At a meeting of the WTO’s General Council on 28 July, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said it remains very unlikely that a clearly defined work programme on the remaining Doha issues could be agreed by the mandated deadline of 31 July. However, he said that this did not in any way mean that members could not reach a successful outcome at the 10th Ministerial Conference in Nairobi this December.

“Whatever the outcome this week, it is vital that members remain committed and focused on substantive outcomes. Come September, members should be ready to hit the ground running on substance not process,” the Director-General said. If members can come to a common understanding of what they wish to achieve, early in the autumn, “we have an excellent chance of delivering meaningful results in Nairobi”.

Speech by DG Azevêdo

Thank you, Mr Chairman.

Since I last reported to the General Council on 5 May, there has been intense activity aimed at preparing the DDA work programme.

Our work has continued on the tracks that I outlined at the beginning of the year, specifically:

• The work of the negotiating groups, supported by the group Chairs. This is the main track – it feeds everything we do – and that is where the work programme has to happen.

• My own consultations with different configurations of the membership on a variety of issues, including meetings in Room W.

• And meetings convened by members themselves – some of which I have been invited to and have participated in.

I have also continued my consultations with ministers and leaders, including:

• In May, at the APEC meeting of Ministers responsible for Trade.

• In June, at the informal ministerial meeting convened on the side-lines of the OECD in Paris and the G7 Summit in Germany.

• And, in July, at the 5th Global Review of Aid for Trade and the UN Financing for Development summit in Addis Ababa.

In addition, there was a meeting of African trade ministers in Nairobi last week, convened by the African Union. I was unable to attend due to my consultations here in Geneva, but I made sure that a WTO delegation did attend the meeting, led by DDG Shark. I was very pleased that this meeting was taking place as it signals again the high level of engagement among African members and I think this is very important. Indeed, I am delighted to welcome Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed who joins us again today – and who will I'm sure give us a more detailed update on that meeting in a few moments.

Since the May General Council, I also have convened three Room W meetings – on 1 June, 17 June and 8 July. At these meetings I reported to the membership on all of my consultations and on the progress towards the preparation of the work programme.

On each and every one of these occasions I expressed my concern that despite intense and active engagement, insufficient progress was being made on the substantive points – particularly on the gateway issues. Significant differences remained across many areas.

The reality is that despite willingness to explore different approaches and consider proposals or ideas, many members have still not been willing to move towards convergence. Progress has remained very limited.

This is why at the last Room W meeting on 8 July, I was clear in my assessment that as things stood then, there was very little prospect of delivering the substantive and “clearly defined” work programme by the end of the month.

I was also clear that this was not a question of the time available. Rather, it was about making the tough political decisions to unlock the situation. I urged members to keep working, but also to start considering all possible scenarios, including how to move forward in the absence of a work programme.

At that same meeting, I announced my intention to convene a TNC meeting on the 24th of July, and to provide a full report to this General Council about the situation.

However, after talking to delegations and reflecting further, I decided that in order to allow the maximum possible amount of time to keep working before the deadline expires, we should postpone the TNC until the 31st.

So let me give you my assessment today. I have discussed the situation widely – including with the chairs – and I think that, despite our best efforts so far, my earlier view still remains valid.

As I have stated on several occasions, the process has to remain member-driven. Members should not expect me, or the chairs, to put forward a work programme for members to discuss.

It has to come from you. 

I have encouraged members to come forward with new ideas and proposals to help build consensus. And you have done that. I sense a willingness to engage in a conversation that is more creative and open minded than before. This is coming not from one or two members, but from a very, very large spectrum of the membership – the majority in fact.

It is very positive. I particularly welcome the initiatives that we have begun to see in recent days.

But, as things stand, we still don’t have a work programme.

And, even within this more open-minded exercise, there are still clear conceptual differences in expectations. For example, I see some large gaps between what some members want to put on the table and what they want in return. This is true for many, including among the major players.

So there is still a long, long way to go.

We are just three days from our deadline and so, despite recent efforts by some groups, I find it hard to see how things can change sufficiently in the time we have available.

But it is vital that we keep working and keep pushing.

Last week a number of negotiating groups met – specifically the groups on agriculture, NAMA and services. The Negotiating Group on Rules will meet tomorrow to discuss two new submissions. The TRIPS Special Session will also meet on Thursday.

The chairs will fully report on these activities to the membership at the TNC on Friday.

And I am continuing my consultations. I had a meeting with a group of delegations last Friday to discuss market access issues in agriculture, NAMA and services in a horizontal manner.

I will also hold sessions to take up some other agriculture issues – specifically domestic support and export competition – as well as the areas of rules, development and LDC issues.

I have also been invited to attend further consultations held by members.

The chairs and I will report fully on all of these activities at the TNC meeting on Friday.

At the TNC meeting, we will have no alternative but to face the reality of what we will have been able to achieve by then. This will not mean making the final call on what we can achieve in Nairobi, or on the DDA more broadly – it is mainly about the work programme.

In a scenario where there is no work programme by the Friday deadline – and this is not the only scenario, we all may yet be surprised – there will certainly be a sense of disappointment that we would have missed an opportunity to establish a clear roadmap to move forward. But we should not allow this to lead us to inaction. It cannot become an obstacle. We will need to redouble our efforts and work towards achieving substantive outcomes for Nairobi.

Indeed, whatever the outcome this week, it is vital that members remain committed and focused on substantive outcomes. Come September, members should be ready to hit the ground running on substance not process.

While we haven't moved forward yet, through our extensive engagement we have built the vehicle which can take us forward.

If a common understanding materializes early in the 2nd semester, then I think we still have an excellent chance of delivering meaningful outcomes in Nairobi. Whatever the outcome this week, when we return after the summer that must be our number one priority.

As the crow flies, Nairobi is about 6,000 kilometres away from Geneva.

In September we will have to stop talking about how we can make the journey, and take our first step.

Thank you for listening. This concludes my report, Mr Chairman.