. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/MIN(01)/ST/69
11 November 2001
(01-5645)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Fourth Session
Doha, 9 - 13 November 2001Original:  French
ANGOLA
Statement by H.E. Mr Vitórino Domingos Hossi
Minister of Commerce
As Angola celebrates the 26th anniversary of its independence today, it is an honour for me to
express, on behalf of my country's Government and the delegation accompanying me, my deep
gratitude to the Government and people of the Emirate of Qatar for the hospitality extended to us onthe occasion of this prestigious Conference.
I am especially pleased to address this Conference of Ministers and representatives of the
WTO Members, who are meeting in this beautiful country in order to discuss and find the best
possible solutions to trade issues, and in particular the effects of economic globalization, as listed onour agenda, which are of crucial importance in shaping a more balanced future for trade and the
restructuring of international trade, development promotion, poverty reduction and the achievement of
equitable prosperity for our various countries.
The Republic of Angola considers that trade liberalization policies can help to establish
secure foundations for sustainable economic growth, which is a key factor in the success of my
country's ongoing reform programme, based on a poverty reduction programme and the monitoringarrangement concluded with the IMF.  We accordingl y recognize the vital need to mainstream trade
policies into national development strategies.
We are well aware that greater market access is not in itself the key to development – though
it may play a decisive role in that regard.  We must recognize that, although globalization hascontributed to some extent to the growth of transition economies, its benefits have not yet had any
significant impact on the developing economies in general and the least-developed countries in
particular.
Thus, the African countries, and especially Angola, are faced with a considerable challenge,
namely the need to create a continent-wide architecture, inter alia  at the level of regional economic
communities, capable of fostering economic growth and of strengthening the technical and human
capacities needed to be able to derive rational and sustained benefits from its resources.  Indeed, the
dynamics of international interdependence demand that developing and least-developed countries,
especially on the African continent, should adjust and adapt in order to achieve developmentobjectives.
Six years have gone by since the WTO was created and, despite the promises made to
facilitate the integration of the least-developed c ountries into the multilateral trading system with a
view to obtaining greater economic and social benefits, we regret to say that the reality and prospects
for their development remain bleak.WT/MIN(01)/ST/69
Page 2
Consequently, we would like to reiterate the validity of the resolutions adopted at the Third
United Nations Conference on the Least-Developed Countries in Brussels, and of the Zanzibar and
Abuja Declarations, which aim to find fair and equitable solutions to help those countries still
marginalized by the system to realize their greatest ambitions.
Thus, we urge all nations, especially the developed countries, to provide more effective
support in the implementation of the resolutions and decisions taken in the various international
forums, including those agreed upon in the Final Act of the Uruguay Round (special and differential
treatment, duty- and quota-free market access), most importantly, by offering systematic and
continuous technical assistance and institutional and human capacity-building, so as to revive the
economic, commercial and social conditions in our countries.
I must conclude by extending my sincere congratulations to the People's Republic of China on
its accession to the WTO and by stating Angola's commitment and readiness to help work with the
WTO and other international institutions to make this Conference a resounding success.
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