  
  
WT/MIN( 22)/ST/ 2 
12 June 2022 
(22-4428) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Twelfth Session  
Geneva, 12 -15 June 2022  Original: English  
 
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR JOZEF SÍKELA  
MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE  
CZECH REPUBLIC  
First of all, let me express our gratitude to the Government of Kazakhstan and of Switzerland for 
organizing and hosting the Conference.  
 
I would also like to express our sincere appreciation for Director -General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo -Iweala 
and her team for all their efforts to make this important event happen.  
 
The Czech Republic would also like to support the statement of the EU presented earlier by Executive 
Vice-President Dombrovskis.  
 
Let me share a few of my thoughts on the WTO, its place in the global economic architecture and 
our expectations from the organization in these very difficult times.  
 
My country represents one of the most open economies in the w orld. In our experience, it is the 
predictability of the system based on the WTO rules and principles that brings benefits to our 
businesses and the economy as a whole.  
 
We have been defending the multilateral trading system since its creation.  
 
The organization has certainly gone through very tough times – through globalization anxiety, 
financial crisis, economic tensions, mistrust and the pandemic.  
 
Furthermore, the global community finds itself going from one unprecedented crisis to another. From 
the Covid crisis to the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Consequences of these crises pose 
numerous challenges to the WTO. Can the WTO manage orderly economic relations between its 
Members, when one of the members wages an undeclared and illegal war agai nst another? When a 
member blocks food exports of another Member by military means, and the rest of the world finds 
itself on the verge of inflation, unrest and hunger? When fossil fuels are becoming a tool in the 
hybrid conflict forcing the global communi ty to reconsider its green transition efforts and its energy 
security?  
 
So far, the foundations and core principles of the WTO have proven their resilience. We do need 
them in the future to govern our basic economic relations. We do need them as a platform  to build 
upon while seeking deeper and closer cooperation.   
 
And let me recall, negotiations have delivered concrete results in the past.  
 
In this spirit, I have a few messages to my fellow Ministers:  
 
Firstly, the WTO needs an overall reform to accommoda te its diverse membership and different 
priorities. This should cover a range of issues: transparency, functioning dispute settlement or 
stronger subsidy rules, to name just a few. We should strive to gradually improve and strengthen 
the existing rules, no t weaken them.  
 
Secondly, we support all the efforts leading to finalizing the ongoing negotiations at this Conference. 
I, therefore, call on Members to engage in good faith in the coming few days. Several outcomes are WT/MIN( 22)/ST/ 2 
 
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  within our reach: agreement on fisheries subsidies, t he WTO response to the pandemic and the 
declaration on food security. In this context I would like to emphasize the key role of the WTO at a 
time when the world is concerned about the risk of famine in Africa and the least developed countries.  
 
Thirdly, we  should continue working on joint initiatives addressing some of the most relevant issues. 
Creating new rules and principles for the digital economy is a prime example that can help our 
business grow. We welcome the deepening of cooperation in trade and en vironmental sustainability. 
And we hope to see the first results by the next Conference.  
 
As our former president Václav Havel once said: "If our present crisis inspires us to new deeds, that 
will give our identity a renewed meaning, we have no reason to r egret that it has come. " The WTO 
will only be successful with the support and real commitment of its Members. This Conference can 
become a turning point. The Czech Republic is ready to make its contribution, particularly as an 
upcoming EU presidency.  
 
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