  
  
WT/MIN(22)/ST/115  
12 June 2022 
(22-4555) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Twelfth Session  
Geneva, 12 -15 June 2022  Original: English  
 
 
STATEMENT BY HON. MS HARRIET NTABAZI  
MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRADE, INDUSTRY  
AND COOPERATIVES (TRADE)  
UGANDA  
I bring to you fraternal greetings from the people and Government of the Republic of Uganda.  I also 
congratulate you all upon the holding of the 12th Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference.  As we 
all know, this Session was supposed to be held in 2020 and physically in Kazakhstan, but was 
postponed due to the global outbreak of COVID -19. In December 2021 when we had started 
converg ing in Geneva for the Conference, again COVID -19 through a new variant scattered us! With 
its One Hundred Sixty Four (164) Member Countries accounting for over 98% of global trade, this 
means that the whole world could not meet for over two years due to th e COVID -19. The fact that 
we all could not meet is a strong pointer to the importance of 'unison of the whole world ' in fighting 
the pandemic.  Such unison must cover access to vaccines, diagnostics and treatment, 
manufacturing, and better international reg ulatory coordination to position us to deal better with the 
COVID -19 pandemic or any other future pandemic.  Therefore, we must work together to build ability 
and resilience to deal with such occurrences across the globe, not just in certain parts of the gl obe. 
 
My delegation fully appreciates the role that the World Trade Organization and the multilateral 
trading system are playing in global development; and notes that the role could even be bigger, 
more inclusive, and benefit Members more equitably.  For th is to be possible, the WTO Membership 
must not only listen, but also address issues of concern to the Least Developed amongst them.  
These issues have been very well articulated in the LDC Declaration prepared for this Conference; 
and Uganda aligns herself with the Declaration.   
 
On this note, Uganda salutes the Developed Country and Developing Country Members that have 
granted Duty Free and Quota Free market access to Least Developed Countries.  This has been a 
very important tool in supporting these countri es' efforts to graduate out of the LDC bracket, the 
internal supply side constraints notwithstanding.  In the same spirit, I wish to appreciate our partners 
who in one way or another have assisted by granting LDCs the Duty Free and Quota Free market 
access,  and in building our internal capacities to access such markets.  One such initiative that has 
been useful in this respect is the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF).  With the important role 
played by these initiatives, I urge the WTO Membership to:  
 
i. Accord  LDCs that, partly as a result of these initiatives, graduate from LDC status 
adequate transitional periods before completely getting off such Schemes.  Otherwise, 
we risk weaning them off before they can fully fit in the new classification to the 
detriment  of our joint efforts help such countries graduate ;  
ii. Extend the Enhanced Integrated Framework beyond the current phase and expand it 
to keep it in tandem with current needs.  
Your Excellences, let me address myself to the important subject of WTO Reforms.  While Uganda 
appreciates that reforms are necessary in view of the changing times, we are also very much alive 
to the fact that such reforms must not deform the WTO!  The core principles of the WTO and the 
multilateral trading system must be preserved and st rengthened, not weakened.  We must fully take 
into account the diversity of the WTO Membership while preserving unity.  All institutions of the WTO 
must be fully constituted to perform the functions they were envisaged to play.  An organized WT/MIN( 22)/ST/ 115 
 
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  international trading environment is very beneficial to all of us; and we must work together to build 
and preserve it.  Uganda will continue to play her part; and calls upon other WTO Members to play 
theirs too.  
 
Your Excellences and distinguished delegates , as an agrarian economy, Uganda attaches great 
importance to the negotiations under Agriculture.  We strongly call for a balanced outcome in the 
negotiations under Agriculture.  The spirit and letter of the development provisions of the Agreement 
on Agricul ture should be preserved.  The policy space of agrarian economies such as Uganda to use 
Agriculture to develop themselves must not be eroded.  Similarly, Uganda implores WTO Members 
not to pursue agricultural policies and practices that hurt economies of oth ers, especially the agrarian 
economies.  
 
The delegation Uganda commends the good work that has been done in the area of Ocean Fishery 
subsidies; and looks forward to a tangible outcome from this Ministerial Conference.  
 
Your Excellences, the world is currently grappling with the challenge of rising commodity prices, 
largely fuelled  by the aftermath of the COVID -19 pandemic and global logistics constraints.  It is 
important that we work together to find a multilateral solut ion to this challenge.  
 
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