WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/5 
18 November 2011 
 (11-6006) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011  
  
 
  
REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL 
 
 
  Dear Minister,  
 In less than a month we will be meeting in Geneva for the 8
th WTO Ministerial Conference. 
  This will be an occasion for you to review th e entire breadth of WTO work and to provide 
political guidance for our future work. The report attached, prepared under my own responsibility, 
provides you with an overview of work across th e WTO, focusing on those areas which I believe 
deserve your particular attention.  
 
 I look forward to welcoming you to Geneva next month. 
   
 
 
 
_______________ 
  WT/MIN(11)/5 
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  Eighth WTO Ministerial Conference 
 
Report by the Director-General 
 
 
 In one month we will be meeting in Geneva  for the Eighth WTO Ministerial Conference 
(MC8). These are not ordinary times and the conference will not be "business as usual." The world is experiencing the worst economic crisis since WWI I. Developed economies have been buffeted by 
strong headwinds. Disappointing output, employment data and turmoil in financial markets have 
damaged business and consumer confidence.  Wh ile the outlook is more positive for developing 
countries, even those economies with strong fundam entals are finding themselves under strain as the 
global economy continues to show signs of w eakness. Economies are not de-coupled. As long as 
growth remains sluggish and unemployment at unaccep tably high levels, the risks of turning inward 
will be on the rise.   
 In times of global economic uncertainty, the WTO' s role is ever more important: not only as 
an insurance policy against protectionism, but also  as an active instrument of international co-
operation to create confidence by promoting growth  and development. Ministers gathered for MC8 
can contribute to the improvement of the global econom ic outlook to the benefit of all, provided you 
are ready to invest in the strengthening of th e multilateral trading system, and provided you are 
prepared to see this as an opportunity. As the Dir ector-General of the WTO, I am proposing to you 
that we work to ensure the WTO is seen as an organization which moves forward.  
  At MC8 we will need to review how the WTO has performed across the entire breadth of its 
work since we last met two years ago. Inputs for this will come from the regular reporting of WTO bodies, and from the preparatory consultations. Mo st importantly, MC8 will be the opportunity to 
chart a pathway for our work over the next two year s. This report, under my own responsibility, is 
intended to provide you with an overview of the WTO in all of its functions, and to help you provide 
political guidance for the future work of this Organisation.   In writing this report, I am conscious that the WTO is often seen in a segmented way, focussing on one or other aspect of its mandate, to th e detriment of others.  My aim is to restore a 
holistic view of the WTO as an integrated system  where negotiations, implementation of agreements, 
dispute settlement, monitoring and surveillance, cap acity building, accessions and other activities all 
have their mutually supportive place.  The WTO h as a significant role in contributing to greater 
coherence in a world where economic integration is not matched by the same level of policy 
cooperation.  To live up to this role, it must itself function in a co-ordinated way, bearing in mind that 
coherence begins at home. 
  Ministers are uniquely placed to contribute to this integrated perspective, which is all too 
easily lost in the more narrowly-focused concerns of  the day-to-day in Geneva.  The issues I cover in 
this report are not the only ones on the WTO's plat e, but also those which I believe deserve your 
attention and guidance as part of our shared e fforts to advance WTO's work on all fronts.  
 
 WT/MIN(11)/5 
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  A. MULTILATERAL TRADE OPENING AND RULE BUILDING  
 
I. The Doha Development Agenda (DDA) Negotiations 
 
 There is no beating around the bush: the D oha negotiations are at an impasse. Despite 
numerous pronouncements and commitments, Members have  not been able to finalise the negotiations 
as originally envisaged.    On 21 April 2011, the Chairs of Negotiating Groups and I unveiled the "Easter Package" to Members.  This document is the product of work si nce the launch of the negotiations in 2001.  For the 
first time in 10 years, Members have had the opport unity to consider the en tire Doha package in all 
market access and regulatory areas.  The package includes texts in areas where these had not been 
possible before. It reflects extensive work in vita l technical issues and presents options which show 
the commitment and creativity of negotiators.  In sum, the documents leave no-one in doubt about the 
value of what is on the table, but also rev eals the issues that still divide Members.   
 
 The area where this divide is most evident is  market access for industrial products. There are 
fundamentally different views on the ambition provided by the cuts to these tariffs under the agreed formula, on whether the contributions amongst di fferent Members are proportionate and balanced. 
Although there are other issues than industrial tari ffs which are outstanding, and the Round cannot be 
completed without these being resolved, the key differences which have blocked progress in the 
Round are at present in the industrial area. 
  Following the realization that the full DDA woul d not be possible by the end of the year, we 
embarked on a process aimed at delivering a smaller package by the Eighth Ministerial Conference. It 
was understood that this was not going to be the final package, but rather a step forward to 
demonstrate with facts that we could deliver on the entire DDA at a later stage.  From the start, it was 
clear that Least-developed Countries (LDCs) issues we re a priority.  But some Members felt that this 
component alone would not address their constituenci es' requirements and that there had to be a 
"plus" element.  We therefore explored the possi bility of building an "LDC Plus" package  which 
could include trade facilitation, a special and di fferential treatment monitoring mechanism, export 
competition in agriculture, a step forward on envi ronmental goods and services, and a step forward on 
fisheries subsidies. 
  In July, it became clear that the "LDC Plus" package as Members had framed it was not 
taking shape. Therefore, since September I have b een consulting with Members on "what next" for the 
DDA during and after MC8.   
 
 So far my consultations have shown that wh ile no Member is ready to give up on the 
objectives in the Doha mandate, there is a collec tive sense that we need to explore different 
approaches from the ones already used. In partic ular, Members wish to advance negotiations 
pragmatically in areas where progress can be achieved whether on a provisional or definitive basis, as 
a step towards delivering the entire Doha agenda. This  possibility is already provided in paragraph 47 
of the Doha Declaration. In addition, Members belie ve efforts need to be intensified to address areas 
where substantial differences remain.    What is needed now is to operationalise these  principles. Ministerial guidance is therefore 
essential to ensure that real progress can be achieved in 2012. 
 
 In doing so, Ministers need to address the essential question behind the current impasse: 
different views as to what constitutes a fair distribution of rights and obligations within the trading system, among Members with different levels of development.  For some, emerging economies have 
attained a level of competitiveness and efficiency in key sectors that warrants treating reciprocity as  WT/MIN(11)/5 
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  parity in obligations. Others emphasize that emerging economies still face formidable development 
challenges in many areas of their economies and are still far from enjoying the per capita income 
levels and standard of living of those in industriali zed economies.  In this world, it is argued, treating 
reciprocity as equality of obliga tions is not appropriate.    
It is clear that progress in multilateral trade negotia tions, as is the case in climate change negotiations, 
will require a political response to this political question.  
  In addressing this question it would be important to verify that all Members remain committed to the objectives enshrined in the Doha Development Agenda and more broadly in the 
World Trade Organization.  Let me summarise the se objectives as I see them: keep opening trade; 
keep trade open; keep updating the rules that govern global trade to ensure these remain relevant to 
evolving trading patterns; and take measures to facilitate the integration of the world’s poorest 
countries into the world economy. These global objectives stem from one belief that binds all WTO Members, namely that a more open and rules-based mu ltilateral trading system is a useful tool in the 
hands of countries to generate growth, to help maintain and create jobs, reduce poverty and ultimately 
to help countries develop sustainably. 
  
II. Other Areas of Rule-Building 
 
 Let me mention four other nego tiating areas which are not part of the DDA and which, in my 
view, deserve Ministerial attention: the Disput e Settlement Understanding negotiations, Rules of 
Origin, the Information Technology Agreement a nd the Plurilateral Agreement on Government 
Procurement.  
 a. The Dispute Settlement Understanding Negotiations 
  Since the Seventh Ministerial Conference in 2009, Members have con tinued negotiations to 
improve and clarify the Dispute Se ttlement Understanding (DSU).   
  My sense is that Members are satisfied with the overall functioning of the dispute settlement 
system and recognise that the system is widely rega rded as an example to fo llow elsewhere.  Members 
are not looking to make fundamental changes to th e DSU; rather, they are seeking to make discrete 
improvements to the existing system. My sense is also  that the experts have worked long and hard to 
identify possible landing zones to the questions that remain open. The question in front of Ministers 
today is whether you believe the time has come for ringing the bell signalling the final lap in these 
negotiations, i.e. if Ministers wish to call now  for a prompt conclusion of these negotiations. 
  
 b. Rules of Origin 
 
 Negotiations to harmonize non-preferential Ru les of Origin for around 2700 products in our 
nomenclature were launched 16 years ago, based on the belief that simple and clear rules of origin can 
help to improve the international trade envi ronment and reduce costs for trade and economic 
operators.   
  So far, Members have reached an understa nding on rules for some 1500 products. Completion 
of the remaining ones is closely linked to the issue of whether these rules apply to trade remedies or 
whether trade remedies will follow a different set of  rules. The question in front of Ministers is 
whether they believe that, after 16 years of negotia tions, the time has come to reach agreement on the 
non-preferential rules of origin for the remaining products.    Beyond the non-preferential rules of origin also  lie those applied to preferential trade. We 
have seen some progress in the simplification of rules relating to preferential schemes for LDCs. But WT/MIN(11)/5 
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  despite this positive sign, the proliferation and comp lication of different regimes - national, bilateral, 
regional or unilateral - need, in my view, to be seriously examined.     
 c. The Information Technology Agreement 
  The ITA is an "open plurilateral agreement" , under which 73 participan ts representing 97% of 
trade in ITA products, are committed to provide duty-free treatment to th ese products on a Most-
Favoured Nations basis, benefiting all WTO Members. 
 
 In recent months, some ITA participants have begun reflecting on a possible new ITA 
negotiation to inter-alia  expand the current product coverage and membership and to address non-
tariff barriers.  In parallel, there has been sugges tion  to transform the ITA into an International 
Digital Economy Agreement  These are interesting de velopments aimed at keeping the ITA rule book 
up to date with rapidly developing technological devel opments.  This is in my view a promising area 
for future work. The question ahead of Ministers is  whether the ITA can serve as an example to be 
emulated in other sectors.  
 
 d. Government Procurement Agreement renegotiations  
 
 The Government Procurement Agreement (G PA) is another exampl e of a plurilateral 
agreement, although its benefits only extend to its  members and are not applied on a Most Favoured 
Nation basis. For over 10 years the Members of the GPA have been negotiating an improvement in its 
rules, as well as an expansion in the market acce ss it provides. A "GPA Package" is now within 
reach.  The package currently on the table is substantial and would result in gains in market access 
opportunities for Parties' companies estimated at between 80 to 100 bio annually.  It would ensure 
good governance and sound management of public r esources.   A conclusion to the on-going 
negotiations would also facilitate a further round  of accessions to the Agreement, including by 
Members currently negotiating join ing the GPA such as China.  
  In my view, the question ahead is whether you be lieve this is the time to step up efforts to 
conclude all aspects of the on-going negotiations  and to turn the focus to the pending accession 
negotiations.  
 
 
B. ADMINISTERING THE RULE BOOK 
 
 The WTO is required to facilitate the implem entation, administration and operation of the 
multilateral trade agreements. This is the "bread a nd butter" of our activities, even if, unfortunately, 
the importance of this function does not always recei ve the attention it deserves. The work in regular 
committees is in fact a "safety valv e" that Members have at their disposal to address specific trade 
concerns and prevent them from escalating into dis putes.  I therefore encourage Members to further 
utilize these mechanisms. I would like to take this oppor tunity to shine a light on some of the regular 
work of the WTO, as a reminder for all of us of its importance.  
 
 Since the outbreak of the financial crisis, I have regularly reported on the latest trade 
developments to the Trade Policy Review Body. Also, following a request by G-20 Leaders, the WTO Secretariat, together with the secretariats of the OECD and UNCTAD, have prepared regular reports on G-20 trade and investment measures adopted during the crisis. We have also done this for APEC.  
The additional transparency provided by these reports  has helped to raise awareness of both Members 
and non-Members to trade restricting measures. Th e various monitoring and surveillance reports the 
WTO has produced have been debated by Members, a nd in so doing they have helped to reinforce 
multilateral trust. A specific Decision for Mini sters to agree at MC8 has been prepared. 
  WT/MIN(11)/5 
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   The WTO's mandate to review Members' tr ade policies and practices has been rigorously 
conducted under the Trade Policies Review Mechanis m. Since the establishment of this mechanism, 
141 Members have been reviewed, 30 of which since the last Ministerial Conference. We have also 
worked to encourage more interactiv e discussions in this exercise. The 4th Appraisal of the mechanism 
gave Members an opportunity to discuss improvement s to Trade Policy Reviews to streamline them, 
improve the dialogue and improve follow-ups. A good package of improvements has been agreed and 
is now ready for Ministerial endorsement at MC8.    Regional Trade Agreements are an increasing feature of Members' trade policies and it is therefore important that the multilateral tradi ng system improves its understanding of these 
agreements. For the moment, Members have prag matically put aside the question of the legal 
relationship between multilateral and preferential tr ading systems and instead have focused on using 
the WTO Transparency Mechanism to seek to better understand the f eatures of RTAs notified to the 
WTO. The 2011 World Trade Report published last July was devoted to this issue. Overall I believe 
that the transparency mechanism has allowed us to  gain useful insights into each agreement. I 
nevertheless believe that there is much scope for a more in-depth look in to issues across Regional 
Trade Agreements. This would help us further u nderstand the extent of regulatory convergence and 
divergence in these agreements, as well as the scope  for market segmentation.  The question for 
Ministers is whether MC8 could be a good occasion to launch an enhanced dialogue about Regional 
Trade Agreements.  
 
 Finally, the quality of the monitoring and peer  review in the WTO is highly dependent on the 
quality of information provided by Members.  Hence the importance of respecting notification 
obligations Members have subscribed to.  At the e nd of the day, transparency is in the hands of 
Members, and this is why I believe it is essential that compliance with notification requirements be 
improved. To help developing Members in this resp ect the Secretariat has been providing targeted 
technical assistance. Finally, since the last Minist erial Conference we have revamped the databases 
where these notifications are hosted. We have also st arted a process of integrating the trade, tariff and 
non-tariff barriers databases and of  constructing a services' policies database to provide Members with 
a true resource for trade intelligence information. Th is is an area where I believe the WTO should be 
collectively investing in the years to come. The WTO must indeed be "the" depository of trade 
intelligence. 
 
 
C. SETTLING DISPUTES 
 
 One of the main pillars and strength of the WTO since its inception h as been the successful 
performance of its dispute settlement system.  All ag ree that the establishment of this highly respected 
system enables all Members to resolve trade dis putes in a fair, predictable, and relatively rapid 
manner. Its unique success in fostering the resolution of international disputes, together with its 
automaticity enhances the stability, security and predic tability of the rules of international trade.  
While some challenges remain, my sense is that, ove rall, the system is highly successful in fulfilling 
its main function of fostering the resolution of trade disputes and that panel and Appellate Body 
reports have contributed significantly to the clarifi cation of Members' rights and obligations contained 
in the covered agreements. The regular use of the system by Members indicates their confidence in a 
dispute settlement mechanism that many consider to  be a role model for the peaceful resolution of 
disputes in other areas of international political or economic relations.  
 Although the most active participants in the system continue to be developed Members, 
notably the United States and the European Union, it is worth noting that in the last several years, 
overall participation by developing countries has b een equal to or in excess of that by developed 
countries, including some first time users. Equally worth noting is that the dispute settlement system WT/MIN(11)/5 
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  has witnessed not only developed country Member s prevailing in disputes over other developed 
country Members, but also developing country Members prevailing over larger trading nations. 
  Despite its success, I am aware that there is  room for improving the dispute settlement 
system.  Many of the changes that could usefully be made are being addressed by Members in the on-
going DSU negotiations, mentioned ear lier. In addition to these there ar e, in my view, some additional 
areas requiring attention, such as helping LDCs par ticipate more actively in the dispute settlement, 
technical assistance with disputes and making better use of existing alternative dispute settlement 
procedures of good offices, mediation and arbitra tion, which are provided for under our rules. 
 
 Improving Members' understanding of the di spute settlement process contributes to the 
efficient functioning of the system and the Secret ariat will continue to provide technical assistance 
and capacity building in this area. With regard to  developing-country Members, the Secretariat is 
required to make available a qua lified legal expert to any developing-country Member which so 
requests. Thus, I believe it is worth reminding Me mbers, particularly those using the dispute 
settlement system for the first time, of the exis tence of this assistance.  I also believe that 
strengthening the Advisory Centre on WTO Law, an  independent organizati on providing legal advice 
to developing countries, woul d be a welcome development.  
  In 2010, we have initiated a process of inform al consultations with WTO Members, panelists, 
trade law practitioners and Secretariat experts invol ved in the WTO dispute settlement system with a 
view to exploring whether it is possible to find effi ciency gains in dispute settlement so as to reduce 
the burden on Members and the Secretariat.  His overriding approach was that any improvements would have to be consistent with existing rules an d that changes could be contemplated only if they 
did not involve amending the DSU.  Any adjustme nts would also have to be effected without 
undermining the excellent reputation and high quality output of the system.  These consultations are 
continuing and are open to anyone who is interest ed in contributing to this important process. 
  Finally, we are developing, in consultation with  Members, an e-filing system that will lead to 
time and financial efficiencies, contribute to enha nced security of dispute settlement documents, 
provide a searchable database of data on disputes for Members and the public, and support the move 
to a paperless Secretariat.  
 
 
D. BUILDING TRADE CAPACITY 
 
 Helping developing and least-developed countri es to integrate in the multilateral trading 
system is one of the WTO's core functions, and one to which I personally am deeply committed.  The 
WTO plays two main roles in trade capac ity building.  One role is that of advocacy , analysis and 
debate, using the WTO's convening power and monitoring function to support the Aid-for-Trade 
Initiative including through periodic reviews.  A second important role which WTO plays is the 
delivery  of activities to build trade capacity, both as a partner in multi-agency initiatives, notably the 
Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) for LDCs and the Standards and Trade Development Facility 
(STDF) which it houses, and as the implementing agency of its own Technical Assistance and 
Training Plan.  
 
 At advocacy level, the Third Global Review of Aid for Trade, held on 18 and 19 July 2011, 
moved from discussing priorities and resource mobilization to examining the effectiveness of Aid for 
Trade on the ground. Results were shown in term s of increased export volumes, more employment, 
faster customs clearance and border transit time s and impacts on poverty.  But there was also 
recognition that further attention needs to be given by all stakeholders to areas such as improving the 
effectiveness of aid, strengthening reporting syst ems and continued efforts to engage the private 
sector in the initiative.    WT/MIN(11)/5 
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   Resource mobilization efforts have been successful with Aid-for-Trade reaching 
approximately USD 40 billion in 2009, a 60 per cent increase from the 2002-2005 baseline.  The share of LDCs in total Aid for Trade has also increased  from 26.5 per cent to 30.4 per cent in the same 
period. Significant progress is also being made by developing countries in mainstreaming trade 
considerations into their development strategies.  A further theme identified during the Third Global 
Review was the "intersection" of trade with the broader sustainable development agenda, including 
issues such as food security, gender empowe rment, green growth and energy.   
  The 2012-2013 Aid-for-Trade work programme under the theme "Deepening Coherence", has 
just been approved. We have come a long way since we launched this initiative in 2005. In my view it 
would be helpful that at MC8 you recommit to the Aid for Trade agenda, as an indispensable support 
to a robust trade opening and rules-making agenda.   The WTO also uses its convening power to shine a spotlight over assistance provided by 
donors to support cotton producing developing countries under the "Consultative Framework 
Mechanism on Cotton". The 16
th Round of my Consultative Framework Mechanism was held on 3 
November 2011 on the basis of a table incl uding support programmes in this sector by WTO 
Members as well as by multilateral institutions.    In terms of delivery, in 2010/11 the WTO provided more than 700 technical assistance 
activities, including field-based events in WTO Me mber countries and region, as well as activities in 
Geneva.  This biennium also saw a strengthened coop eration with regional partner agencies, as well as 
a considerable enlargement of the target audience, with outreach to parliamentarians, universities, and 
the private sector. We placed particular emphasis on providing assistance to LD Cs who in 2010-2011 
benefited from over 40 per cent of all technical assistance activities.  One major achievement in 
the last two years is the successful implementation of a Progressive Learning Strategy with its key 
element being E-Learning. In the biennium 2010- 2011, over 4000 government officials completed 
online training courses.  Of these, 23% came from LDCs.   I also wish to highlight here the WTO Chairs Programme, which was launched in 2009 and started operating in 2010.  Fifteen academic institu tions in developing countries, selected through a 
competitive process, have been awarded Chairs and receive support in course preparation, teaching, 
research and outreach activities with the aim of  forging deeper links with scholars.  
  The WTO partners with other international orga nisations to deliver trade capacity building to 
LDCs under the Enhanced Integrated Framework. The EIF is currently supporting 20 projects in 
LDCs tackling supply-side constraints to trade on sectors targeting export growth and income 
generation in support of pro-poor livelihoods, complia nce with standards and value addition, and in 
services including in tourism.    The WTO also partners with other organizati on to deliver technical co-operation related to 
Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures through the St andards and Trade Development Facility (STDF). 
In the last two years the STDF has continued to assist  beneficiaries in the area of project development 
and implementation on the ground to improve th e capacity in developing countries to meet 
international SPS requirements, and hence their ability to trade in food and agricultural products.  In 
2010 and 2011, 12 projects development applications and 15 projects were approved for funding. The 
STDF currently dedicates some 50 per cent of ST DF projects to LDCs and other Low Income 
Countries.  
 
 Looking ahead, I see two interlinked challenges in the area of trade capacity building where 
guidance of Members would be important: securing continued funding and showing results of our 
activities.  Against the backdrop of uncertain globa l economic conditions and fiscal pressures in key 
donor countries, a challenge for WTO's activities on Aid for Trade is to sustain financing and WT/MIN(11)/5 
Page 10  
 
  ensuring that WTO trade capacity building programm es are adequately resourced. We have already 
seen a decrease in the funding for the WTO Global Trust Fund from 19.6 mio in 2009 to 16.1 mio in 2010, which will oblige us to rationalise technical assis tance. The second challenge is the necessity of 
showing results: demonstrating that trade capaci ty building positively in fluences the ability of 
developing countries to trade.  The Third Global Re view made significant progress in this respect but 
also highlighted the remaining challenge in carryi ng forward the work on effectiveness. The recently 
approved WTO 2012-2013 Technical Assistance and Tr aining Plan introduces the concept of "Results 
Based Management" into the design, management and delivery of WTO trade capacity building programmes and provides the basis for structural mo nitoring and evaluation of these activities.  The 
EIF and the STDF are also moving in this direction.   
 
 
E. ACCESSIONS  
 
 By the 8th Ministerial Conference we will have sealed four new accessions; Russia, 
Montenegro as well as two LDCs Vanuatu and Samoa.  After the Ministerial Conference there will 
remain 27 accession processes under way, out of which more than a third are LDCs.   The Secretariat has intensified its effort s in support of accession processes across a wide 
range of activities. In 2011, acceding governments benefitted from more than 100 technical assistance 
activities, of which no less than half were accession-re lated activities.  We also saw the setting up of a 
fund, the "China LDCs' and Accessions Programme",  to provide technical assistance to acceding 
LDCs. The WTO also teamed up with the Interna tional Trade Centre (ITC) to provide technical 
assistance to the private sector in acceding countries. This work has proved to be very effective in 
assisting candidates in accession, as well as with  raising awareness and understanding of what it 
entails. I see it as essential that it be sustained and enhanced. 
 
 Increasing the transparency of the accession process has been another priority.  Since December 2009, I have taken the initiative to re port to the General Council on accessions. We have 
introduced a newsletter service for acceding govern ments to produce information, request feedback 
and assist in the planning and preparation fo r accession meeting and negotiations. We have also 
completed work on an Accessions Commitments Database. The dialogue between Acceding LDCs 
and WTO Members, initiated in 2009, has conti nued under the auspices of the Sub-Committee on 
LDCs.  Despite these improvements, there remains a sentiment that accession processes, particularly 
for LDCs, are unduly complex and le ngthy.  While the Secretariat will continue to improve its support 
to the processes and the candidates, the more substa ntive issues involved are for the Membership to 
consider.  MC8 will provide a good opportunity for a discussion of accession-related matters with a 
view to streamlining accession processes. 
 
 F. OUTREACH 
  When I was re-appointed in 2009, I iden tified enhancing outreach towards external 
stakeholders - NGOs, parliaments, academics, and business - was an important priority. I believe 
substantial progress has been made, but more remains to be done.   The annual WTO Public Forum has now become "t he event" for civil society to express their 
views and voice their concerns on all aspects of th e multilateral trading system. In 2010 and 2011, the 
Public Forums drew more than  1,500 participants comprising academics, business representatives, 
government officials, representatives from internat ional organizations, journalists, lawyers, NGO 
representatives, parliamentarians a nd others from all over the world. 
  WT/MIN(11)/5 
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   We have also stepped up our engagement with parliamentaria ns and their staffs. National 
Parliaments play a key role in that they appr ove agreements negotiated by their governments and 
inscribe them into national law.  Another group of  stakeholders with whom the WTO continues to 
have regular dialogue is the news media.  In 2010 and 2011 the WTO hosted information briefings, 
training seminars and regional workshops for journa lists in Geneva covering various aspects of the 
WTO's work. I believe such activities for journalists have an effect in helping inform the public at 
large about the trading system. In 2011 we revamp ed our website which receives more than 35 000 
visits a day.   We have also kept NGO abreast of developm ents in the WTO.  21 NGO briefings in 2010 and 
15 briefings in 2011 have been conducted. The WTO also received about 350 visiting groups of 
students in 2010 and 2011. Outreach efforts to th e business community were enhanced in 2011 and 
greater efforts are planned in the coming year.   Despite these achievements, I believe we s till face the challenge of making the complex 
dynamics of the WTO understood by the general pub lic.  This is also an important area for the 
Members, and not only for the Organization itself, as trade policies need to earn support from domestic constituencies. Enhanced collaboration in  this area between the WTO Secretariat and 
Members is an area deserving enhanced attention.     G.  COHERENCE IN GLOBAL ECONOMIC POLICY-MAKING 
 
 The WTO has an extensive network of work and contacts with over 70 organisations. 
Although coherence lies essentially with Members of  these organisations, closer interaction and co-
operation among International Organisations can c ontribute to the goal of coherence in global 
economic policy-making.  
 
I would like to focus on three elements of our work  in the last two years. First, co-operation to 
measure trade in value added under the "Made in the World Initiative", which involves cooperation 
with several international agencies, including OE CD, the World Bank, ILO, UNCTAD and the UN, as 
well as a number of national statistical offices. International trade today is inseparable from global 
production networks and in this new context of trade in tasks, the WTO is spearheading the 
development of a new measurement of trade flow s based on value added. For that we need to 
cooperate with other partners to build the re quired data sets and define common methodologies. 
Having a more accurate measurement of the value of  trade transactions and trade flows will be an 
important element of a more evidence-based national and international dialogue on the role of trade in 
growth, in global imbalances, in job creation and in development. 
 Second, on trade finance, where the WTO h as worked with the World Bank Group to help 
low-income countries' access to trade finance,  by supporting the strengthe ning of trade finance 
facilities in regional development ba nks, and in particular in the A frican Development Bank. We have 
also worked with the World Bank Group, the In ternational Chamber of Commerce and the Basel 
Committee on Banking Supervision to address the " unintended consequences" on the availability of 
trade finance in poor countries of the Basel III package of financial re-regulation.  
 Third, on agriculture, where we have worked w ith eight other agencies to develop options to 
better mitigate and manage the risk s associated with price volatility of food and agriculture products 
at the request of the G20.  
 WT/MIN(11)/5 
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  H. THE SECRETARIAT  
 
 I wish to put on the record my appreciation fo r the hard and serious work carried out by the 
800 staff in the Secretariat in providing cutting-edge e xpertise to our Members. In the last two years, I 
have made it a priority to ensure that the Secretaria t is better placed to adapt rapidly to the changing 
needs of Members and the outside environment in  which it operates. By improving internal 
governance and streamlining efficiency, gains have been made throughout the Secretariat.  Both 
public and private sector practices have also been implemented, ranging from internal auditing, to 
rigorous procurement procedures, to implementa tion of up-to-date human resource management.  
Efforts have also been made to foster diversity in the Secretariat which today comprises staff of 86 
nationalities, and to enhance possibilities for internship s.  The aim of achieving a paperless Secretariat 
is also coming to fruition.   One specific area in which the S ecretariat's capacity has been rein forced is its analysis arm.  
By upgrading analytical capacity, both on economic and trade policies and their effects on trade, 
WTO's experts are better placed to serve Members.  Examples of this are the monitoring of the 
financial and economic crisis, the World Trade Re ports and numerous joint publications we have 
produced in collaboration with other internationa l organisations such as the ILO, UNCTAD, WIPO, 
WHO, UNEP, UNIDO, OECD, WB or IMF to name a few.    The WTO's budget is affected by the same cond itions experienced by public entities all over 
the world: austerity and value for money. I have  recently tabled a proposal for the 2012-2013 budget, 
guided by the principles of higher efficiency, value-added and productivity. The Secretariat will do its part. It is important that Members also  contribute in helping reduce costs.  
  Also on the budget front, our recent efforts to address the question of Members in arrears 
have borne fruit. We only have 5 members in arrears compared to 17 Members just two years ago.  It 
is important to ensure that all those who belong to the WTO family are able to function as full 
Members of it.   Finally, work on the renovation and extension of the existing WTO building advances apace.  
The new facilities, which will be available from 2012, and the appropriate security enhancements 
which will accompany them, will provide both dele gations and the staff with an appropriate 
environment for their work across all the spheres of activity of the WTO.  The new building will 
embody what we all desire for the WTO – that it be modern, functional, transparent and at the service 
of its Members.  
 
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