. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/INF/5 
16 November 2011 
 (11-5915) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011  
 
  
ARRANGEMENTS FOR SPEAKERS IN THE PLENARY SESSION 
  
 As at past Ministerial Conferences, the Plen ary Session of the Eighth Ministerial Conference, 
which commences on the afternoon of 15 December, will provide an opportunity for Ministers to make prepared statements under Agenda Item 1 (Overview of Activities of the WTO) in accordance 
with the List of Speakers which will open for inscription on 24 November. 
 
Inscription  
 Inscriptions for the List of Speakers will take  place via a new online system, similar to the 
one used for the registration of participants at th e Ministerial Conference.  Delegation Coordinators 
are invited to consult the online registration syst em (see WT/MIN(11)/INF/1, Section III) where they 
will find the necessary information.  Inscriptions w ill take place on the basis of a choice of half-day 
preferences.  While every effort will be made  to accommodate delegations' first preferences, 
delegations are kindly requested to show some flexibility in the light of a limited number of slots available in the Speakers' List.  The Secretaria t, in conjunction with the Ministerial Conference 
Chairman, will subsequently establish the List of  Speakers, and Delegation Coordinators will be 
notified by email later in the process of the exact date and time their Minister will be expected to 
deliver their speech. 
 
Delivery of statements 
 
 Ministers wishing to make a statement will be requested to do so from a lectern on the podium in Room 2.  In order to facilitate the sequence of speakers, seats close to the podium will be 
reserved for the next speakers.  Speakers will be i nvited by WTO Secretariat staff to move to these 
reserved seats while the preceding statements are being made.   The Chairman's List of Speakers for each ha lf-day session will be made available to the 
delegations concerned.  In this regard, delegations are urged to contact the Plenary Office in the 
CICG.  The Chairman will expect the cooperation an d understanding of all delega tions in the event of 
unexpected and last-minute changes that may have to be made to the List.  
Length of statements 
 
 Interventions in the Plenary Session are limite d to 3 minutes per speaker.  A so-called traffic 
light system will be in operation to facilitate adhere nce to the allotted time period.  Longer statements 
can be submitted to the WTO Secretariat for subsequent circulation, as set out below. 
 WT/MIN(11)/INF/5 
Page 2  
 
  Dissemination of statements 
 
 In line with the greener approach to documen tation for the Conference set out in Information 
Circular No.4 (WT/MIN(11)/INF/4),  all public documents emanating from the Ministerial 
Conference will be posted in the Ministerial section of the WTO Website at 
http://www.wto.org/ministerial . 
 
 Ministers' statements submitted to the Secretar iat well in advance of the speaking time will be 
posted on the Website in their orig inal language and form shortly af ter delivery.  In this respect, 
delegations are requested to transmit statements, in Microsoft Word format only, to the Secretariat via 
e-mail to the following address:  MC8Statements@wto.org . 
 
 All statements in the Plenary Session will s ubsequently be circulated as Conference 
documents in the three WTO official languages, in cluding statements longer than those delivered.  
Statements by Ministers not wishing to take the fl oor in the Plenary Session can also be submitted to 
the WTO Secretariat for circulation. 
 
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