WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/13 
15 December 2011 
 (11-6520) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011 Original:   English/ 
 French 
 
  
DECLARATION OF LDC TRADE MINISTERS' MEETING 
 
14 December 2011, Geneva 
 
  The following communication, dated 14 December 2011, is being circulated at the request of 
the Delegation of Bangladesh on behalf of the LDC Group.  
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We, the Ministers of the Least Developed Countries,  
 
Meeting in Geneva on 14 December 2011 on the eve of the Eighth session of the WTO 
Ministerial Conference (MC8, 15 - 17 December 2011); 
 
Underlining the importance of meaningful and effective integration of the Least Developed 
Countries in the multilateral trading system and the ro le of international trade as an instrument for 
their economic growth, empl oyment and development; 
 
Expressing concern over the prolonged impact of the global financial a nd economic crisis on 
the Least Developed Countries, with adverse effects on their attainment of the internationally agreed 
development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals;  
Noting with concern the current impasse in the Doha Devel opment Agenda (DDA) 
negotiations, undermining the legitimate aspirations of the Least Developed Countries for a fair and 
equitable outcome in their favour from the conclusion of the Round;  
Recalling the Dar es Salaam Declaration adopted  by the Sixth LDC Trade Ministers' Meeting 
held on 14 - 16 October 2009;  
 
Underscoring the significance of the Istanbul Programme of Action (IPoA) for the Least 
Developed Countries for the Decade 2011 - 2020, adopt ed by the Fourth UN Conference on the Least 
Developed Countries held on 9 - 13 May 2011, to LDCs' integrati on into the multilateral trading 
system; 
 
Hereby, 
 
Reiterate our commitment to concluding th e Doha Development Round with clear, tangible 
development outcomes through an inclusive, tran sparent and bottom-up approach, with effective 
engagement of LDCs, including in areas of their particular interest; 
 WT/MIN(11)/13 
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  LDC-Specific Decisions at MC8 
 
Welcome and support the adoption by Minister s at MC8 of the Decision on 'Preferential 
Treatment to Services and Service Suppliers  of  Least Developed Countries' and call upon Members 
to operationalize the Services waiver, including thro ugh granting preferences in areas of interest to 
LDCs, particularly with regard to the m ovement of service providers under Mode 4; 
 
Emphasize the need to further extend the trans ition period (due to expi re on 30 June 2013) 
under Article 66.1 of the TRIPS Agreement in favour  of Least Developed Country Members to allow 
them to submit their priority needs assessment for technical and financ ial cooperation under the 
Decision of 29 November 2005.  In this context, urge the TRIPS Council to take the decision to 
extend the transition period, in line with the guidan ce provided in the Decision for adoption at MC8;  
 
Underscore the need to facilitate and accel erate the accession of the Least Developed 
Countries to the WTO. In this context, welcome and support the adoption of the Decision on the 
'Accession of Least Developed Countries' with a view to further strengthening, streamlining and 
operationalising the 2002 General Council Decision on Accession of Least Developed (Guidelines), 
and call upon WTO Members to finalize the recomme ndations on its implementation no later than 
July 2012;  LDC Priority Issues 
 
Reaffirm the need for full and early implementation of Decision 36 of Annex F of the Hong 
Kong Ministerial Declaration on measures in favour of Least Developed Countries;   
Call upon Members to ensure that preferential rul es of origin applicable to imports from Least 
Developed Countries are transparent and simple, in  accordance with the proposal on Least Developed 
Countries rules of origin as contained in doc ument TN/CTD/W/30/Rev.2, TN/MA/W/74/Rev.2, 
TN/AG/GEN/20/Rev.2 dated 24 June 2011;  
Reaffirm the mandate to address cotton ambitious ly, expeditiously and specifically and, in 
accordance with paragraph 11 of the Hong Kong Mini sterial Declaration, call upon Members to agree 
to ambitiously reduce trade distorting domestic suppor t for cotton production. In this context, urge 
that pending a substantial reduction in, if not elimination of, these trade distorting measures, steps be taken, as an interim measure and on the basis of th e standstill principle to fr eeze at current levels 
domestic support that has distorting effects on the cotton market;  
Trade and Development Issues 
 
Reaffirm the centrality of development in WTO's work and the need for further strengthening 
the role of the Committee on Trade and Developm ent (CTD) in full compliance with its mandate. 
Also urge the need for expediting the establishm ent of the Monitoring Mechanism on special and 
differential treatment, and for reviewing the Agreem ent-specific special and differential proposals as 
contained in Annex C of the draft Cancun Minister ial Declaration, with a view to making them 
operational and effective;  
Call upon Members to set up a mechanism to  ensure the full operationalization and 
monitoring of Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement obligations with a view to enabling the Least 
Developed Country Members to create a sound and viable technological base; 
 
Appreciate the progress made with the Aid-for-T rade initiative since it was launched in 2005 
and emphasize the need for mobilizing additional, pr edictable, sustainable and effective resources for 
countries that need them the most, particularly the Least Developed among them. In this context,  WT/MIN(11)/13 
 Page 3 
 
 
  underline the need for donor countries to explor e possibilities to enhance their current level of 
commitment. In addition, it is urgently needed to reflect further on the identification of consensual 
indicators which will allow to measure in a concrete  way the impact of Aid for Trade and to promote 
mechanisms to ensure the enhanced involvement  of recipient countries in the monitoring and 
evaluation mechanism, while making sure that they are provided with the capacity required for this 
exercise; 
 
Reiterate the priority attached to the eff ective and progressive implementation of the 
Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) and its over arching objective to help the Least Developed 
Countries address their trade related development need s and mainstream trade into their development 
strategies. In this context, stress the need for e nhancing the capacity of LDCs  to fully utilize the EIF 
through increased country ownershi p and partnership, timely reali zation of resource commitments, 
greater regional thrust and involvement of the priv ate sector, and targeted technical assistance for 
project development and implementation;   
Reaffirm WTO's role as a sentinel against a ll forms of protectionist measures, while 
recognising the need for maintaining the policy space for  Least Developed Countries in particular so 
as to enable them to achieve thei r growth and development objectives; 
 
Note with concern the persistent challeng es to food security faced by Least Developed 
Countries and underline the need for mitigating th e impact of food market prices and volatility on 
Least Developed Countries through multi-dimensi onal approaches involving trade related measures; 
 Way Forward 
 
Reaffirm the Single Undertaking principle as the cornerstone of DDA negotiations, while 
recognising the potential for making progress in the negotiations through the in-built flexibilities 
provided under paragraph 47 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration;  
Underline the need for developing a compre hensive and time-bound work programme for 
making progress in the negotiations on possible 'early  harvest' issues with clear development focus; 
 
Underscore the imperative need for prioritiz ing LDC-specific deliverables for an 'early 
harvest' on a provisional or definitive basis, in particular Decision 36 of Annex F of Hong Kong 
Ministerial Declaration, cotton, operationalization of services waiver and special and differential 
treatment for LDCs in other areas of negotiations;  
Reaffirm the need for upholding the multila teral and consensus-based decision making 
process of the Doha Development Round, and avoidi ng any attempt to pursue plurilateral approaches 
to circumvent the multilateral process;  
Invite WTO to contribute to the full, timely and effective implemen tation of the Istanbul 
Programme of Action, and to integrate it into its work programmes, as appropriate and in accordance 
with its mandate, and call upon WTO to work in coor dination with relevant de velopment partners in a 
coordinated, concerted and cons istent manner in this regard; 
 
Recognise the continued relevance of the Work  Programme for the Least Developed Country 
Members adopted in February 2002, and stress the need for reviewing and updating the Work 
Programme in view of the evolving realities. 
 
 
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