. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/ST/87 
17 December 2011 
 (11-6659) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011 Original: French 
 
  
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 
 
Statement by H.E. Mr Albert Kwete Minga Bope 
Secretary-General for Foreign Trade 
   I take this opportunity to welcome the accessi on to our Organization of new Members Russia, 
Vanuatu, Samoa and Montenegro. 
 
 Since our last Ministerial Conference in December 2009, the international situation has changed drastically.   The continued turmoil on the financial market s is a challenge and gives cause for concern. 
 
 We must therefore work together to find a way out of this crisis. 
  As far as my own country, the Democratic Re public of the Congo, is concerned, it is more 
than ever necessary to make every possible effort to bring the Doha Round to a successful conclusion. 
 
 In this connection, I should like to underscore what I consider, in my humble opinion, to be 
some major pillars of our joint endeavours in the near future. 
 
 The consequences of the global financial a nd economic crisis must not be used as a 
pretext for protectionism.  The Democratic Republic of the Congo calls upon all WTO Members to resist the temptati on to adopt protectionist measures. 
 Any delay in the conclusion of the nego tiations will have a negative impact on 
growth prospects, particularly in the countries of the South, and on the credibility and the future of the multilateral trading system. 
 We must all endeavour to ensure recogn ition of the work already done since the 
launch of the Doha Round, which will serve as the basis for future work aimed at 
reaching an agreement which would guarantee trade liberalization and the establishment of an open, equitable and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system. 
 The development dimension must remain at the heart of the negotiations, as agreed at 
the Doha Conference.  The negotiations s hould take account of developing countries' 
capacity to implement new trade commitmen ts.  In this connection, additional 
resources should be mobilized to strengthen support for the Aid-for-Trade programme and the Enha nced Integrated Framework (EIF). WT/MIN(11)/ST/87 
Page 2  
 
   The rapid changes in the global econom ic environment require the WTO to 
work proactively to preserve its central role in  the system of world trade.  In order to 
maintain the effective functioning of the rules-based multilateral trading system, the 
WTO needs to engage periodically in a process of review of its functioning, 
efficiency and transparency and consider systemic improvements, where necessary. 
 More WTO involvement in subregional orga nizations is needed to help make it 
possible for our States to cooperate in a climate of confidence. 
 The Democratic Republic of the Congo suggest s that trade-related aid could be made 
more effective by reinvigorating the WT O's cooperation with other organizations 
working in the field of development, particularly UNCTAD and the ITC, in order to strengthen the institutional capacities of the LDCs. 
 Agriculture in general, and cotton in pa rticular, are crucially important to the 
African LDCs and it is time to eliminate all subsidies which create distortions and 
injury, by implementing the WTO' s commitment contained in the 
Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration. 
 We should never lose sight of the fact that the multilateral trading system was originally 
conceived not simply to promote trade, but to promote development through trade.   The rapid conclusion of the trade negotiati on round under the WTO's Doha Development 
Agenda is therefore an absolute necessity for all Members of our Organization. 
  In conclusion, my country fully supports th e declarations and recommendations made by the 
African Group, the LDCs, the ACP Group, the BRICS and the Friends of Development regarding the 
revival of the DDA, since they reflect the consensus reached by us all.  
 
__________