WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/MIN(99)/ST/76
1 December 1999
(99-5291)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Third Session
Seattle, 30 November - 3 December 1999Original:  French
TOGO
Statement by H.E. Mr. Rodolphe Kossivi Osseyi
Minister of Industry, Commerce and Development
It is a great honour to me to represent my country, Togo, in this August assembly at the
WTO's Third Ministerial Conference.
It is also gratifying for me to convey to this meeting a message of support from my country's
authorities.
I should like to congratulate and thank the authorities of the United States of America, the
State of Washington and city of Seattle for providing an opportunity for the WTO to hold its ThirdMinisterial Conference in this great country.
I should like to congratulate and thank Mr. Mike Moore, Director-General of the WTO, all
the staff of the WTO Secretariat and the Geneva and Seattle organization and coordination
committees for their work in preparing this Conference.
I congratulate and thank the Governments of the United States of America and of other
countries which, with their generous contributions, have facilitated participation by the developing
countries in this meeting.
After more than five decades, the multilateral trading system has become for  the international
community an ideal and practical backdrop for trade, and the globalization of trade, economic, andsocial activities is moving ahead all the time.
It should be pointed out that, from GATT to the WTO, the international community's
objective has been ever-increasing liberalization of trade and economic activities by progressive tariff
cuts and the abolition non-tariff barriers, as well as the harmonization of economic and trade policiesand practices throughout the world.
Shared by 135 Member States in the context of the WTO, these objectives reveal the general
principles of globalization and of the new international and commercial system, namely:
To secure the rapprochement, complementarity, interdependence and solidarity of nations and
their economies, with a view to harmonious a nd lasting development and improvement of the
plight of human beings at both the national and the international levels by reducing disparities
marked by abundance and social well-being on the one hand, and poverty and destitution on
the other.
This principle is indeed rewarding, but it is complex:  it involves advantages but also
drawbacks.  It affects countries of all sizes and all kinds and the disparities in the benefits ofWT/MIN(99)/ST/76
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implementing this principle are all too evident:  the industrialized countries fully profit from it,
whereas the developing and least-developed countries are gradually marginalized, if not excluded.
If they are to benefit from the opportunities afforded by the new international economic and
trading system and to become fully integrated in that system, the developing and least-developedcountries in general and in Africa in particular st and in need of suitable and continuous assistance and
information, which they should not, however, idly wait for.  Yet their efforts are annihilated as a result
of diverging interests and power-based relations.
It should be noted that the hopes placed in the provisions of the Uruguay Round Agreements
have not materialized:  implementation of those agreements has generally been insufficient and
inadequate, the provisions on special and differential treatment for developing countries have not beenapplied, assistance in production diversification and improved of the competiveness of developing
countries and least-developed countries has not been edifying, the commitments in favour of the
developing countries have not been respected, arbitrary measures have been applied against products
from developing countries, and so on.
In the circumstances, the implementation of the Uruguay Round Agreements has not made for
effective integration of the developing and least-developed countries in the international trading
system and has not enabled them to gain the advantages they expected.
The international trading system has not, therefore, yet recovered from all its ills.In the particular case of Togo, it should be pointed out that, despite its liberal trade policy and
various liberalization measures adopted for many years, economic and trade expansion has not been
conclusive and Togo, like many other countries, is still bowed down by the burden of debt, poverty,
endemic unemployment, lack of basic infrastructure and facilities, etc.
As you may well imagine, Togo's presence at this Conference reflects its readiness and
determination to support the positions expressed by the Group of 77, the African Group, the ACP
Group and the LDC Group on the issues under discussion in the context of the new international
economic and trading system, such as:
• Including development issues in the agenda of the future negotiations;
• Maintaining existing trade preferences between developed countries and developing
countries;
• Helping developing and least-developed countries to foster and strengthen their
diversified production and supply capacities and favouring effective market access forthem;
• Guaranteeing simpler and less costly WTO accession conditions for the
least-developed countries;
• Effectively implementing the various provisions on special and differential treatment
for the least-developed countries;
• Giving fresh impetus to the WTO Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical
Assistance for the least-developed countries with a view to effectively implementing
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• Taking account of the concerns of net food-importing developing countries and their
non-trade concerns pertaining to food security and rural activities, etc.
In conclusion I should like to point out that the WTO is holding its Third Conference at a
turning-point.  After more than half a century, th e international trading system will be entering into
the third millennium.  Moreover, the first series of multilateral trade negotiations of the thirdmillennium is about to be launched.
Now the close of the twentieth century and on the eve of the new millennium, the
international community should, at the time of these international events, adopt decisive measures and
effectively implement them to take up the challenge of the situation that the poor countries have been
facing for such a long time.
Admittedly, the international trading system is still experiencing difficulties, inadequacies and
imbalances.  But it is reassuring and encouraging that, from GATT to the WTO, the system has cut
back various aspects of protectionism, brought comparative transparency in trade policies, practices
and flows throughout the world and led to decisive results.
Our delegation ventures to hope that, with genuine renewed international solidarity, the
international community will take the requisite steps so that the international trading system is more
efficient and profitable for all, in justice and in equity.
Togo therefore remains confident that the outcome of this Third Ministerial Conference, and
above all effective implementation of the results, will calm fears and give renewed confidence and
hope to the economically weak countries.
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