. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/16 
15 December 2011 
 (11-6542) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011 Original:   English 
 
  
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR. YONOV FREDERICK AGAH 
CHAIRMAN OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL 
 
15 DECEMBER 2011 
 
  Thank you for the honour and op portunity to address you at this eighth session of the WTO 
Ministerial Conference. 
 
 I was given a mandate at the General Council in May to conduct the preparatory process for 
this Conference in consultation with Members and in cooperation with the Di rector-General and the 
Swiss authorities.  I carried out this mandate  following our established FIT principle – full 
participation, inclusiveness and transparency.  I am  sincerely grateful to all delegations for the 
constructive spirit and co-operation in  which this process was conducted.  My sincere hope is that this 
same spirit and principles will continue guiding our work over the next days. 
  In preparing this Ministerial Conference, Members defined its overall objective as being to 
produce a successful Conference.  Members said that  they were striving for a conference where 
despite the current challenges in the global econom y and in our negotiations, the value of the WTO 
system for all its Members would be reinforced in all pillars of the WTO's work.  Therefore, your 
active engagement and contributions in both the pl enary and working sessions to collectively send this 
signal about the Organization to the world at this time is vital.   I have the honour to report to you that delegati ons worked assiduously in the past 8 months 
and part of the results of these efforts is the el ements for political guidance which the General Council 
has forwarded to you in document WT/MIN(11)/W/2 .  These elements cover the three broad themes 
of Importance of the Multilateral Trading System and the WTO; Trade and Development; and, the 
Doha Negotiations.  Although some delegations would have wished fo r something more ambitious or 
specific, the reality was that the elements as presen ted were as far as Members could go at this point 
in time.  Let me emphasize however that the significance these elements represent in our present 
situation should not be underestimated.    
  The General Council has also forwarded six dr aft decisions for your adoption.  These are on 
TRIPS non-violation and situation complaints; E- Commerce; SVEs work programme; extension of 
transition period for LDCs under Article 66.1 of th e TRIPS Agreement, LDC accession, and the LDC 
services waiver.  The General Council also noted the results of the 4th Appraisal of the Trade Policy 
Review Mechanism which is equally before you fo r decision.  Annual reports of all WTO regular 
bodies are also before you for review.   Part of the challenge that our Organization faces is that our temporary set-backs are publicly magnified and our successes are unheralded.  Nevertheless,  what matters is that we continue to chalk 
up our gains and forge ahead collectively.  I am ther efore pleased to note that this year we will be 
welcoming four new Members – Vanuatu; Samoa; the Russian Federation; and, Montenegro.  This is WT/MIN(11)/16 
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  testimony to the continued belief and faith in the va lue of the multilateral trading system.  It is an 
important step in making the WTO a more gl obal organization and shows that the WTO and 
multilateralism remain a priority for trade policy even during these challenging economic times.   
  As we turn to our discussions and exchanges over the next days, I wish to urge all delegations 
and different groupings to be gin to explore the compromises that ca n be made in all areas of the WTO 
work, particularly in the DDA negotiations which remain an important part of our unfinished 
business.  We all know that there is no credible alternative to the rules- based multilateral trading 
system.  We therefore require leadership of Ministers to demonstrate that our Organization is credible, relevant and can act decisively to deliver for all its Members. 
 
 In closing, let me offer my best wishes to all Members for a successful Conference and on your behalf express gratitude to the Swiss authorities for once again organizing this conference.    
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