   
  
WT/MIN(22)/ST/130   
13 June 2022  
(22-4589)  Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Twelfth Session  
Geneva, 12 -15 June 2022  Original: Spanish  
 
  
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR DACIO CASTILLO  
AMBASSADOR AND PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE  
HONDURAS  
On behalf of the Honduran Government and people, I would like to welcome and thank the World 
Trade Organization, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Swiss Confederation for the excellent 
organization of this Twelfth Ministerial Conference, which we are finally able to hold after five years 
full of obstacles.  
Honduras reaffirms its commitment to the multilateral trading system, based on clear and equita ble 
rules, which creates growth and contributes to the well -being of all WTO Members.  
Honduras is a small and vulnerable economy. The COVID -19 pandemic has had a severe impact on 
our economy, while Hurricanes Eta and Iota caused death and destruction when they passed through 
Honduran territory in November 2020.  
We are faced with an increasingly complex international context, marked by pandemics, armed 
conflicts and increasingly obvious climate change. In spite of this, we strongly believe that this 
Minister ial Conference provides us with a valuable opportunity to achieve results to address these 
challenges and above all to guide the WTO in its response to the multiple global crises.  
The crisis caused by the COVID -19 pandemic has highlighted the profound asym metries existing at 
the social and economic level. The post -pandemic world must be different, and a clear mandate on 
the WTO response to the COVID -19 pandemic is crucial to this Ministerial Conference. Honduras has 
done its part: our tireless work as a fac ilitator of the issue is proof of this.  
Any crisis offers an opportunity, which is why we believe that MC12 should provide clear and specific 
guidelines on the reform of the Organization. Updating the rules is only fair and is necessary. An 
effective dispu te settlement system with a functional Appellate Body that allows disputes to be 
settled in an efficient and impartial manner  is needed . 
Moreover, strengthening the negotiating arm is crucial. Development must  be the central element 
in any future discussio ns or negotiations, taking into account flexibilities for small and vulnerable 
economies such as ours.  
It is important for the reform to address developing countries' concerns and priorities, the 
strengthening of special and differential treatment, as well  as agriculture issues, such as domestic 
support, the special safeguard mechanism and public stockholding, which are crucial for meeting 
food and livelihood needs.  
More than 20 years have passed since the Ministerial Conference in Doha - it is therefore im perative 
that we conclude the negotiations on fisheries subsidies. We are a year behind on target 14.6 of the 
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which is why we are calling on Members to show 
flexibility and political will to reach  a balanced ag reement, without undermining the sustainability of 
our oceans.  WT/MIN(22)/ST/130  
 
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  We Members must reaffirm our commitment to development and special and differential treatment. 
By achieving concrete results in this area, our economies will be better integrated into internati onal 
trade, especially during times of crisis.  
Honduras reiterates its support for the joint initiatives on e -commerce; micro, small and 
medium -sized enterprises; investment facilitation for development; and gender. The WTO is the 
appropriate forum for dis cussing and regulating issues concerning the dynamic and ever -changing 
reality of international trade. We also support the initiatives on trade and environmental 
sustainability and environmentally sustainable plastics trade.  
We consider it necessary to dev elop a substantial post -MC12 agenda aimed at guiding and driving 
forward our work in order to resolve outstanding issues, and thus ensure that the WTO continues to 
produce positive results that support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal s.  
We must not forget that in a global economy that is increasingly interdependent and multipolar, it 
is our responsibility to ensure that we promote economic cooperation and that the efforts to fulfil 
the promises made in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development continue to be coordinated and 
remain coherent.  
Honduras, as a founding Member of the WTO, reiterates its commitment to the strengthening of the 
multilateral trading system. Trade isn't an end in itself but an instrument to pursue o ther higher 
objectives, such as addressing the interests and needs of the world's population, especially the needs 
of the most vulnerable.  
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