. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(09)/20 
9 December 2009 
 (09-6353) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Seventh Session Geneva, 30 November - 2 December 2009 Original:   English/ 
 French/  Spanish 
 
  
DECLARATION OF THE INFORMAL GROUP OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 
 
Communication from Gabon
 
 
  The following communication, dated 7 December 2009, is being circulated at the request of 
the Delegation of Gabon on behalf of the Informal Group of Developing Countries. 
 
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  We, Ministers of the informal Group of Developing Countries met in Geneva on 30 November 2009 on the occasion of the 7
th WTO Ministerial Conference, to coordinate positions 
and assess the ramifications of the rapidly chan ging international trading environment on our 
countries’ interests; 
  We remain deeply concerned  about the far reaching impact of the global economic and 
financial crisis, which originated in developed countries, on our economies.  We emphasize  the 
utmost importance to resist temptations of protecti onism in different forms at this difficult juncture; 
 
 We underline  the need for a strong, open and fair, rules-based multilateral trading system to 
combat protectionism and help promote recovery, growth and development, and reiterate  the 
importance we attach to the WTO as the main tool  of this system.  Principles of multilateralism, 
inclusiveness, transparency, predic tability, non discrimination and equity must remain the way to 
ensure safeguarding trade openness, integration and economic growth, and allow the effective 
participation of developing countries in the WTO and in world trade; 
  We reaffirm  our support and solidarity to accessions of all developing countries, and stress 
that acceding countries should not be asked to undertake commitments that go beyond their level of development and current WTO rules.  We consid er that in a rules-based trading system, only 
commercial, technical and legal considerations s hould be the only deciding factors in every accession 
process;   We underscore  the need for the successful conclusion of the Doha Development Round, as 
early as possible, in accordance with its developmen t mandate to ensure confidence in the WTO and 
address the trade and trade-related needs of developing countries.  We are disappointed  that political 
commitments to seek an ambitious and balanced conclusion to the Round in 2010 are not yet 
translated into concrete flexible negotiating positions, and call  on developed countries to show the 
required leadership to advance the negotiations;   We reiterate  within this context our objection to any reinterpretation or changes to, or 
deviations from, the existing agreed manda tes and principles in the negotiations.  We furthermore 
oppose  any form of selective re-sequencing of issues,  or reopening of stabilized parts of the draft WT/MIN(09)/20 
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  modalities, and stress  that the negotiations must preserve and build on progress achieved in the last 
8 years, and that the negotiating process must remain  multilateral and fully transparent, with a bottom-
up approach;   We are united  in our commitment to advance the DDA negotiations, and pledge to closely 
coordinate and cooperate to ensure that De velopment remains the core of any outcome.  We are 
furthermore determined to maintain our solidarity in promoting and supporting South-South trade, 
economic cooperation, and investment flows.  
Geneva, 30 November 2009 
 
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