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14 June 2022  
(22-4641) Page: 1/6 
Ministerial Conference  
Twelfth Session  
Geneva, 12 -15 June 202 2   
 
MC12 OPENING SESSION  
STATEMENT  BY DR. NGOZI OKONJO -IWEALA  
WTO DIRECTOR -GENERAL  
SUNDAY, 12 JUNE  2022 
1. I am so excited to be here.  At some point in time  we thought this Ministerial would not happen.  
And here we are.  Let me welcome all of you.  Welcome – finally – to Geneva! I want to start by 
confessing that I have quite a long speech.  We had a little conspiracy with the Chair where he said 
he would lend m e his minutes, so he has spoken for only 6 minutes and I am going to speak for 
about 25.  I have a lot to say. This is my first speech. So welcome to Geneva. It is wonderful to see 
you all here in person. No matter how great technology is, nothing can beat an in-person meeting!  
I want to thank the Swiss authorities for their support and generosity in getting us here.  I want to 
thank the General Council Chair, Ambassador Didier  Chambovey, his predecessor Ambassador Dacio 
Castillo and the wonderful staff of th e WTO for their hard -work in making this meeting happen.  
 
2. This is my first WTO Ministerial Conference and it is a great privilege to stand before you as 
your 15 -month -old DG  - ready and willing to serve.  
 
3. While I am proud to be the first woman, and  first African  and the first American  in this role, 
what matters to me more is whether, on Wednesday when we conclude this conference, I am able 
to say that I was the DG who stood behind WTO Members as they came together and delivered 
results at a moment w hen the world really needed them  to do so . Will the road to deliver at this 
MC12 be smooth? Absolutely not. Expect a rocky, bumpy road with a few landmines along the way. 
But we shall overcome them.  
 
4. As we grapple with uncertainty and crises on multiple  fronts - the war in Ukraine and the 
inherent international security crisis; health, economic, environmental and geopolitical crises, - this 
is a time to demonstrate that multilateralism works. A time to demonstrate that the WTO can deliver 
for the interna tional community, and the people we serve.  
 
5. Nearly five years have passed since our last Ministerial Conference. While many Members took 
some important steps forward in Buenos Aires – for example on using trade as a vehicle for women's 
economic empowerm ent – that meeting didn't really deliver. Although Ministers did commit to 
completing the fisheries subsidies negotiations, they could not even agree on reaffirming the 
importance of the rules -based multilateral trading system and the WTO's founding princi ples. A trust 
deficit dating back to the breakdown of the Doha Round and even before took its toll. The media 
coverage reflected this,  and was brutal,  with uniformly negative headlines about a failing WTO and 
failing M inisters.  
 
6. Permit me to be blunt a nd say that Geneva has internalized many of these negative messages. 
The negativism is compounded by the negative advocacy of some think tanks and civil society groups 
here in Geneva and elsewhere who believe the WTO is not working for people. This is of c ourse not 
true, although we have not been able to clearly demonstrate it, b ut it worsens the trust deficit that 
I have noticed in these past 15 months. Despite this, Ambassadors have  been working very hard, 
trying to overcome, to work hard together and wor king to deliver. I want to say a heartfelt thank 
you to all the Ambassadors in Geneva.  I hope as Ministers you can work even better together to 
complete nearly completed deliverables so this organization can be put back on a results -focused WT/MIN(22)/19  
 
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  trajectory. I w ould like you to spend just a little bit of the political capital you have stored for your 
bilaterals and regional deals, to support multilateral deals at the WTO.  
 
7. Excellencies, this organization is worth investing in – that is why I came here. I t is worth 
strengthening. The multilateral trading system is a global public good that we have collectively and 
carefully built up over 75 years. Though certainly not perfect, by historical standards it has delivered 
more prosper ity to more people than every international economic order that came before it. Today, 
with history looming over us, with that multilateral system seemingly fragile, this is the time to 
invest in it, not to retreat  from it . This is the time to summon the m uch-needed political will to show 
that the WTO can be part of the solution to the multiple crises of the global commons that we face.  
 
8. Excellencies, the challenges we currently confront are also an opportunity. Between now and 
Wednesday, we have a chanc e to show the world that the WTO can step up to the plate. That we 
can act to correct this institution's problems, to reform and modernize it. That we can strike 
agreements in Geneva that will enhance the ability of all Members to respond to people's aspirations 
at home - aspirations for food , for health , for security, for better jobs, higher living standards, and 
a sustainable environment on land, in the oceans, and in our atmosphere. We must show the people 
who live in my village, who don't know what the WTO is, that the WTO matters, the WTO is about 
people and the WTO is for people.  
 
9. Now, more than ever, the world needs WTO Members to come together and deliver. We also 
need to deliver for those who seek to join us – the many countries, e specially from Africa, Central 
Asia, and the Middle East who want to accede to the WTO.  
 
10. If we do not deliver - if we allow or even embrace economic and regulatory fragmentation - 
the costs to your domestic constituencies will be substantial. Because, as Martin Luther King, Jr. said 
in a different context, and I quote "We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same 
boat now… Either we go up together, or we go down together." I certainly don't want to go down, 
even if I'm in your company.  
 
11. WTO economists estimate that if our interdependent world economy decouples into two self -
contained trading blocs, the resulting reduction in specialization and technology spillovers will by 
themselves lower the long -run level of real global GDP by ab out 5%.  To put this in perspective, the 
financial crisis of 2008 -09 is estimated to have lowered rich countries' long -run potential output by 
about 3.5%. And th is 5% estimate represents just the start of the economic damage. Additional 
losses would come fr om reduced scale economies, transition costs for businesses and workers, 
disorderly resource allocation, and financial distress. New trade and regulatory barriers within each 
bloc would add to the se costs.  
 
12. A return to the 'might makes right' in inter national commercial relations would be costly for 
the mighty, and even more damaging for everyone else. Lower -income countries would suffer the 
biggest losses in potential growth.  
 
13. Trade decoupling would entrench the development setbacks caused by the  COVID -19 
pandemic, making it much harder for poor countries to catch up with richer ones. This would be a 
world of diminished opportunities, even greater political anger and social unrest, and intense 
migratory pressures as people leave in search of bette r lives elsewhere. The debt problems we are 
already seeing would get worse. It is in all  our interests to keep the multilateral trading system 
going, so we continue to have clear and predictable terms of commercial engagement across 
members and alliances.  
 
14. The geopolitical tensions we are dealing with are real. We cannot pretend otherwise , and I 
wouldn't . But at the same time, it would be a mistake to let these tensions spill over into our work 
here. If we do, the consequences on the WTO's work and the functions of the multilateral trading 
system would be severe. Times are difficult but when the going gets tough, the tough get going. I 
am optimistic that with the requisite political will, a word you will hear from me many times, we can 
tackle the negotia tions in front of us, endorse the declarations, and take the decisions that will show 
the world that the WTO is part of the solution to the world's pressing problems.  
 
15. Looking to the busy days ahead of us, Excellencies, we will immediately after this s ession 
begin an exchange of views on challenges facing the multilateral trading system. An unprecedented 
103 Members and Observers have expressed interest in taking the floor in this session. In the WT/MIN(22)/19  
 
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  plenaries of the past, the average has been around 60. Th e high number of interventions is a 
testament both to the WTO's relevance and the challenging conjuncture we are in. I hope this session 
will enable Ministers to jump into action tomorrow to tackle the full agenda we have in front of us 
for MC12.  
 
16. Starting tomorrow morning we will take decisions that respond to ongoing emergencies, 
particularly in response to the pandemic and to the food crisis. We will then have further thematic 
sessions on  agriculture,  in fisheries,  WTO reform,  the e-commerce work pr ogramme and 
moratorium. Together with informal meetings in different configurations, these are designed to 
position ourselves to deliver results.  
 
17. As you know, Excellencies, your Capital -based officials, and your teams here in Geneva have 
been working very hard to lay the groundwork for success at MC12. You have received the various 
draft texts, declarations and decisions sent to you.  
 
18. WTO Members must respond to global crises with a sense of urgency. In this regard, you will 
have to complete the w ork that will allow the WTO to have a holistic response to this pandemic and 
to future ones. This consists of two parts, a trade and health declaration and a legally binding 
agreement on a TRIPS waiver.  
 
19. Getting these documents to you has been a painf ul process of tough negotiations after almost 
two years of little movement on the latter issue. I want to thank all of you – the so-called Quad  
countries , the ambassadors, negotiators, experts, Ministers who did the ground work that got us to 
this point , and the staff of the WTO who backed it up.  What remains to be decided requires political 
will, there we go again  – and I know you have it - to get us over the finish line. Getting agreement 
on the response to the pandemic will enable millions of people to a ccess affordable vaccines and 
medical countermeasures in this and future pandemics.  
 
20. The WTO must also respond to the looming food crisis. Droughts, floods, heat waves and other 
extreme weather events had already combined with C OVID -19 and pandemic -related supply chain 
bottlenecks to lead to rising food prices around the world. The war in Ukraine has escalated this 
situation. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, international wheat prices have 
increased 56% compared to last May. Overa ll cereal prices are up nearly 30%. Recent prices for 
vegetable oils are 45% higher, year on year. And the World Bank's index of fertilizer prices in low 
and middle income countries is 128% higher than it was a year ago.  
 
21. Economies everywhere are facing inflationary pressures with high food and energy prices 
hitting poor people  the hardest. Though Russia and Ukraine make up less than 3% of world goods 
trade, they loom large in exports of key foodstuffs, accounting in 2019 f or 25% of internationally 
traded wheat, 15% of barley and, together with Belarus, 20% of fertilizer. Many low and middle 
income countries import a substantial percentage of their food and agricultural inputs from th is 
region. For example, 35 countries in A frica import food products and 22 import fertilizer from the 
Black Sea region.  
 
22. Low-income countries face a catastrophic situation if action is not taken at both the national 
and international levels.  
 
23. WTO Members can contribute by allowing the f ree flow of food and agricultural inputs, 
especially for humanitarian purposes. The draft ministerial decision on exempting World Food 
Programme humanitarian purchases from export restrictions and the draft Ministerial Declaration on 
Trade and Food Securit y give you Ministers a chance to make WTO Members part of the multilateral 
solution to this crisis that we  face. This must be coupled with support to poor countries rich in land 
and natural resources to produce more of their own food. In this regard we appreciate the various 
initiatives at the World Bank , the African Development Bank, the EU Presidencies F ARM Initiative  to 
provide such support.  I hope you will collectively do the right thing and approve these proposals  
before us tomorrow .  
 
24. Turning n ow to some long-standing issues . Agriculture is so central to the functioning of each 
and every country, poor or rich, big or small. Domestic politics surrounding the sector are often 
fierce. Agriculture negotiations have been going on for two and a half d ecades  or more  – longer than 
fisheries subsidies – with few breakthrough agreements apart from the last one on export subsidies 
in Nairobi in 2015.  WT/MIN(22)/19  
 
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25. Many mandates and ministerial decisions in agriculture have gone unimplemented, and in fact, 
for almost  a decade now, there has been no agreed text to work on – and consequently no text -
based negotiations.  
 
26. Many Members or groups of Members have their own special areas of priority within the 
agriculture agenda: public stockholding, domestic support, sp ecial safeguard mechanism, market 
access, cotton, and so forth. With no consensus this year on how to deliver on mandates or priority 
areas, we have attempted to put in front of Ministers a draft decision that will ensure work continues 
on agriculture post -MC12.  I want to thank Ambassador Gloria Abraham Peralta and the staff of the 
Agricultural Unit and the Secretariats Delivery Unit for their hard work that has gone into making 
this happen.  
 
27. We hope Ministers will adopt this decision to give impetus t o the agriculture negotiations and 
to the implementation of already agreed and existing mandates.  
 
28. This notwithstanding, several Members and groups of Members have put forward their own 
priorities on agriculture for decisions or adoption. I hope Ministers in all this will find a way forward 
for agriculture post MC12.  We must not let agriculture drop by the wayside because of our 
differences.  
 
29. Turning now to fisheries, I want to start off by thanking the Chair of the Fisheries Subsidies 
negotiations , Ambassador Santiago Wills and the whole team supporting him for their work on the 
prospective agreement to curb harmful fisheries that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, and 
to eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unreg ulated (IUU) fishing . This 
prospective work  beautifully illustrates the WTO's founding purpose enshrined in the Marrakesh 
preamble: which is to enhance people's living standards, create employment, and support 
sustainable development. This agreement is cru cial to the 260 million people around the world whose 
livelihoods depend directly or indirectly on marine fisheries. It is also central to the sustainability of 
our oceans, where the latest studies show close to 50% of stocks for which we have data are 
overfished.  
 
30. Delivering fisheries is delivering SDG 14.6! I repeat that 21 years is enough. How long will we 
wait to contribute meaningfully to the world's sustainable development goals? Will our children 
forgive us, will poor fisherwomen and men forgive  us, if we allow our oceans to be depleted?  
 
31. The UN Ocean Conference is two weeks from now, and the world has sent word that they will 
demand accountability from the WTO there. So dear friends, honourable Ministers, let us rise to the 
occasion and deli ver once and for all an agreement to discipline harmful fisheries subsidies.  
 
32. Now on WTO reform. It is clear that our core monitoring, negotiation, and dispute settlement 
functions have not evolved in a manner that adequately captures the fast economic  and technological 
developments of our time.  
 
33. On negotiations, it is important to reaffirm that the multilateral approach, the single 
undertaking, is by far the preferred instrument. But is it the only one? Might a toolbox of different 
negotiating ins truments or approaches be appropriate? The multilateral approach has delivered little 
in recent years, prompting many to turn, out of frustration, to plurilaterals. Our consensus decision -
making approach, while democratic and egalitarian – qualities which are totally to be applauded – 
often leads to gridlock since just one Member can hold up what might be a potentially good 
agreement supported by many  more. We must reflect hard on how to modernize our negotiating 
function and innovate new approaches , whilst  improving existing ones . I repeat again – the 
multilateral instrument is the best one.  We have to invest in it.  
 
34. The way we negotiate agreements, with talks dragging unnecessarily for several years, is in 
turn linked to fear of being caught in our di spute settlement system – so every word, every comma 
(perhaps quite rightly , I am not a lawyer ) is parsed for its legal meaning or potential interpretation. 
Top of the WTO reform list for most Members is reform of our dispute settlement system  and its two 
tier approach with the Appellate Body. I am happy to say that outreach among Members at technical 
level has now begun to point to what shape or form such reform might take.  
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  35. Our monitoring, notification, and transparency functions also need to be stren gthened, and 
capacity built where it is needed by developing and least developed countries for more effective 
participation. Excellencies, there is little doubt that if we want a WTO for the future we must place 
these aspects of WTO reform at the centre of  our work.  
 
36. A crucial part of reform is making sure the WTO delivers for our developing and least developed 
country Members. That is why reaffirming the importance of special and differential treatment within 
the WTO is so significant. Our founding agreements call for positive efforts to ensure that developing 
and especially least -developed countries are able to use trad e to drive their economic development.  
 
37. Trade is an instrument for development  - it is not an end in itself.  In fact, tapping into 
international markets for value -added goods and services has been history's most proven path 
towards development. But too many of our Members have not been able to start or stay on this 
path.  
 
38. That is why special and differential treatment remains necessary. It would be great if Members 
that don't need S&DT because they are on the right track make clear they won't avail of it, so that 
flexibilities can go to those who need them.  
 
39. The priorities of LDCs naturally deserve partic ular attention. Some of them have done well 
enough to graduate, and are keen to smooth any bumps that might come with that step. We must 
also not forget the issues of the Cotton -4, which provide a test of the WTO's ability to deliver for the 
poorest  countr ies.  
 
40. Other aspects of reform include dealing with industrial, agricultural and other types of 
subsidies and level playing field issues so th at the  rules-based multilateral trading system can 
continue to be predictable and transparent, ensuring fair c ompetition and a free flow of goods and 
services.  
 
41. Reform also means using trade as a tool for socioeconomic inclusion by supporting women 
and micro, small, and medium -sized enterprises (MSMEs) to become part of regional and global 
value chains.  In this regard, I hope we can overcome our differences in our outcome document, so 
that women can feature as a part of what we say.  
 
42. Trade is going digital and trade is going green. Reform means making the WTO fit for purpose 
to embrace and navigate these new areas. Forging agreements that underpin the services economy, 
e-commerce, and green trade in line with the net -zero carbon emissions target for 2050 will all be 
essential. I am happy to say WTO Members are already delivering in these new areas, be it t hrough 
the Services Domestic Regulation Agreement reached last December, the e -commerce and 
investment facilitation negotiations, or the structured discussions on environmental sustainability, 
climate change, and trade.  And of course, the Informal Working Group on Women.  
 
43. One important decision before you in the area of digital trade is the issue of the moratorium 
on levying customs duties on electr onic transmissions. I have never received so many letters from 
business associations all over the world as  I have on this issue. I hope Ministers will have the courage 
to make the right decision in this critical area.  
 
44. So what are we seeking at MC12 in terms of movement on WTO reform? We are seeking a 
decision on process. What approach should the WTO follo w to pursue these reforms? What approach 
would facilitate agreement on the substance of reforms, a work programme, and a timeline for 
starting to deliver changes by MC13? Excellencies, it will be important for th is organization's 
credibility to achieve con sensus on the process for reforms.  
 
45. Excellencies, the agenda before us at MC12 is an exciting one. But it is also a difficult one. In 
the next three days we will have to work hard to forge consensus and deliver on the agreements, 
declarations, and dec isions before us.  
 
46. Ministers, my dream is that we deliver on this agenda. But it was Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who 
said, and I quote, "The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve 
them." She's right. But dreams are also achieved one step at a time. All of you know that system 
overload is a real risk in any negotiation. Three deliverables are better than two, and two are better WT/MIN(22)/19  
 
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  than one. But even one result is a bigger step towards our dreams than all of us going home empty 
handed.  
 
47. Let me conclude, Ladies and Gentlemen, Excellencies, by saying we can and we should deliver. 
Nelson Mandela said "It always seems impossible, until it is done." Please l et's go and do it! Let's 
make MC12 a conference at whose end we shall celebrate success and know that we have laid the 
foundation for  a life post MC12 going towards MC13.  
 
48. Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen and thank you again  to the WTO Secretariat staff for making 
this happen.  
 
__________  