. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(05)/ST/101 
16 December 2005 
 (05-6075) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Sixth Session Hong Kong, 13 - 18 December 2005 Original:   French 
 
  
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 
 
Statement by HE Mrs Chantal Ngalula Mulumba
 
Minister for External Trade  
   The Government of the Democratic Republic of  the Congo, which I have the signal honour to 
represent before this august assembly, expresses its sincere thanks to the Government of the 
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the warm welcome it has extended to my entire 
delegation and myself.   Our thanks also go to all the WTO Members fo r having approved the choice of such an ideal 
setting, the Hong Kong Conventio n and Exhibition Centre, for this Sixth Session of the WTO 
Ministerial Conference. 
 
 I take this opportunity to pay particular tri bute to Mr Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of the 
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, to Mr  John Tsang, Chairman of the Ministerial 
Conference, to Mr Pascal Lamy, Director-General of  the WTO, and his principal assistants, and to the 
countries and international institutions whose involveme nt has served to give practical shape to this 
important meeting destined to set the scene fo r the final phase of negotiations in the Doha 
Development Round.   The Sixth Ministerial Conference gives us a fresh opportunity to reaffirm some of the key elements of the African conception of world trade regulation.  
 To intensify and add buoyancy to the dial ogue, the WTO should come closer to ordinary 
people by including all the economic and social stake holders in its work;  transparency should inform 
the negotiations from start to finish.   The Doha Round must be capable of addressing trad e in conjunction with development, if it is 
to be an effective weapon against poverty and gradually extricate developing countries from the 
vicious circle of debt.  The WTO's main purpose is  to give the utmost encouragement to the proper 
conduct, predictability and freedom of trade.  It ha s the task of eliminating as many as possible of the 
barriers constantly erected between peoples and country Members.  
 It is also important to reaffirm forcefully th at the WTO must stand firm against the law of the 
fittest and not be the instrument of the fittest.  Otherwise, our chances of completing the Doha Round in the near future, as well as the underlying va lue of the negotiations themselves, could be 
compromised.   Our Organization must also give priority to the environment, so that our shared resources are 
not alienated by slavish exploitation.  This approach must take account of an important principle, that 
of precaution, particularly in the food production process. WT/MIN(05)/ST/101 
Page 2  
 
  I would be remiss if I did not point out in this forum that the WTO is duty-bound, under its 
mandate, to promote the emergence of a more pr osperous, just, peaceful and responsible world 
economy. 
 
 This means among other things that govern ments and States conduct trade policy within 
agreed limits in the interests of all, and that the producers of goods and services, in the same way as 
importers and exporters, should have every facility to pursue their activities.  However, these 
ambitions cannot be realized unless account is taken of the fundamental dimension of the well-being 
of the populations of country Members.   The world is now polarized by poverty and futu re prospects, just as it was polarized in the 
past by the Cold War.  We in the least developed countries are justified in expecting more solidarity 
from our partners in other regions, rather than  resigned acceptance accompanied by criticism and 
lecturing. 
  The current imbalances in world trade provide  an additional reason to reaffirm the WTO's 
role as the main forum for the inte grated treatment of development and related issued in the areas of 
trade, finance, investment, technology and sustainable development. 
 
 Debt is another indicator of our weakness, because it continues to exert a braking effect on the sustainable and balanced developm ent of our economies and impedes pr ivate investment.  It continues 
to interfere with our integration and increased participation in international trade and it has the further 
unfortunate effect of contributing significantly to the impoverishment of the countries of Africa, in particular by making it impossible for them to improve their communication, production, health, 
education and training infrastructures. 
  My Government reiterates its firm commitment to the multilateral trading system and its role 
in maintaining an equitable, transpar ent system based on objective rules.  
 
 I would like to highlight the essential priorities for the African countries in this Doha Round: 
 
 - As regards agriculture:  roll-back and el imination of all forms of both domestic and 
export subsidies for agricultural products, without prejudice to the provisions on 
special and differential treatment; 
 
 - as regards cotton:  it is of crucial impor tance that a satisfactory solution be found 
forthwith; 
 
 - as regards primary commodities:  given the fluctuations in market prices, vigorous 
action is needed on behalf of the least developed countries; 
 
 - as regards market access for non-agricultura l products:  agreement must be reached 
on ways of making less than full reci procity more operati onal for developing 
countries and accepting their decisive need for special and differential treatment. 
 
 We welcome the agreement reached by WTO Members on the adoption of the amendment to 
Article 31 of the TRIPS Agreement, thereby resolvin g the question of public health.  But it remains to 
be implemented. 
 
 Finally, the Democratic Republic of the Congo regards results geared to development in all 
areas of negotiation as the continued underlying pu rpose of the Doha Development Round.  This 
means that tangible results, in terms of developm ent, must be achieved in each of the areas of 
negotiation and that the final result must be a balanc ed one.  Subject to these conditions, there is room 
for hope:  indeed, where there's a will, there' s a way, but the will must be manifested. 
 
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