Joint Proposal by China, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, South Africa and Venezuela

The co-sponsors of this Joint Proposal are strong supporters of an open, non-discriminatory, transparent and rule-based multilateral trading system embodied in the World Trade Organization (WTO). The co-sponsors are firmly committed to co-operate with other Members to ensure the success of the Tenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC10) in Nairobi, Kenya during 15-18 December 2015.

This submission seeks to reaffirm Members’ commitments to respect the mandates under the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) and continue to negotiate the remaining DDA issues after MC10 consistent with the DDA mandates and framework.

As stated in the Doha Ministerial Declaration, the DDA “seeks to place the needs and interests of developing Members at its heart and continue to make positive efforts designed to ensure that developing Members, and especially the LDCs secure a share in the growth of world trade commensurate with the needs of their economic development”. In the subsequent Ministerial Declarations and General Council Decisions, WTO Members have reaffirmed their commitment to complete the Doha Work Program fully, conclude negotiations launched at Doha successfully and fulfill the development dimension in every aspect of the DDA, ratifying the principles of special and differential treatment and less than full reciprocity.

The United Nations has just adopted the Post-2015 Development Agenda one month ago, and WTO should make contributions to the sustainable development goals by promoting development through trade. Any attempt to dismantle the DDA would be detrimental instead of being conducive to the achievement of Post-2015 Development Agenda.

In this regard, the co-sponsors of this Joint Proposal hereby submit a textual proposal on Parts I and III of the Ministerial Declaration for Nairobi.

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PART I

1.1. We, the Ministers, have met in Nairobi, Kenya, from 15 to 18 December 2015 at our Tenth Session. As we conclude our Session, we would like to express our deep appreciation to the Government and people of Kenya for the excellent organization and the warm hospitality we have received in Nairobi.

1.2. We reaffirm the principles and objectives set out in the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization. We also recall the Declarations and Decisions we adopted at Doha and at the Ministerial Conferences we have held since then and reaffirm our full commitment to give effect to them.

1.3. To this effect, we take note of the reports from the General Council and its subsidiary bodies. We welcome the progress that these reports, and the Decisions stemming from them, show in the work of the WTO, thereby strengthening its effectiveness and the multilateral trading system as a whole.

1.4. International trade can play a major role in the promotion of economic development and the alleviation of poverty. We recognize the need for all our peoples to benefit from the increased opportunities and welfare gains that the multilateral trading system generates. The majority of WTO Members are developing countries. We seek to place their needs and interests at the centre of the work in the WTO.

1.5. We particularly welcome the advances made in the Doha Development Agenda (DDA), as represented by the Decisions and Declarations we have adopted at our present session. These Decisions and Declarations signify that we have taken yet another step forward in the negotiations and attest to our strong resolve to complete the DDA as has been reaffirmed by our Leaders in the Sustainable Development Goal 17.10.

1.6. The DDA is a significant multilateral attempt to respond to trade and development interests of developing Members and redress the development deficit in the rules resulting from the previous rounds of multilateral trade negotiations. A comprehensive conclusion of the DDA with meaningful and balanced outcomes will provide impetus to global trade liberalization and facilitation, correct the development deficit in the rules resulting from the previous rounds of multilateral trade negotiations, improve the trading prospects of developing Members, and enhance the primary role of the WTO in global trade governance.

(text on WTO’s Achievements over the Past 20 years to be developed in the room W process)

We welcome the outcomes embodied in the following Decisions and Declarations as part of the progress in the Doha Development Agenda …

PART III – POST NAIROBI WORK

1.9. We reaffirm our commitment to the WTO as the pre-eminent multilateral organisation addressing international trade, including negotiating and implementing trade rules, settling disputes and supporting development.

1.10. We take note of the progress that has been made towards carrying out the Doha Work Programme, including the decisions we have taken during this Ministerial Conference. These decisions are important stepping stones towards the completion of the Doha Round. We reaffirm the Declarations and Decisions we adopted at Doha, and all subsequent Declarations and Decisions notably the Decision adopted by the General Council on 1 August 2004; the Hong Kong Declaration of 2005 and the Bali Ministerial Declaration of 2013.

1.11. All participants have worked hard and constructively to make progress as required under the Doha mandates. We have made some progress. However, more work needs to be done to enable us to proceed towards the full, successful and multilateral conclusion of the negotiations pursuant to paragraphs 45, 47 and 48 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration in fulfilment of the commitments we took at Doha. In those areas where we have reached a high level of convergence on texts, we undertake to maintain this convergence as the basis of further negotiations towards the conclusion.

1.12 Taking note of the progress made so far, we instruct our officials to continue working towards the expeditious conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda with a renewed sense of urgency. Further, we ask the Chairman of the General Council to convene a special meeting of the General Council no later than 31st March 2016 and every three months thereafter to review the progress of work done towards this successful conclusion in a time-bound manner.