabon, for its part, remains optimistic and hopes for complete success in Hong Kong 2005. 
 
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