. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/ST/70 
17 December 2011  
 
(11-6652) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011 Original:   English 
 
  
CAMBODIA 
 
Statement by H.E. Mr Sorasak Pan 
Secretary of State, Ministry of Commerce 
 
 
The Doha Round launched in Qa tar in November 2001 set out an ambitious agenda with a 
strong focus on development.  The aim was to ensure that countries such as Cambodia could 
maximize the benefits of integr ation into the global economy, as a means for poverty reduction and 
sustainable development.  The present impasse in the negotiation of the Doha Development Agenda 
casts doubt on the ability of WTO Members to realize the objectives that they set for themselves some 
ten years ago.  This impasse puts the WTO system at risk in a number of ways - for example by fostering excessive recourse to bilateral and plurilateral agreements to manage trade. 
 
The impasse - and the possibility of failure that  it reflects - is of particular concern to 
Cambodia.  The WTO system is the framework with in which Cambodia seeks to harness international 
trade and investment to achieve its growth a nd poverty reduction objectives.  Cambodia attaches the 
highest importance to the preservation and enhancement of that system, and to making it more supportive of development.  For these reasons, Camb odia urges all Members to re-double their efforts 
to break the present impasse and move forward.  Cambodia understands that different negotiating 
approaches have a role to play in breaking the imp asse.  We support the idea that negotiations in areas 
where progress is possible should go forward and be  concluded and implemented in accordance with 
paragraph 47 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration.   Early implementation of measures in favour of 
least developed countries needs to be part of these efforts.  Decisions at this meeting on an LDC services waiver, an extension of LDC ob ligations under Article 66.1 of TRIPS and the 
streamlining of LDC accessions would be a good start. 
 
Given the difficult economic situation facing many  Members, it is also important that we all 
renew our determination to resist protectionist pressures of any sort.  Cambodia weathered the 
recession of 2009 without resorting to protectionist measures, and will continue to ensure that its 
markets remain fully open. 
 
At our Ministerial Meeting in Hong Kong in 2005, Members took important decisions as 
regards Aid for Trade and duty-free quota-free mark et access for least developed countries.  I note 
with satisfaction that a number of Members have put in place duty-free quota-free regimes.  I urge 
those Members that have not yet done so to follow this good example as soon as possible. 
 
The Aid-for-Trade commitments undertaken at H ong Kong should be fully implemented.  I 
should like to underscore the importance to LDCs of this commitment by commenting briefly on 
Cambodia's post-accession experience in using Aid for Trade as a catalyst for reform.  This 
experience was reviewed in some detail at the Third Annual Review of Aid for Trade last July, and, as 
regards progress on reform, at our recently completed trade policy review. 
 WT/MIN(11)/ST/70 
Page 2  
 
  Our trade reform efforts are contained in the work programme that the Royal Government put 
in place after accession to meet its WTO commitments and rebuild and modernize our business - and trade-related legal frameworks.  Since then, some  50 new laws, key government decrees, and key 
Ministerial regulations have been passed and adopted, enhancing business development greatly.  
Nineteen of these laws and regulations address direc tly our WTO legal obligations.  To develop those 
new laws and regulations, we benefited from techni cal assistance from many development partners 
including the IMF, WCO, EC-MULTRAP, ADB, AFD, AusAid, NZAid, UNCTAD, UNIDO, WIPO, 
EC-ECAP and others.  
Trade facilitation was a particularly important aspect of this reform.  The introduction of 
customs automation, risk-based management a nd a single administrative document has greatly 
reduced paper work at the border and speeded up cu stoms clearance.  Here again, the assistance of 
development partners was the critical input.  
In short, Aid for Trade, reform and increased in tegration into the international trading system 
go hand in hand.  We will continue  to depend on Aid for Trade to backstop our future reform efforts 
and help us access potential export markets.  For ex ample, we have just submitted a proposal to the 
EIF Executive Secretariat for consideration under the Tier 2 programme.  This proposal focuses on 
diversification and expans ion of our exports in two priority sectors - rice and silk.  We are already 
working on a possible second proposal to focus on additional priority export sectors.  
As I have said in the past, the development objec tives that are at the heart of the Doha Round 
and Aid for Trade are conjoined.  They are Siam ese twins.  There cannot be rapid progress by 
developing countries, and by LDCs in partic ular, without continued sustained support from 
development partners.  
In closing, I would like to extend a warm we lcome to the Russian Federation, Montenegro, 
Samoa and Vanuatu as new Members of the WTO.  
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