WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/GC/95 
3 August 2005 
 (05-3502) 
General Council 
27 and 29 July 2005 Item 10(c)  
 
  
STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN 
 
 
 Colleagues, 
 
We have just heard the report of the Chairm an of the TNC, who, along with others, has 
painted an accurate portrait of where we are in  the negotiations.  The Chairs of the Negotiating 
Groups painted very similar portraits yesterday, at the TNC. 
 
It would certainly be fair to say that we are not  where we wanted to be.  We have made some 
progress on some issues, but far too many remain to  be resolved.  The progress we have made has 
been slow – much too slow.  We have done exactly  what I raised in my acceptance statement in 
February and what we said we did not want to do – backload most of the decisions into the Fall and, 
potentially, overload the agenda for Ministers at a five-day, politically charged, Ministerial 
Conference in Hong Kong. 
 
We have all seen that movie – we all know how it ends. 
 
To make it more challenging still, we will ha ve a relatively high turnover in Heads of 
Delegation this summer, including some Chairs of the Negotiating Groups.  Some have been 
temporarily averted, and others are in abeyance,  but all of these changes will add to our burden. 
 
And on the subject of not adding to our burden, let me join the Director-General and others 
who have said that there is not a "crisis" in th e negotiations – that we need not "press the panic 
button".  The truth is that we long ago came to the realization that we would not likely make much 
greater progress in the negotiations by July.  But then it is not in my nature nor yours I believe to 
throw in the towel.  The challenge before us is to remain deliberate and determined. 
 
I have consulted informally with Members and I believe that we will need three things if we 
are to succeed in Hong Kong. 
 
First, we are going to have to make the most  efficient, rational use of time.  Among other 
steps we could take, this could mean:   - reducing the work of regular bodies, other than the Dispute Settlement and the Trade 
Policy Review Bodies, to essential business only 
– to allow Members to focus their 
resources on the negotiating bodies; 
  - avoiding informal Ministerial meetings  outside Geneva that conflict with the 
negotiating agenda and take  negotiators away from Ge neva for extended periods; 
  - ensuring more frequent and active particip ation of Senior Officials in the Geneva 
process; WT/GC/95 
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  - ensuring that Ministers are on call to pr ovide political guidance on a continuous basis, 
including by travelling to Geneva to cons ult each other ... and by ensuring that they 
are in regular contact with each othe r between meetings, deepening their 
understanding of each other’s positions and needs; 
 
 - in addition to this ongoing involvement, it may be useful to provide a stocktaking 
session early in the Fall for Ministers to assess whether progress is being made;  and, 
 
 - perhaps most importantly, we need mo re coherent, integrated, centralized and 
continuous management of th e negotiating process.  It is now critical to begin pulling 
the different threads of the negotiations t ogether, which have, quite often, run on 
separate tracks.  It is my intention to consult both the out-going and in-coming 
Directors-General on how this can be done qui ckly so as to provid e a focus to all of 
our work in the Fall.  
 
 And part of using the Fall efficiently is using the August break efficiently too.  We need to 
take this time to reassess our negotia ting positions with capitals – to lo ok for new approaches that will 
ensure acceptable outcomes.  
 
 Second, transparency and effective participati on in the negotiations are issues on which I have 
received countless petitions from our smaller Member s.  I share the collective importance that 
Members attach to this issue, and I believe that  the Organization’s commitment to transparency and 
effective representation will be met in several ways.  For instance, the Bureau  for the 6th Ministerial 
Conference, that we have just established, is repr esentative.  But the Members of the Bureau owe their 
constituencies regular briefings.  Transparency an d effective participation will also be achieved 
through more frequent TNC meetings, informal meet ings of Heads of Delegation, and by effective 
integration and participation of Re gional Coordinators in formal and informal consultations.  Again, 
regional coordinators will then be  responsible for briefing their c onstituencies in an effective and 
timely manner.     As Chairman of the General Council, I stand r eady to brief individual delegations and groups 
on issues arising in the negotiations on which they ma y require clarification. I am certain that the 
Director-General and the Chairs of the Negotiati ons Groups would also be pleased to provide such 
assistance to any Member.   I also intend to consult with the Director-Gener al to ensure that we make the most effective 
possible use of the Second Geneva  Week for Non-Residents, so th at the Week is focussed on the 
issues Members will need to address prior to and at the Hong Kong Ministerial meeting. 
 
 Third, and most importantly, we will need real political will.  Not political speeches, but 
political action and political courage.  Not political constraints, but creative political solutions to 
problems.  Ultimately, it will be political will that  will determine whether we succeed in Hong Kong. 
 
 And our objectives for Hong Kong must not be lo wered.  They remain the same ones we set 
out at the beginning of the year: modalities for ag riculture, still the engine of the Round; modalities 
for non-agricultural market access;  a critical mass of high quality offers in services;  an agreed 
negotiating agenda in the area of rules, including tr ade facilitation; and a meaningful contribution to 
development in all aspects of the negotiations.   
 
 I would also like to remind Members, as I did in  February when I took up this position, of the 
importance attached by African Members, the Le ast-Developed Countries and the ACP, to progress 
on the issue of cotton, in accordance with the ne gotiating mandate in agriculture for substantial 
reductions in trade distorting internal support and s ubstantial improvements in market access.  This  WT/GC/95 
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 mandate, too, cannot be lowered.  This is one of the areas of urgency itself linked to broader global 
priorities that I addressed in February.   Our progress, thus far, has been disappointingly slow.  But I urge the General Council to keep 
the big picture in mind.  The Doha Development Ag enda can make a real contribution to the broader 
global priorities of poverty reduction and sustainabl e development.  The Hong Kong Ministerial could 
set the stage for the completion of the DDA.  It is a rare opportunity – one we cannot afford to miss. 
  I said at the beginning of the year "This year  the organization will be challenged.  Difficult 
decisions will have to be made. And we know it."  I al so said that in several ar eas we have to bite the 
bullet.  Well nothing has changed.  As I said then the challenge for this organization is that it is a 
result oriented organization with outcomes directly affecting various spheres of economic life.  The 
organization will continue to be judged by real  outcomes on a success and failure yardstick. We 
cannot escape that challenge. We must face it. We n eed to change gears and to improve our play in 
several areas as we prepare for Hong Kong. Progr ess and success can only be achieved collectively. 
 
 In closing, I would like to inform the Council that I will be in Geneva during the month of 
August.  My door will be open and I would welcom e any guidance on the ideas I have presented, or 
any other suggestions that Members would like to offer to ensure ou r collective success at 
Hong Kong.  
 
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