. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(05)/ST/87 
16 December 2005 
 (05-6071) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Sixth Session 
Hong Kong, 13 - 18 December 2005 Original:   English 
 
  
SOUTH AFRICA 
 
Statement by HE Mr Mandisi Mpahlwa
 
Minister of Trade and Industry  
  
 I would like to thank the Hong Kong SAR Government and the WTO Secretariat for the good 
organization and preparations for this event.   As we grapple with advancing the Doha  Development Round to conclusion we must 
challenge ourselves with reflecting on the bigger pu rpose of our business in this Conference, and 
more generally on the business of the WTO as an or gan of global economic governance.  It is easy to 
lose a sense of the enormity of our task, the weight  of our responsibility in the multiplicity of the 
issues before us and the diversity of our positions .  In a sense, amidst the cacophony of voices both 
inside and outside this Conference, our task is singular  and historic, and in short it is to take bold and 
decisive collective action for development. 
 
 As an emerging economy, we are in the WTO becau se of the expectation and hope that it can 
deliver opportunities for us to grow our economy th rough trade, through building mutually beneficial 
trade and investment links with the rest of the world, but especially w ith the advanced rich countries.  
This hope and expectation is informed by the value system and philosophy on which the WTO ostensibly bases its very purpose, namely "to contri bute to raising incomes, economic growth and the 
standards of living of the Member States". 
  For developing countries, and especially the poorest of them on the African continent of which my country, South Africa, is an integral part  of, the intractable challe nge of widespread poverty 
and underdevelopment, which is a defining feature of our continent, is the imperative that attracts us 
to the promise of the WTO.  Ind eed it is the reason why we are he re in our large numbers.  Our hopes 
and expectations from the promise of the WTO are necessarily much stronger and much more 
immediate and much more urgent.   If indeed the WTO system must be a system of global governance which must contribute to raising incomes, economic growth and the standards of living of the Member States, as the WTO 
preamble professes then we insist that it must addr ess our profound economic challenges.  The fact is 
that Africa's share of global trade barely constitut es 1 per cent.  The fact is that the continent is 
plagued with diseases long purged in rich countries.  The fact is that Africans are getting poorer by the day and only know a life of abject poverty.  What is  even more poignant is that these challenges are 
now part of another global compact – the Mille nnium Development Goals (MDGs) – which Africa 
will miss.  The fact that Africa is going to miss the MDGs should instil a sense of seriousness, 
commitment, purpose and urgency to our business at this Conference.   As trade ministers, we are the main leadersh ip force in the world, immediately confronted 
with the common global responsibility to rever se poverty, advance economic development, and 
indeed implement the MDGs as expected of us by our Heads of State.  This is the challenge that must WT/MIN(05)/ST/87 
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weigh upon us in the course of our business this  week.  Therefore no amount of discourse on 
coefficients and statistical sophistry that is doing the rounds at this Conference, can absolve us from 
our collective responsibility as trade ministers an d leaders to secure re al advance of economic 
development.  
 We will fail if we are entirely obsessed with i ssues driven by mandates dictated by powerful 
special interests at the expense of poor, less adva ntaged constituencies who represent the majority in 
the political systems of the majority of the WTO' s membership.  In launching the Doha Round as a 
development round in 2001, we acted with ostensible  conviction, but since then we have displayed a 
weakness of courage which is why it looks like we are failing to act here. 
 
 In South Africa, there is urgency in accelerati ng economic growth in order that we realize the 
MDGs.  This informs our interests and position in this negotiation and we are clear on the various 
issues.  On the key issue of Agri culture we want bold outcomes on the three pillars and we believe we 
must achieve this by the end of this meeting.  On NAMA we must have a reasonable and balanced 
agreement that allows all Members to make commitmen ts that reflect different levels of capability and 
possibility in our economies and political systems.   We acknowledge that we must make efforts in  a range of other areas on the agenda of this 
negotiation, such as Services, however, these commitm ents must reflect our different levels of 
economic evolution and policy preparedness to contr act on these issues.  In short, we must observe 
the principle of proportional commitments.  Within  the framework of this understanding, South Africa 
is prepared to make commitments in this sector.   Our approach to this negotiation has logically led us to seek to work in alliance with the 
collective of the developing countries bloc which co mprises a range of formations, such as the Africa 
Group, the ACP, the G20 and others.  We continue to maintain hope that the development objectives 
of this negotiation are achievable,  not least because there are many countries in the rich world that 
believe in and promote our interests.   As South Africa, our strategy is to promote the unity of the developing world as a collective despite our varying levels of deve lopment and varying group interests, which we must not allow to 
compete against each other for this can only render us divided and weak which would be fatal in any 
negotiation, but especially one w ith such high stakes as this one. 
  We want a successful and meaningful outcome to these talks, but we must guard against an "agreed" outcome that is not equal to the developm ent challenges of our common world.  This is a 
once in a lifetime opportunity.  Let us not squander it. 
 
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