Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to be here in Senegal — especially as this is my first visit to the country.

I am also very pleased to address you today at this prestigious institution that was awarded a Chair under the WTO Chairs Programme. This programme aims to enhance knowledge and understanding of the international trading system among academics and decision-makers in developing countries. The Cheikh Anta Diop University is one of the few institutions in the world to have been selected to participate in this programme.

This is my first time back in Africa since the WTO’s successful Ministerial Conference in Nairobi two months ago.

The Conference put a spotlight on Africa.

In Nairobi, WTO Members adopted decisions that will support the growth and development of Senegal, Africa and the world.

Following on from this success, we must ensure that Africa remains in the spotlight. We need to deliver other agreements that support your development objectives.

I would like to formally thank the Government of Senegal for its support throughout the process leading up to the Nairobi Conference.

Senegal is one of the founding Members of the WTO, and acceded to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the WTO’s predecessor, in 1963.

For more than 50 years, the country has participated actively and constructively in the multilateral trading system.

Senegal works alongside other least developed country — or LDC — Members of the WTO to help define the work programme and tackle the specific obstacles faced by LDCs.

The LDCs form a powerful group within the WTO and their development is an absolute priority for the Organization.

This level of priority is clear from the flexibilities and special provisions included in WTO Agreements and Decisions.

And it is also clear from the substantive support that is available to LDCs to help them strengthen their trading capacity.

I would like to build on this to further your integration into the trading system.

And I think that the results obtained in Nairobi show that this commitment is shared by the entire Membership.

 

NAIROBI OUTCOMES

Let me explain in a bit more detail what was delivered in Nairobi.

The Nairobi Package contains a set of Ministerial Decisions on agriculture and issues concerning LDCs.

Regarding agriculture, the decision on export competition is particularly important. It is the most significant reform in international trade rules on agriculture since the creation of the WTO.

It will eliminate agricultural export subsidies and ensure that Members do not resort to such measures in the future.

Eliminating subsidies is, in fact, one element of the UN’s new Sustainable Development Goals — and we delivered the decision barely three months after the goals were agreed!

It will certainly have a positive impact in terms of improving the global trading environment by tackling the enormous trade-distorting potential of these subsidies.

Farmers in the developing world should not have to compete with the treasuries of developed countries.

The decision will help to level out the playing field in agriculture markets, to the benefit of developing countries and LDCs. And this is very significant for Senegal, where agricultural products account for more than 30% of exports.

The decision will also help to limit similar distorting effects associated with export credits, State trading enterprises, and food aid.

Members also undertook to negotiate steps to improve food security and to develop a Special Safeguard Mechanism to help deal with import surges of food products, which can harm domestic food production.

So it is important that we follow up on these commitments.

And as I mentioned before, an important package of decisions was adopted to support the integration of LDCs into the global economy.

These decisions most notably include significant provisions on preferential rules of origin for goods from LDCs and preferential treatment for LDC services providers.

Significant steps were also taken regarding cotton, so as to open up foreign markets for the most vulnerable producers and end cotton export subsidies.

In short, these decisions will provide LDCs with additional opportunities to export their goods and services to developed and developing countries.

In Nairobi, Members also launched the second phase of the Enhanced Integrated Framework, a programme focused exclusively on LDC capacity-building.

I think it is therefore fair to say that Nairobi delivered successful outcomes — outcomes that significantly boost growth and development.

 

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS

These results build on our successful Ministerial Conference in Bali, where Members delivered a number of important outcomes, including the Trade Facilitation Agreement.

This Agreement will make a real difference on the ground. It aims to streamline, standardize and simplify border processes around the world, thereby cutting trade costs.

It is estimated that this will boost global trade by $1 trillion a year — with almost three-quarters of this increase accruing to developing economies.

Those that make the biggest reforms will likely reap the biggest gains.

It is encouraging to see that Senegal views trade facilitation as a priority and that it has made significant reforms in this area. Since 2006, import and export times have almost halved. This is a significant achievement. Senegal is also striving to improve its business environment and is moving up in the international rankings.

According to the World Bank’s Doing Business report 2013-2014, Senegal was one of the economies that had most improved their business climate, a trend that continued in 2015. 

The Trade Facilitation Agreement will do much to help Senegal in its efforts. It will help cut trade costs, speeding up the flow of goods and improving the country’s ability to trade, both regionally and globally.

A recent WTO report noted that full implementation of the Agreement could reduce trade costs by an average of 14.5%, which would favour diversification. The report also found that the Agreement would help LDCs to increase the number of new products exported by as much as 35%, and increase their access to foreign markets by 60%.

But in order to benefit from the Agreement, it must first be ratified. Many African countries have already taken this step and I would encourage Senegal to do the same. The Agreement does not impose a rigid programme of reforms — on the contrary, it gives you the flexibility to implement its provisions according to your specific needs and capacities, and provides practical support to help with implementation.

On all these issues, the WTO is here to help. If more information or support is needed then we stand ready to help and will do all we can.

POST-NAIROBI

So, in my view, our experiences in recent years show that the WTO is capable of delivering concrete outcomes. We are becoming accustomed to success.

However, we must also recognize that the WTO’s slow progress over many years has left its mark, with many countries entering into other trade initiatives, such as regional or bilateral agreements.

Senegal itself is party to a number of initiatives of this type, such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). And this is certainly very positive. Steps taken to improve trade and integration at regional level can be very important for trade promotion, and yet effective global trade cooperation remains essential.

Cooperating in the field of trade will enable us to function well at all levels. Topics such as fisheries subsidies — fisheries being vital for Senegal’s economy —  can only be addressed effectively at multilateral level, via the WTO.

We must therefore continue delivering outcomes at that level.

In Nairobi, Ministers started a frank conversation on the future of the Organization — and on how it can do more, and faster.

But there is currently no consensus on how to move forward.

All Members do, however, want to deliver on outstanding Doha issues, such as agriculture (particularly domestic subsidies) and market access for industrial goods and services, but they do not agree on precisely how these issues should be tackled.

What’s more, some Members would like to start discussing issues that do not form part of the Doha Agenda.

This conversation has already begun, in Geneva and in capitals all over the world.

And despite some differences, there are significant commonalities. For example, there is a strong desire to maintain development at the centre of our efforts. It is also clear that Members want to continue making positive efforts to better integrate LDCs into trading flows.

So I think we need to build on these common elements — and learn from our recent successes — in order to make as full a contribution as we can. This conversation is an opportunity to make sure that the future work of the WTO delivers for you.

We can take actions that will help you deliver on your development goals, by diversifying the economy and encouraging more businesses to trade.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are an important part of your countries’ economies, and we can take further steps to help them integrate into trading flows.

These are just a few examples. The point is that you have an opportunity to shape the future of global trade discussions in your interests. I want to help you seize that opportunity.

 

CONCLUSION

The challenge we face is by no means small.

The WTO has delivered important results for Senegal. Now we need to follow our agreements through and implement them in full.

We are entering a potentially very exciting period as regards the world trading agenda. And Senegal’s voice in this debate will, of course, continue to be as important as always.

I would be interested to hear your views today and I count on your participation in the weeks and months to come.  

Thank you.