Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed, Minister of International Trade and Industry will be attending the Tenth WTO Ministerial Conference from 15 to 18 December 2015, in Nairobi, Kenya.

2. The WTO Ministerial Conference meets biennially to review the work of the World Trade Organisation and presents an opportunity for Trade Ministers to provide further political guidance on negotiations undertaken conducted under the organisation’s ambit.

3. Besides commemorating the 20th anniversary of the WTO’s establishment, the Tenth Ministerial Conference is a crucial milestone for the WTO to review implementation issues agreed upon at previous conferences, including decisions related to the economic progress of its developing nation members as well as charting the work programme of the WTO for 2016 and subsequent years.

4. The Conference will also formally accept the accessions of Liberia and Afghanistan as new WTO Members. The adoption of the accession protocol will enlarge the WTO membership to 164 Members.

5. Throughout the WTO Conference period, Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed is scheduled to meet several counterpart Ministers bilaterally to exchange views on WTO-related issues and discuss bilateral trade interests. Dato’ Sri Mustapa is also expected to have a Roundtable session and bilateral meetings with the private sector in Kenya and meet with the  Malaysian diaspora in Nairobi.

6. Malaysia is also participating in the Cairns Group Ministerial Meeting as well as the IDB Ministerial Consultative Meeting on the sidelines of the Conference. The Cairns Group erves to promote and protect its Members’ interest in WTO agriculture negotiations whilst the IDB Consultative Meeting offers an informal forum for Ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Conference.

7. Malaysia is optimistic that the WTO Tenth Ministerial Conference in Nairobi will be successful in charting a more concrete work programme that will revitalize the Doha Development Agenda.

MINISTRY OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INDUSTRY
KUALA LUMPUR
14 December 2015