RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/MIN(01)/SR/9
10 January 2002
(02-0122)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Fourth Session
Doha, 9 - 14 November 2001
SUMMARY RECORD OF THE NINTH MEETING1
Held at the Sheraton Convention Centre, Doha, Qatar
on Wednesday, 14 November 2001, at 6 p.m.
Chairman:  H.E. Mr. Youssef Hussain Kamal (Qatar)
Subjects:
1. Action by Ministers (agenda item 2)
2. Date and Venue of the Fifth Ministerial Conference (agenda item 3)
3. Election of Officers (agenda item 4)
4. Closure of the Session
The CHAIRMAN thanked delegations for their patience and the spirit of cooperation they had
shown during the Ministerial Conference.  Before turning to the consideration of item 2 on the
agenda, he announced a correction to the draft Ministerial Declaration circulated in document
WT/MIN(01)/DEC/W/1, indicating that the text following the words "we agree" in the fifth line of
paragraph 20 should read "that negotiations will take place after the Fifth Session of the Ministerial
Conference on the basis of a decision to be taken by explicit consensus at that session on modalities ofnegotiations."  He noted that this change only affected the French text of the draft Declaration.
1. Action by Ministers (agenda item 2)
(a) Waiver under Article IX of the WTO Agreement
- New ACP – EC Partnership Agreement: Request for waiver
(b) Draft Ministerial Declaration (WT/MIN(01)/DEC/W/1)
(c) Draft Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health (WT/MIN(01)/DEC/W/2)
(d) Draft Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns (WT/MIN(01)W/10)
(e) Report of the General Council (WT/MIN(01)/6)
(a) Waiver under Article IX of the WTO Agreement
- New ACP–EC Partnership Ag reement: Request for waiver
The CHAIRMAN recalled that at the outset of the Ministerial Conference, he had indicated
that the request for a waiver for the Europ ean Communities in relation to the new ACP-EC
Partnership Agreement could be taken up in informal consultations with delegations and considered
by the Ministerial Conference under agenda item 2.  Informal consultations on this matter had been
                                                     
1 A number of delegations requested that their statements at the Informal Heads of Delegation meetings
held prior to the final plenary meeting of the Ministerial Conference be reflected in and considered as part of the
formal records of the final plenary under agenda item 2.   These statements are reflected in the Annex to this
document and are to be read as part of the formal records.WT/MIN(01)/SR/9
Page 2
fruitful, and meetings of the Working Party and of the Council for Trade in Goods had consequently
been held to examine this waiver request.  The European Communities had also made a formal
request to take up this matter under agenda item 2, and had submitted a revised draft decision for a
waiver from its obligations under Article I, paragraph 1 of the GATT 1994
(G/C/W/187/Add.2/Rev.2), as well as a draft de cision for a waiver from the requirements of
Article XIII, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the GATT 1994 (G/C/W/269/Rev.1).  He noted that in dealing
with this waiver request under the present agenda item, the Ministerial Conference would follow the
Decision-Making Procedures under Articles IX and XII of the WTO Agreement agreed by the
General Council on 15 November 1995 (WT/L/93) a nd would thus seek a decision on the basis of
consensus.
Mr. Major (Hungary), Chairman of the Council for Trade in Goods, recalled that there had
been numerous consultations on the issue of the waiver concerning the new ACP-EC Partnership
Agreement since it was first discussed in the Council for Trade in Goods on 5 April 2000.  He was
now in a position to report that the deliberations on this matter had been concluded.  At the meeting of
the Council for Trade in Goods held on this matter earlier that day, the Council had taken note of the
Report of the Chairperson of the Working Party and had recommended that the draft Decisionscontained in document G/C/W/187/Add.2/Rev.2 with re spect to the waiving of Article I paragraph 1
of the GATT 1994, and in document G/ C/W/269/Rev.1 with respect to the waiving of Article XIII,
paragraphs 1 and 2, of the GATT 1994 be forwarded to the Ministerial Conference for adoption.
The Ministerial Conference took note of the statement and, in accordance with the Decision-
Making Procedures under Articles IX and XII of the WTO Agreement agreed by the General Council
on 15 November 1995 (WT/L/93), adopted the draft Decisions in documents G/C/W/187/Add.2/Rev.2
and G/C/W/269/Rev.1.
(b) Draft Ministerial Declaration (WT/MIN(01)/DEC/W/1)
(c) Draft Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health (WT/MIN(01)/DEC/W/2)
(d) Draft Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns (WT/MIN(01)/W/10)
The CHAIRMAN drew the attention of delegations to the three draft texts which had emerged
from the process of intensive discussions and negotiations held over the past few days, and which he
was now submitting to Ministers for consideration and adoption:  the Draft Ministerial Declaration
(WT/MIN(01)/DEC/W/1), the Draft Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health
(WT/MIN(01)/DEC/W/2) and the Draft Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns
(WT/MIN(01)/W/10).  Before proposing action on these texts, he thanked the Director-General and
the Ministers who had assisted him as Friends of the Chair, and paid tribute also to the hard work and
dedication of the Chairman of the General Council, the Deputy Directors-General, the Secretariat, and
all the Ministers and delegations representing their governments at the Fourth Session.  The past five
days had seen a tremendous amount of committed work by all delegations.  Throughout this process,he had done his utmost to ensure full transparency and inclusiveness, and he was grateful for the spirit
of cooperation and goodwill shown by all participants.
He proposed, first, that the Ministerial Conference adopt the draft Ministerial Declaration in
WT/MIN(01)/DEC/W/1.  In so doing, he noted that  some delegations had requested a clarification
concerning paragraphs 20, 23, 26 and 27 of the draft Declaration.  With regard to the references to an
explicit consensus being needed in these paragraphs for a decision to be taken at the Fifth Session of
the Ministerial Conference, it was his understanding that a decision would indeed need to be taken by
explicit consensus before negotiations on trade and investment, trade and competition policy,
transparency in government procurement and trade facilitation could proceed.  In his view, this wouldalso give each Member the right to take a position on modalities that would prevent negotiations from
proceeding after the Fifth Session until that Member was prepared to join in an explicit consensus.WT/MIN(01)/SR/9
Page 3
The Ministerial Conference took note of the Chairman's statement and adopted  the draft
Ministerial Declaration in WT/MIN(01)/DEC/W/1.2
The Ministerial Conference then adopted the draft Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and
Public Health in document WT/MIN(01)/DEC/W/2.3
With regard to the draft Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns in
document WT/MIN(01)/W/10, the CHAIRMAN recalled that, as stated in the cover letter
accompanying the draft Decision sent to him by the Chairman of the General Council and the
Director-General on 5 November 2001, the draft De cision proposed immediate action on a number of
implementation issues and provided that the remaining issues – including those referred to other WTObodies as well as those listed in the compilation of outstanding issues
4, – would be addressed in the
course of the future work programme in accordance with paragraph 12 of the Ministerial Declaration.
The Ministerial Conference took note of the Chairman's statement and adopted  the draft
Decision on Implementation-Related Issues a nd Concerns in document WT/MIN(01)/W/10.5
All representatives who spoke thanked the Chairman of the Ministerial Conference, the Vice-
Chairpersons, the Friends of the Chair, the Director-General, the Secretariat, as well as Ministers and
delegates for their efforts and congratulated them on the successful completion of the Doha
Ministerial Conference.  They also expressed their appreciation to His Highness the Emir of Qatar, theGovernment and the people of Qatar, as well as the members of the Organizing Committee for their
generosity and hospitality in hosting the Fourth Ministerial Conference.
The representative of Japan said that the D oha Ministerial Conference would be remembered
as an important milestone, where the representatives of 142 countries gathered in Doha had reached
consensus on the launch of a development agenda which addressed the challenges of the 21st Century.
With the growing uncertainty and instability in the global economy following the tragic events of
11 September 2001, he welcomed the fact that Members had sent out a positive message to the world.
However, the adoption of the Ministerial Declaration was only a first step towards taking up the
challenges ahead.  He was confident that with th e friendship and trust gained in Doha, Members
would be able to meet these challenges.  He urged Members to make efforts together towards the
maintenance and development of the multilateral trading system.  Finally, he congratulated China andChinese Taipei on their accession to the WTO.
The representative of India thanked the Chairman for providing a clarification with regard to
paragraphs 20, 23, 26 and 27 of the draft Ministerial Declaration, which had enabled India to join in
the consensus on the adoption of the Ministerial texts.
The representative of Kenya, on behalf of the ACP Group of States , expressed his
appreciation and gratitude to all Members for ensuring that a waiver was granted to cover trade
between the EC and ACP countries under the Cotonou Agreement.  Although the process had been
characterized by intense negotiations in a spirit of give and take, it had been equally conducted in aspirit of friendship and understanding, leading to a greater appreciation of the problems of the
countries concerned.  The decision on the waiver had demonstrated Members' organizational capacity
to resolve critical trade issues in a pragmatic way, and had also renewed the confidence of ACP
                                                     
2The Ministerial Declaration was subsequently circulated as WT/MIN(01)/DEC/1.
3The Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health was subsequently circulated as
WT/MIN(01)/DEC/2.
4 Circulated in document JOB(01)/152/Rev.1.
5The Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns was subsequently circulated as
WT/MIN(01)/17.WT/MIN(01)/SR/9
Page 4
countries in the multilateral trading system.  Finally, he noted that ACP countries had joined in the
consensus on the draft Ministerial Declaration on the basis of the Chairman's clarification regarding
paragraphs 20, 23, 26 and 27.
The representative of Nigeria, on behalf of African Members , said that the journey from
Seattle to Doha for African Members had not been an easy one.  As they were facing difficulties at the
Seattle Ministerial Conference, African Members had regrouped and reorganized themselves in
preparation for the Doha Ministerial Conference.  From Cairo through to Abuja, they had formulated
and adopted negotiating objectives and principles.  Having gone through the whole preparatory
process in capitals and in Geneva, and having been armed with the Lusaka directives of the assembly
of Heads of States and Governments of the OAU, African Ministers had arrived in Doha with an open
mind to negotiate constructively in good faith, because African Members believed in a rule-basedmultilateral trading system.  African Members had engaged in a long and difficult negotiation at the
Ministerial Conference, with concerns in the areas of implementation and the Singapore issues, and
reservations regarding future negotiations in the ar ea of trade and environment, which they felt could
be used as a trade barrier against their products in their market access efforts.  They also had concerns
in the area of agriculture, in terms of the need fo r some of their development partners to eliminate
export subsidies that continued to have a negative impact on their agricultural production and
marketing capacities.  They had also been hoping to secure a positive response to the request for a
waiver with respect to the Cotonou Agreement as part of the Doha package.  Above all, African
Members had concerns which they hoped could be alleviated through the adoption of a declaration on
TRIPS, access to medicine and public health.  After a long and intensive process of negotiations,African Members were satisfied with the conclusions that had been drawn, and had approved the draft
Ministerial Declaration even before it was formally adopted by the Ministerial Conference.  Unlike in
Seattle, they had been satisfied with all the stages  of consultations and negotiating processes in Doha.
It was their hope and conviction that accepting the Declaration would not only revive confidence in
the multilateral trading system, but would also enable Members to build on the transparency achievedin the consultation process in Doha to safeguard the interests of African Members, the majority of
which were least-developed countries that needed a functional multilateral trading system.  They held
their partners accountable for the full implementation of the Ministerial Declaration.  Finally, they
hoped that in making compromises and in accepting the Doha package, their development partners
would keep the commitments they had made in resp ect of technical assistance and capacity-building.
The representative of the United States said that with the success of the Doha Ministerial
Conference, Members had sent a powerful signal to the world and had removed the stain left by the
Seattle Ministerial Conference.  Members would continue to cooperate successfully, to press for open
markets, and to build a global trading system based on common rules.  By agreeing to launch new
global trade negotiations, Members were helping to deliver growth, development and prosperity
throughout the world, and were also providing the sign of hope:  the hope of economic opportunityand of political purpose shared by almost 150 countries.  While the Doha Ministerial Conference
would be remembered for many reasons, one aspect that he would remember particularly was working
closely and cooperatively with developing nations from all over the world to achieve a common good.
Members had seen this in their work, in opening the world's agricultural markets and in highlighting
that the TRIPS Agreement provided flexibility to address public health emergencies as well asincentives for the development of new medicines.
The representative of Oman
6, speaking on behalf of recently acceded countries  (Albania,
Croatia, Georgia, Jordan, Lithuania, Moldova and Oman ), said that although the Ministerial
Declaration did not fully meet their expectations, they  felt that their voice had been heard.  In light of
the circumstances and in order to reach a consensus among Members, they had agreed with the text of
the Ministerial Declaration as a whole, and particularly with paragraphs 9 and 38.
                                                     
6 See also the statement by Georgia reflected in the Annex.WT/MIN(01)/SR/9
Page 5
The representative of Bangladesh welcomed the sense of accommodation and understanding
shown by Members throughout the negotiations, which was necessary for the future of the WTO in
order to achieve a trade and economic regime that would ensure prosperity for all Members.
Bangladesh looked at the future of the multilate ral trading system with hope and confidence, and
trusted that its development aspirations would be more adequately addressed in the work programmeadopted by the Ministerial Conference in Doha.  Bangladesh sought the support and solidarity of all
its trading partners in that common pursuit.
The representative of Mexico, on behalf  of Group of Latin Am erican and Caribbean
Countries (GRULAC), said that Memb ers should be pleased that they had sent a bright signal for the
growth of trade and development.  He welcomed the fact that the entire negotiating process, which
had started in Geneva, had been transparent and inclusive.
The representative of the European Communities said that giving birth to the Doha
Development Round had been a painful process.  Members should rejoice at the adoption of the
Ministerial texts but should quickly move on to the start of the negotiations, which were needed to
harness globalization.
The Ministerial Conference took note of the statements.7
(e) Report of the General Council
The Ministerial Conference took note of the report of the General Council in WT/MIN(01)/6,
which had been forwarded to Ministers for consideration.
2. Date and Venue of the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference (agenda item 3)
The CHAIRMAN said that this matter required further consultations, and proposed that the
Ministerial Conference request the General Council  to continue consultations with a view to
determining the Date and Venue of the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference.
The Ministerial Conference so agreed.
3. Election of Officers (agenda item 4)
The CHAIRMAN proposed that the Ministerial Conference request the General Council to
hold consultations with a view to determining the presiding officers of the Ministerial Conference
who would hold office until the end of the Fifth Session.
The Ministerial Conference so agreed.
4. Closure of the Session
The CHAIRMAN welcomed the adoption of the development agenda, which he hoped all
Members could live with, and which at the same time could make the world a better one.  This agenda
was the result of hard work, flexibility and transparency.  It came at a time when the world economy
was on the edge of recession and needed a fresh start, and when developing and least-developed
countries had to refocus the debate on their needs.  The agenda adopted in Doha responded to these
needs and took concrete steps towards building capacity and reinforcing governance in developingand least-developed countries.  He noted that for the first time in the WTO, Members had decided to
face important issues such as the environment, and had addressed them in a transparent and
constructive manner.  Members had also succeeded in restoring the balance of many Uruguay Round
                                                     
7 Including the statements reflected in the Annex.WT/MIN(01)/SR/9
Page 6
Agreements, and had agreed to launch negotiations in various sectors of direct interest to developing
countries.  He wished to thank the Director-General, the Chairman of the General Council and the
Friends of the Chair for facilitating his work.  He also thanked the WTO Secretariat for its hard work
and devotion, the interpreters for their precious assistance, the press and the NGOs for their
participation in the Ministerial Conference, and the Organizing Committee for its work in relation tothe preparations and logistics of the Ministerial Conference.
The DIRECTOR-GENERAL said that he wished to pay tribute to the Chairman of the
Ministerial Conference for his wisdom, patience, hu mour and for the authority of his Chairmanship.
On behalf of the Ministers, delegates and the Secretariat, he also wished to thank His Highness the
Emir of Qatar, as well as the Government and people of Qatar for their hospitality and their endeavour
to ensure the success of the Ministerial Conference.  He also expressed his appreciation for thefacilities made available by Qatar for the Conference.  He noted that Members had successfully built
on the Geneva process led by the Chairman of the General Council, Mr. Stuart Harbinson.  The
Ministerial Conference had been a remarkable experience for all the people involved, but it had also
been a difficult process, since Members had been dealing with some of the most sensitive issues in
international trade policy, and since many governments had had to move towards the position of theirpartners to make this agreement possible.  He had welcomed the readiness shown by Ministers to
understand and accommodate the needs of others, and the strength of the common determination to
make the Ministerial Conference a success, not only for the sake of national interests but also because
all the parties involved appreciated the need to give a signal of confidence in these difficult times.  In
a world too often divided, Members had done something important:  they had said that they wantedunity and equity in the world, they shared common values and ambitions, and they would seek
common solutions through common rules.  The Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public
Health, the Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns, and the programme of work
and negotiations agreed in the Ministerial Declar ation justified in themselves all the efforts that
Members had put into them.  However the accession of China and Chinese Taipei had furthercontributed to make the Doha Ministerial Conference an historic event.  He therefore proposed that
the new set of negotiations be called the "Doha Development Agenda".  Ministers had made
decisions, many based on faith and trust, which now had to be carried through.  The decisions on
capacity-building would have to be backed up in reality, otherwise the Fifth Ministerial Conference
would be very difficult.  He noted that in December 2001, the WTO Budget Committee would have to
take action on the basis of the decisions taken by Ministers in Doha, and he would hold Ministers
accountable for their promises.  Members had to create a new WTO, and he would do everything toensure the best for the multilateral trading system and the WTO Secretariat staff.
The Ministerial Conference took note of the statements.
The Session of the Ministerial Conference closed at 6.45 p.m.WT/MIN(01)/SR/9
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ANNEX
The following statements were made by delegations in the Informal Heads of Delegation
meetings prior to the final plenary meeting, with th e request that they be reflected in and considered
as part of the formal records of the final plenary under agenda item 2.  These statements are to be readas part of the formal records.
_____________________
The representative of Bulgaria expressed his delegation's gratitude to the Chairman and to the
State of Qatar for their hospitality and the efforts they had made to host and organize this Conference,
and to the facilitators, the Chairman of the General Council, the Director-General and his Deputies,and the Secretariat for their hard work in making the Conference a success.  His delegation wished to
make three points prior to the adoption of the texts before Ministers.  First, Bulgaria could agree to the
adoption of the draft Ministerial Declaration, the draft Declaration on TRIPS and public health, the
draft Decision on implementation, and the proposed procedures for extensions under Article 27.4 of
the Subsidies Agreement, on the basis of the understandings expressed by several countries in thejoint communications in documents WT/MIN(01)/W/9 and WT/MIN(01)/W/11 and in the statement
by Bulgaria in document WT/MIN(01)/ST/122.  The references in the foregoing documents to the
draft declaration and decisions in JOB(01)/14 0/Rev.2, JOB(01)/139/Rev.1 and G/SCM/W/471 should
be read to apply mutatis mutandis  to the revised versions of these draft texts as well.  Second, as
Bulgaria had repeatedly stated, after the adoption of a new work programme important institutionalissues which had been on the WTO's agenda for some time should not be neglected.  Bulgaria
therefore requested a formal confirmation by the Chairman that the issues of internal and external
transparency and of the adoption of procedures for the appointment of Directors-General would
remain on the agenda of the General Council.  Third, regarding paragraph 9 of the draft Ministerial
Declaration, his delegation wished to note that after the conclusion of the Uruguay Round Agreementsthere were also other Members, including Bulgaria, who undertook extensive market-access
commitments upon accession.
The representative of Australia said that his country was very pleased with the arrangements,
management and outcome of this Ministerial Conference and wished to thank the Government of
Qatar and the Chairman of the Conference for their marvelous contribution.  Australia also wished to
thank again the Chairman of the General Council, the Director-General and the Secretariat for their
magnificent work.  Following two years of work, Members were close to seizing an importantoutcome for the global trading system and the world economy.  The world was closely watching what
Ministers would do at the present Conference.  After the experience of Seattle two years earlier, WTO
Members could now send a powerful signal of confidence.  This was vital for the world economy.
The draft Declaration was very forward-looking and was striking on two counts.  First, in it Members
were giving true meaning to the demands for a development round.  The agenda was full of referencesto development needs.  More than half of the paragraphs in the Declaration included references to
capacity building, technical assistance and special and differential treatment.  In addition, the draft
Declaration was accompanied by an important outcome on TRIPS and public health.  All Members
should act now to lock in this agenda.  Second, Members had drawn up a new agenda that provided
considerable scope for market access improvements.  This included the key subjects of agriculture,manufactures and services.  The outcome on agriculture, with its commitment to negotiate the phasing
out of export subsidies, was very significant.  After decades in which such subsidies had devastated
farmers around the globe, particularly in developing countries, Members had the chance to eliminate
them.  The great majority of Members had much to gain in these market access negotiations.
Members had a choice at the present Conference.  They could reap the results of the patient andinclusive work of the past two years.  They could send a signal of confidence in the trading system,
and provide a boost for the world economy.  They could secure very significant gains for the
developing world.  Or, they could turn their backs.  But the latter would be a bad choice, the costs ofWT/MIN(01)/SR/9
Page 8
which should not be underestimated. Members would lose what they had accomplished in the past
two years, and would heighten the risks of rece ssion.  They would also do real, and perhaps
irreparable, harm to the WTO and the multilateral trading system.  If this happened, some would lose
more than others.  Australia urged Members to endorse this draft Declaration.  As a final comment,
Australia wished to state for the record that it fo rmally rejected the interpretation made by Bulgaria
and certain other countries on paragraphs 12 and 18 of the draft Declaration regarding geographical
indications.
The representative of Argentina said that the draft Ministerial Declaration in
JOB(01)/140/Rev.2 indicated areas of disagreement which, though few in number, were significant.
As document WT/MIN(01)/W/8 on implementation and geographical indications indicated, there
were a number of differences in interpretations of the draft Ministerial Declaration in this area.
Argentina clearly favoured the launching of a new round, but subject to the condition that the benefitswould be balanced and that, contrary to past experience, developing countries would be able to
achieve concrete and measurable objectives.  This would not be possible unless there were sufficient
ambition in the field of agriculture.  The Cairns Group had already shown considerable flexibility and
moderation by adapting its proposals and by accepting the first revision of the draft text on
agriculture, and there was no room for further discussion.  This was precisely why the square bracketsin paragraph 13 of JOB(01)/140/Rev.2, which had been introduced with a view to dropping the
concept of phasing out, had to be deleted.  Export subsidies generated economic and environmental
pollution.  Having examined the remaining brackets and the alleged imbalances between the subjects
currently before Ministers, it was clear that they covered, almost exclusively, the interests of one
delegation.  In order to avoid undermining the pr ospects of launching a new round, Argentina urged
all Members to show the same moderation that it ha d shown on central issues such as implementation,
investment and competition policy.  Argentina had been very active throughout the preparatory
process in Geneva for the present Conference, and over the past few days had been able to contribute,
in particular, to a number of points in the final text of the draft Ministerial Declaration.  Argentina's
general assessment of the final version of that draft Declaration would probably lead it to join aconsensus on it, while expressing cautious satisfaction – satisfaction because Members were adopting
a suitable course of action for the launching of a new round and, ultimately, for sending a clear and
necessary message to the international community , and cautious, because Argentina realized that
certain points of the draft Declaration lacked the necessary ambition or clarity.  Agriculture was an
example of an area in which Argentina had hoped for a strong impetus during the negotiations in
favour of the more positive and ambitious elements of the negotiating agenda.  Progress had been
made, but that progress had to be given concrete form to avoid losing any more time in fullyintegrating agriculture into the rules of international trade.  The lack of clarity was reflected, for
example, in paragraphs 12 and 18 on implementation, including geographical indications, and the
final version of paragraph 31(i) on trade and environment.  On trade and environment in particular,
Argentina would have to evaluate, as would other Me mbers, the legal scope of a text submitted at the
last moment, and on the basis of that evaluation would determine the extent to which it wouldparticipate in the negotiations on trade and environment.
The representative of Georgia, speaking also on behalf of 
Albania, Croatia, Jordan, Kyrgyz
Republic, Lithuania, Moldova and Oman, said that these recently acceded countries had met the
previous day with one of the Friends of Chair, Mrs.  Tebelelo Seretse (Botswana) to consult with her
on issues of their joint concern, and had submitted a proposal to be included in paragraph 9 of thedraft Declaration.  Regrettably, their request had not been reflected in the text of the draft Declaration.
He recalled that work had started in Geneva on this issue at a very early stage in the preparations for
Doha.  The recently acceded countries had made several joint statements in meetings of the General
Council and on 10 November had circulated a joint Ministerial press release, to which no Member had
objected. The position of the recently acceded countries was as follows.  First, they strongly supportedthe launch of a new round of negotiations and were in favour of balanced liberalization, which they
considered a key principle of globalization.  At the same time, they had a common concern regarding
future negotiations leading to new commitments a nd their interaction with the commitments recentlyWT/MIN(01)/SR/9
Page 9
made during the accession process.  These countries had already made substantial market-access
commitments, sometimes going far beyond those that had been made during the Uruguay Round.
Therefore, these commitments, and further commitments resulting from the new round, might have
serious consequences on their economic development, creating imbalances, impediments to growth
and well-founded concerns for these countries.  While underlining the importance of launching a newround of negotiations, these countries stressed the essential need for flexibility and appropriate
accommodation of their concerns in the Ministerial Declaration and the further process of
negotiations.  Therefore, they insisted on the inclusion in paragraph 9 of the draft Ministerial
Declaration, after the listing of the recently acceded  countries, the following wording: "and took note
that the mentioned countries have already made substantial market access commitments and recognize
the need for flexibility and appropriate accommodation of their concerns in the future process of the
negotiations."  Rejection of the inclusion of these countries' concerns would mean ignoring the vitalneeds of the recently acceded smaller economies, and raise concerns about their participation in the
consensus process.  This was why they believed that their deep concerns should be reflected in the
Ministerial Declaration.
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