WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/9 
9 December 2011 
 (11-6400) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011 Original:   English/ 
 French 
 
  
AFRICAN UNION CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRADE 
7
TH ORDINARY SESSION 
 
29 November – 3 December 2011 
Accra, Ghana 
 
Communication from Kenya 
 
 
 The following communication, dated 8 December 2011, is being circulated to delegations at 
the request of the Delegation of Kenya.  
_______________ 
  
ACCRA DECLARATION ON WTO ISSUES 
  
We, the Ministers of Trade of the Member States of the African Union, 
 
Meeting in Accra on the 2
nd and 3rd of December 2011 in our Seventh Regular session to 
prepare for the 8th WTO Ministerial Conference in Gene va in December 2011 and for the AU Summit 
on "Boosting Intra-African Trade" in January 2012,  
Deeply concerned at the paralysis in the DDA process, after 10 years of costly negotiations to 
our countries, 
 
Recalling that development is – and must – re main at the core of the Doha Development 
Agenda (DDA),  
Concerned that there has been no significant progress in respect of development issues in 
areas of interest to Africa,  
Desirous to reaffirm a number of principles th at would guide Africa’s future engagement at 
the WTO, 
 
Concerned by the negative developments in the international financial and trade arena since 
our last meeting in Kigali in November 2010,  
Aware of developments at the G20 meetings in  Seoul and Cannes, in the global food security 
situation, and those in the multi-lateral tr ading system as represented by the WTO, 
 WT/MIN(11)/9 
Page 2  
 
  Taking note of the report by the WTO Director General WT/MIN(11)/5 dated 
18 November 2011.   
Hereby, 
 
Reaffirm the positions we have taken in the Kigali Declaration of 2010, 
 
Re-commit to conclude the DDA in accordance w ith the existing mandate and on the basis of 
progress achieved so far, with the Single undertaking as central to the negotiations; 
 
Re-emphasise the need for a fair and balan ced outcome of the DDA, which must prioritise 
development as the main deliverable and privile ge an all inclusive, transparent and bottom-up 
approach;  
Underscore that any new approaches canvassed by WTO members to unlock the current 
impasse must be multi-laterally acceptable and in ke eping with the basic principles of Most Favoured 
Nation (MFN) and must first deliver on the developm ent issues including the LDC package,  Special 
and Differential (S&D)Treatment and  implementation issues.  
Strongly object to any attempt to add "new issues" to the WTO’s DDA agenda, before the 
issues of interest to LDCs, Special & Differen tial Treatment (S&DT) and implementation related 
concerns are adequately delivered. 
 
Call on all WTO members to engage – in good faith  – in further intensified negotiations in 
2012 on the basis of progress achieved so far, a nd noting the April 2011 TNC reports, proposals and 
Members submissions; prioritising – on an urge nt basis – a package centred on LDC issues, 
implementation-related issues & concerns, and am bitious Special & Differential (S&D) treatment 
through an inclusive and transparent process;  
Reiterate our call to all WTO Members to adopt , as an "early harvest", the LDC package on 
LDC priority issues, including the implementa tion of commitments and attendant compensatory 
mechanisms to :grant duty free and quota free ma rket access (in accordance with Annex F of the 
Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration), the services wa iver for LDCs (in accordance with Annex C of 
the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration), and achieve  an ambitious, expeditious and specific outcome 
for cotton trade- related aspects, on the basis of the Hong Kong Declaration, the acquis of the draft 
Modalities text of December 2008 and the reports of  the Committee on Agriculture Special Session, 
and the approach advocated by the C4 Group.  
 
Reaffirm the need to further extend the tr ansition period (which will be expire on 
June 30
th 2013) under Article 66.1 of the TRIPS Agreem ent in favour of Least Developed Country 
members to bring their domestic legal system in to conformity with the provisions of the TRIPS 
Agreement, to submit their priority needs assessmen t for technical and financ ial cooperation under the 
Decision of 29 November 2005, and to comply with  the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement. We, 
therefore, call on members to instruct the TRIPS Counc il to take the decision in this regard and report 
thereon to the next WTO Ministerial Conference.   
Call on WTO members to institute a mechan ism for ensuring the monitoring, full 
implementation and effective opera tionalisation of Article 66.2 of the Trips Agreement obligations, 
on the commitment by Developed Country Memb ers to provide incentives to enterprises and 
institutions to promote and encourage transfer of technology to Least Developed Country members in 
order to enable them to create a sound and viab le technological base and enhanced technical and 
financial cooperation to assist Least Develope d Country Members in implementing the TRIPS 
Agreement and develop a viable technological base in  line with their special needs and requirements;   WT/MIN(11)/9 
 Page 3 
 
 
   
Renew our determination to fast-track the re view, strengthening and ope rationalisation of the 
Agreement-specific S&D proposals, with a view to making them more precise, operational and effective.  
Reiterate our call to enhance the development aspects in the WTO’s regular work programme, 
and call on the members of the WTO to fully operationalise the mandate of the Committee on Trade & Development (CTD) as a focal point for development;  
Call on the WTO members to adopt Measures and Decisions aimed at simplifying accession 
processes for acceding developing countries, includi ng LDCs, in accordance with their levels of 
development and through fully transparent procedures;  
Call for the establishment of a comprehensive work programme by the General Council to 
mitigate the impact of the food market prices and volatility to affected African countries and submit 
recommendations for action by the 9
th WTO Ministerial Conference; 
 
Insist that DDA outcomes incorporate adequate  sector-specific financial and technical 
assistance and sustainable capacity building as an integral part of S&D treatment under all WTO Agreements; present and future. Such Technical Assist ance/Capacity Building shall also be integral to 
future Aid for Trade plans, over and above the A frican priorities on productive capacity development 
and infrastructure needs.  
 
Reaffirm our commitment to engage constructiv ely in the deliberations of MC8 on the basis 
of African interests.  
 
__________