. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/MIN(03)/ST/79
12 September 2003
(03-4858)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Fifth SessionCancún, 10 - 14 September 2003Original:  English
TANZANIA
Statement by the Honourable Juma Aifa Ngasongwa
Minister of Industry and Trade
Let me extend my sincere thanks to the Government of Mexico for agreeing to host the Fifth
WTO Ministerial Conference.
Allow me also to express my appreciation to the Government and the people of Mexico for
the very warm welcome and hospitality extended to me and members of my delegation, since ourarrival in this beautiful city of Cancún.  In a specia l way, I would like to take this opportunity to thank
all those who in one way or another made this important meeting possible.
To me and my delegation, the road to Cancún started with the first LDCs Trade Ministers'
meeting that took place in Zanzibar in July 2001 in preparation for the Fourth WTO Ministerial
Conference in Doha, Qatar.  The objective of the Zanzibar meeting was for the LDCs to agree on
common negotiating objectives for the Fourth Ministerial Conference with a view to address the real
dangers of marginalization of developing countries, and especially LDCs, arising out of the current
international trade relations.  Global trade relations, I am afraid to say, continue to deny LDCs the
perceived benefits of global trade liberalization.  Trade distorting subsidies in favour of developed
countries, and the resultant dumping of artificially cheap products into our open markets bring into
serious question the validity of the often orchestrated virtues of free trade.  We have to address theproblem of double standards pursued by developed countries in respect of trade liberalization.
LDCs, African and ACP countries have ably tabled to the international community our
immediate concerns through Ministerial declarations in Dhaka, Bangladesh; in Grande Baie,
Mauritius and in Brussels.  We demand to be heard and to be meaningfully engaged.  We demandtransparency in the decision-making process.  We demand differential treatment for LDCs as we
endeavour to build our capacity to fully part icipate in the multilateral trading system.
The least-developed countries are a specifically recognized category on UN classification and
in the Uruguay Round Agreements and Decisions, where there are provisions for special anddifferential treatment to address their specific vuln erability.  However, due to the very low levels of
our economic development, LDCs are unable to take advantage of such special and differential
treatment.  This factor by itself is a major concern that needs to be addressed by the international
community.  There are concerns on supply side constraints in respect of undeveloped infrastructure,
low human resource capacity, etc.  We believe that trade, more than aid, provide LDCs with a betterchance for rapid economic development.  The form and substance of the multilateral trade regime is
of high significance to us as it determines the pace and direction of our economic growth and
development.  Unfortunately, the commitments to trade-related technical assistance to LDCs has
hardly been met.  We left Doha with a "development" Agenda.  We agreed on deadlines to meet
specific targets.  We missed most of these deadlines largely because of a shift in commitments by ourdeveloped partners.  We cannot make progress in negotiating a viable multilateral trade regime while
economically powerful countries continuously cling to positions which are driven by national andWT/MIN(03)/ST/79
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corporate interest.  As a result "Implementation is sues" of interest to developing countries have
remained largely ignored while "new issues" of in terest to developed countries are thrust upon us
when we are least prepared.
I do believe that we do have ample opportunity to carry forward the Development Agenda
agreed at Doha.  Although the Development Agenda agreed at Doha did not fully address the
concerns of developing countries, yet we believe it remains a basis for a viable work programme.  We
have therefore an opportunity here in Cancún to determine the correct course of action as we take
stock of implementation of the Doha commitments.  In Doha an idea for a development agenda was
agreed upon.  Let Cancún provide us with an opportunity for a work programme which will enhance
the legitimacy and sustainability of a multilateral trading system.
This meeting, here in Cancún, is very significant as a mid-term review of the Doha Work
Programme. We need to address pressing issues such as the crisis in commodity prices,
implementation issues and market access opportunities for developing countries.  We need to
seriously address agriculture and other trade-distorting subsidies and non-tariff barriers.  We have
serious problems with the definitions of "Boxes" and particularly obvious loopholes in respect of the"Green Box" which has become a convenient containe r of trade-distorting subsidies that threaten the
very survival of hundreds of millions of farmers in Africa and in other developing countries.  Of equal
concern is the trade-related intellectual property regime that puts poor countries at a huge
disadvantage now, and more so in the future.  We have no option but to insist on availability of
adequate and affordable pharmaceuticals and drugs, especially anti-retroviral drugs which preventHIV/AIDS infection and progression.  For us this is both an economic matter and a moral obligation
to save human life.  Our responsibility, first and foremost, is the health and welfare of our people, and
any multilateral trade agreement on intellectual proper ty rights is therefore a matter of great concern.
We do welcome the current progress towards a decision on implementation of paragraph 6 of the
Doha Declaration on TRIPS Agreement and Public Health.  We congratulate the Chairman of the
TRIPS Council for this effort.  We believe we now have a basis of reaching a consensus on the
long-standing impasse on this important issue.
The spirit shown by the negotiating parties on TRIPS and Public Health does demonstrate that
mutually beneficial positions can be agreed upon if we all negotiate in good faith.  The success of our
deliberations here in Cancún and indeed the post-Cancún work programme will depend on the
readiness of all parties to take into account the concerns of developing countries.  This, I believe, isthe only way we can hope to achieve a legitimate and sustainable multilateral trading system.
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