. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(09)/ST/71 
2 December 2009 
 (09-6144) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Seventh Session Geneva, 30 November - 2 December 2009 Original:   French 
 
  
GABON 
 
Statement by HE Mr Paul Bunduku Latha
 
Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy,  
Trade, Industry and Tourism  
   First I have a pleasant duty to perform and that is to congratulate you, Mr Chair, and to 
commend you for the valuable guidance you have  consistently provided in conducting our 
proceedings.   The Gabonese delegation joins me in expressing its  appreciation, which we also extend to the 
Swiss authorities.  
 On behalf of Gabon, I wish to emphasize th at my country unreservedly supports the initiatives 
taken by the WTO Director-General, Mr Pascal Lamy , which will lead us, as rapidly as possible, to a 
dynamic compromise concerning the modalities on ag riculture, non-agricultural products, services 
and rules under the Doha Round.  
 My country's highest authorities have alwa ys attached particular importance to the 
multilateral trading system, which is proof of th e convergence of our ambitions and objectives. 
  As regards the theme of our Conference, wh ich is the multilateral trading system and the 
current economic environment, I can assure you th at Gabon adheres to the Decision of the Heads of 
State and Government of the African Union ta ken in Addis Ababa on 3 February 2009 on the 
international financial crisis a nd its far-reaching economic and social impact on African countries.  
The Decision recalled the need to conclude the Doha  Round in 2010, in order to ensure that markets 
remained open for African products.   In this connection, Gabon, which fully e ndorses the above, would like to emphasize its 
interest in the negotiations on market access for non-agricultural products (NAMA), in view of the 
conformity problems facing the country.   In this connection, I welcome the fact that at  the current stage in the Doha Round negotiating 
process these concerns are understood and taken into account. 
 
 The world climate, marked by the surge in food prices and its adverse impact on populations 
that have already severely suffered, shows how ve ry vulnerable is the position of net food-importing 
developing countries such as Gabon.   In order to remedy the situation, in 2 010 Gabon will start implementing a five-year food 
security programme for an estimat ed cost of 93 million euros. 
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   Moreover, in 2008 the Government of the Gabonese Republic provided the legal framework 
needed for this endeavour, by enacting a law estab lishing an Agricultural Code, under which it is now 
possible to set up public and privat e partnerships conducive to greater  investment in this key sector. 
  In order to speed up the diversification of the Gabonese economy and combat poverty more 
effectively, the Government has also defined a ne w development strategy centred on the concept of a 
"Gabon émergent" (Emerging Gabon) and aimed at  promoting the following hubs for growth: 
  - The industrial hub, geared towards domestic processing of basic products; 
 
 - the hub known as "Gabon vert" (Green Gabon), which should focus on forest 
conservation and the development of  environmental services;  and 
  - the services hub, which has the stated objec tive of pursuing liberalization with a view 
to promoting business tourism, eco-tourism, the digital economy, training, and health.  
In other words, we want to stand as the pioneers of high value-added services in 
Sub-Saharan Africa. 
  We recognize that these hubs are a perfect exam ple of the major role that technical assistance 
and especially Aid for Trade need to play in strengthening Gabon's supply capacity.  
 To conclude, I would like to mention a fe w points which may help improve our trading 
system, namely the principles of multilatera lism based on transparency, predictability, 
non-discrimination and special and differential treatment.   This is the constructive spirit in which Gabon intends to contribute to the dynamics whereby 
the developing countries will be able to address th e challenges of the economic  and financial crisis 
and promote sustainable growth.  
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