Minister Toivakka travels to the WTO Ministerial Conference in Nairobi

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Lenita Toivakka will travel to the 10th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization WTO (MC10) in Nairobi, Kenya, on 15–18 December. This is the first time that a WTO Ministerial Conference is organised in Africa.

This year, MC10 will focus on the progress and prospects of the Doha Round negotiations (Doha Development Agenda, DDA). 

One of the objectives of the Conference is to reach agreement on the so-called Nairobi mini-package, which would cover export competition of agricultural products, decisions concerning the least-developed countries (so-called LDC package) and transparency in rules and services.

In the negotiations concerning the export competition of agricultural products the aim is to eliminate and cut agricultural export subsidies and specify rules applying to export credits, international food aid, and exporting state trading enterprises. Topics related to the LDCs include preferential rules of origin, preferential treatment for services from LDCs, improved market access for cotton, and duty-free quota-free (DFQF) market access. In the negotiations on rules, possible outcomes may include achieving increased transparency in certain state and fisheries subsidies, anti-dumping practices, and regional free trade agreements.

According to Minister Toivakka, agreement on the mini package and especially good outcomes in the LDC topics would be beneficial to world trade and support economic development in the LDCs.

The aim is that MC10 will also adopt a Ministerial Declaration, which records the WTO successes and future challenges and assesses the continuation of the Doha Round of negotiations as well as looks at possible new topics to be added on the WTO agenda.

"WTO Member States should have an opportunity to start new negotiations on trade liberalisation and to bring the international trade agenda up to date," Minister Toivakka notes. "We hope that the Nairobi MC10 will reach a solution that opens the door to at least those Member States that are willing to proceed under WTO."

The expansion of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) and the liberalisation of trade in environmental goods and services will be discussed in connection with MC10, too.

In MC10, two new members will join WTO as the accession of Liberia and Afghanistan will be formally adopted in Nairobi.

Minister Toivakka will also visit the biggest wind power site in Africa at Lake Turkana. Finland has supported the construction of the Lake Turkana Wind Power Station.  Minister Toivakka will also have several bilateral meetings with other WTO Member States and international organisations.

Inquiries: Markku Keinänen, Director General, Department for External Economic Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 295 351 460 and Marja Koskela, Diplomatic Adviser to Minister Toivakka, tel. +358 40 352 0463.