. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(05)/ST/146 
17 December 2005 
 (05-6170) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Sixth Session Hong Kong, 13 - 18 December 2005 Original:   English 
 
  
THE GAMBIA 
 
Statement by the Honourable Alieu Ngum
 
Secretary of State for Trade, Industry and Employment  
  
 Let me first and foremost register our gratit ude to our host, the Government and people of 
Hong Kong for the hospitality extended to me and my  delegation since our arrival.  The impeccable 
arrangements and thorough coordi nation of activities in the excellent conference facilities at our 
disposal, as well as the comprehensive security c overage of the venue, reflect the enviable 
development indicators of this modern city state.   Indeed the development credentials of Hong Kong 
are a clear authentication of the economic policy conten tion that free trade is an engine of growth and 
development. 
 
 I wish to reiterate the commitment of the Government of the Gambia to the multilateral 
trading system and to renew our confidence in the WTO in its quest to progressively evolve a fair, 
transparent and rule-based international commercial system. 
 
 The uniqueness of the Sixth Ministerial Conference resides in the opportunity it presents to resolve perennial issues and to effect epoch-maki ng movement in the development dimension of the 
Doha Agenda.  We note however the decision to dow nsize the level of expectations from this round, 
without shifting the deadline for the accomplishment of the entire Doha Agenda before the end of 
2006.  We hold in good faith that this is an appreci ation of the complexity of  the issues and the limited 
time available for their satisfactory resolution.  Ne vertheless, we wish to emphasize that while the 
tactic of buying time may enhance successful negotiati ons, we believe that the most decisive factor 
for the attainment of outcomes that  are satisfactory to all parties, is fundamentally a function of a 
balanced and equitable formula.  The formula s hould be complemented by an unflinching political 
will, the required technical competence and an unfailing sense of fair play to sort out the details of the 
formula. 
 
 Frameworks in which the negotiations on ag riculture, non-agricultural market access and the 
development dimension are being c onducted have at least the basic critical elements to address the 
interests of all parties.  Indeed the emerge nce and utilization of these frameworks by themselves 
constitute significant progress on which to build further movement.  We therefore welcome the 
resolution of the issues surrounding TRIPS and its atte ndant benefits to public health in developing 
countries. 
 
 The development dimension cuts across a ll areas and issue-clusters of the ongoing 
negotiations.  Given this diffused structure of the ma in thrust of the DDA, development concerns run 
the risk of being treated as secondary priorities.   Yet these concerns are at the heart of the 
Declarations of ECOWAS Ministers, the ARUSHA Declaration, the Cairo Declaration as well as the 
Declaration of ACP Trade Ministers.  The substan tive proposals advanced by the LDCs is an attempt 
to sharpen the focus on the development dimensio n.  The preference schemes enjoyed by LDCs 
should be improved upon to ensure access to the gains of trade through ex port expansion and more 
competitive production.  In this respect, the pace of reform and its sequencing should be aligned with WT/MIN(05)/ST/146 
Page 2  
 
 the LDC programmes of poverty reduction to enhance the attainment of the millennium development 
goals.  Assistance should be provided to cushion short-term adjustment costs ranging from export 
losses, loss of tariff revenues, balance of payments problems impacting debt repayment to the social 
dimension of adjustment.  Additional resources  should also be made available to support 
diversification and complementary investments pr ogrammed to develop the generally weak supply 
capacities of LDCs.  In this connection, the enhanc ed Integrated Framework should be fast-tracked 
and harmonized with the trade assistance programs of the IMF and other donor agencies, with the 
objective of limiting undue and cumbersome conditi onalities and promoting national ownership.  The 
enhancement of the capacity of LDCs will also  require the simplification of rules of origin, 
attainability of value-added requirements and pu tting in place precautionary measures to enhance 
LDC capacity to meet quality standards.  In addi tion, certainty and predictability of returns on 
investments should be promoted through the binding of preferential treatment rates permanently under 
The WTO.  Without these measures, LDCs will be ill-placed to exploit and utilize the concession of 
duty-free and quota-free access to developed country markets. 
 
 Successful negotiations on agricu lture has the potential to impact positively on development 
and hence enhance progress towards the millennium de velopment goals.  This is however contingent 
upon the operationalization of special and diffe rential treatment across market access, domestic 
support and export competition.  Market access c oncessions to LDCs should include substantive 
improvement in access to export products, treatment of  special products with a dedicated attention to 
cotton and solutions to preference erosion.  In dom estic support, we are firmly committed to real and 
significant reductions in trade distorting domestic su pport and more effective controls to prevent the 
shifting of resources to circumvent regulations with  the intention of handing out back-door support.  
However, African and LDC members should be provided  with exemptions to pursue their agricultural 
development objectives.  Improvement in export co mpetition should not also be compromised.  All 
forms of export subsidies should be eliminated by 2010.  For cotton, this deadline should be much 
earlier as well as that of the phased elimination of  distortionist domestic support.  Humanitarian 
concerns should however continue to be promoted with limited regulation in the provision of food aid 
and livelihood for poverty reduction.  The Gambia  is committed to the NAMA negotiations and we 
endorse the liberalization formula to execute the ma ndate to significantly reduce tariffs, tariff peaks 
and tariff escalations.  The inclusion of non-tariff ha rriers and provisions for special and differential 
treatment for LDCs have also added elements of  balance and equity to the formula. Thus the 
flexibility provisions should be recognized as concess ions to LDCs and developing countries to allow 
them to pursue their industrial, employment and production diversification objectives and to relate 
their commitment levels to their development strate gy.  As such , exemptions such as " less than 
reciprocal reduction" are extrinsic to the formula and attempts to link them to the elements of formula 
should be staunchly resisted. 
 
 The Gambia considers services as an integral part of the negotiations and hopes that outcomes 
will eliminate not only tariff barriers but the wi de range of non-tariff barriers and unfavourable 
positions of countries.  Liberalization of the move ment of natural persons  by developed countries 
should be expedited for the realiza tion of the welfare benefits that accrue to LDCs from this labour 
service.  Developing countries should however maintain the right to regulate their service sectors in 
line with their national development strategies and in a manner in which skill and technology - 
intensive services speed up expor t growth and development. 
 
 On rules, disciplines on anti-dumping, subsid es and countervailing measures should be made 
simple.  The scope of rules should also encompass c oncerns of fish stock depletion, clarification and 
improvement of procedures of regional trade agre ements with appropriate flexibility for their 
enforcement. 
 
 In conclusion , I wish to congratulate the Ki ngdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Tonga for 
their accession to the WTO. 
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