Minister Maru Heads Delegation to WTO 13th Ministerial Conference
PRESS RELEASE
Minister Maru Heads Delegation to WTO 13th Ministerial Conference.
Abu Dhabi, February 25, 2024- Minister for International Trade and Investment & the Head of the Papua New Guinea (PNG) delegation, Hon. Richard Maru arrived in Abu Dhabi yesterday morning (local time) to attend and participate in the World Trade Organization (WTO) 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) which is being hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The MC13 will be attended by Ministers responsible for trade from the 164 member states of the WTO from February 26- 29, 2024.
“The Ministerial Conferences are the highest decision-making body in the WTO. At MC13 the Trade Ministers will be expected to decide on commitments in the areas of fisheries subsidies, agriculture including food security, trade and development, the moratorium on non-violation complaints relating to intellectual property rights, work program on e-commerce, WTO reform, extension of the WTO’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPs) waver decision, and the last area pertains to institutional issues and proposals for improving the WTO’s regular work in areas such as transparency, committee operations, small economies, and dispute settlement,” said Minister Maru.
“The negotiation on fisheries subsidies is of particular interest as PNG intends to develop the sector to fully realize its full potential and will require multilateral discipline that safeguards our interests in this regard is imperative,” said Minister Maru.
In the areas of agriculture, development, and e-commerce, Minister Maru said: “As a net importing country, PNG views the discussions on agriculture as very important for food security and policy space and welcomes the new Chair’s Text as the basis for work going forward. While this has been acknowledged as a priority for a majority of WTO members, minimal progress has been made in over 20 years of negotiations to mitigate the pre-existing distortions in the global agricultural market. These distortions persistently undermine the food security of numerous developing country members including PNG. Members must engage constructively in the negotiations to address longstanding divergences and work towards substantive outcomes in agriculture. Such outcomes are imperative to safeguard the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and ensure access to essential foodstuffs for net food-importing developing country members. Regarding development, this agenda is important for developing countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and we are concerned at the lack of progress. Developing countries and LDCs need precise, effective, and operational Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) in order to better integrate into the multilateral trading system as emphasized in paragraph 44 of the MC4 / Doha Ministerial Declaration and reaffirmed in the MC12 Outcome Document. Members must engage in good faith and progress the G-90 proposals beyond MC13. On e-commerce, PNG supports deepened discussions regarding the e-commerce work programme particularly working towards the development challenges and digital divide faced by many developing countries and LDCs. PNG further supports the extension of the Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmission until MC14 to give time to address the implications of applying them especially for developing members.”
Minister Maru added: “Furthermore, PNG supports the ongoing work on the WTO Reform to make it more relevant, fair and equitable to the needs of its members in view of the many challenges that we face such as climate change as well as build the capacities of the developing members to integrate into the multilateral trading system.” Apart from attending and participating in the WTO MC13 in the next few days, Minister Maru will also be having important bilateral meetings on the margins of the conference.
“The outcomes of MC13 will have impact on our national policies as it will set the minimum standard for any other future trade negotiations that PNG enters into. It is therefore important that PNG is well represented at the MC13,” said Minister Maru.
Ends…//
Approved for Release Hon. Richard Maru, BTech, MBA, OBE, MP Minister for International Trade & Investment
Minister Maru Heads Delegation to WTO 13th Ministerial Conference.
Abu Dhabi, February 25, 2024- Minister for International Trade and Investment & the Head of the Papua New Guinea (PNG) delegation, Hon. Richard Maru arrived in Abu Dhabi yesterday morning (local time) to attend and participate in the World Trade Organization (WTO) 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) which is being hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The MC13 will be attended by Ministers responsible for trade from the 164 member states of the WTO from February 26- 29, 2024.
“The Ministerial Conferences are the highest decision-making body in the WTO. At MC13 the Trade Ministers will be expected to decide on commitments in the areas of fisheries subsidies, agriculture including food security, trade and development, the moratorium on non-violation complaints relating to intellectual property rights, work program on e-commerce, WTO reform, extension of the WTO’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPs) waver decision, and the last area pertains to institutional issues and proposals for improving the WTO’s regular work in areas such as transparency, committee operations, small economies, and dispute settlement,” said Minister Maru.
“The negotiation on fisheries subsidies is of particular interest as PNG intends to develop the sector to fully realize its full potential and will require multilateral discipline that safeguards our interests in this regard is imperative,” said Minister Maru.
In the areas of agriculture, development, and e-commerce, Minister Maru said: “As a net importing country, PNG views the discussions on agriculture as very important for food security and policy space and welcomes the new Chair’s Text as the basis for work going forward. While this has been acknowledged as a priority for a majority of WTO members, minimal progress has been made in over 20 years of negotiations to mitigate the pre-existing distortions in the global agricultural market. These distortions persistently undermine the food security of numerous developing country members including PNG. Members must engage constructively in the negotiations to address longstanding divergences and work towards substantive outcomes in agriculture. Such outcomes are imperative to safeguard the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and ensure access to essential foodstuffs for net food-importing developing country members. Regarding development, this agenda is important for developing countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and we are concerned at the lack of progress. Developing countries and LDCs need precise, effective, and operational Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) in order to better integrate into the multilateral trading system as emphasized in paragraph 44 of the MC4 / Doha Ministerial Declaration and reaffirmed in the MC12 Outcome Document. Members must engage in good faith and progress the G-90 proposals beyond MC13. On e-commerce, PNG supports deepened discussions regarding the e-commerce work programme particularly working towards the development challenges and digital divide faced by many developing countries and LDCs. PNG further supports the extension of the Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmission until MC14 to give time to address the implications of applying them especially for developing members.”
Minister Maru added: “Furthermore, PNG supports the ongoing work on the WTO Reform to make it more relevant, fair and equitable to the needs of its members in view of the many challenges that we face such as climate change as well as build the capacities of the developing members to integrate into the multilateral trading system.” Apart from attending and participating in the WTO MC13 in the next few days, Minister Maru will also be having important bilateral meetings on the margins of the conference.
“The outcomes of MC13 will have impact on our national policies as it will set the minimum standard for any other future trade negotiations that PNG enters into. It is therefore important that PNG is well represented at the MC13,” said Minister Maru.
Ends…//
Approved for Release Hon. Richard Maru, BTech, MBA, OBE, MP Minister for International Trade & Investment
PRESS RELEASE
PNG to Hold Trade Talks with New Zealand in April 2024.
Abu Dhabi, February 27, 2024- The Minister for International Trade and Investment, Hon. Richard Maru and the New Zealand Minister for Agriculture, Hunting and Fishing, Forestry, and Trade, Hon. Todd McClay have agreed for a small Papua New Guinea (PNG) delegation to visit New Zealand in the last week of April to hold high-level trade talks. The two Ministers agreed on this in their meeting on Sunday at the margins of the World Trade Organization (WTO) 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Minister Maru said the visit to New Zealand in April will be to learn from the experience of New Zealand’s capital market industry and seek New Zealand Government’s support to transform the Securities Commission of PNG and the capital market industry of PNG. Apart from the capital market industry, the PNG delegation will also visit the chicken and dairy farms in New Zealand and invite the New Zealand investors in these industries to invest in PNG.
“We want to look at New Zealand’s chicken industry and invite the New Zealand investors in this industry to come and invest in PNG because we still continue to import an estimate of over K100 million worth of chicken annually and this results in loss of jobs and revenue for our MSMEs, SMEs, and our industry. We want to stop that. We also do not want to be exposed to the risk of imported chicken diseases like the Avian Influenza and others. We want to produce enough day-old chicks to supply the entire need of our nation, our farmers, and our industry so we are able to produce enough chicken locally to meet the growing demand for chicken. We also want to meet and invite some potential New Zealand investors to invest in our Special Economic Zones,” said Minister Maru.
Minister Maru added: “We also want to meet the Indigenous Maori Commission to discuss and learn about how indigenous Maori businesses are doing business in major industries. This is a lead-up on part of our preparations to host our first PNG Indigenous Business Summit in August this year at Kokopo, East New Britain Province. We really want to learn from the success of Maori indigenous businesses and also consider inviting some of them to be the speakers at our PNG Indigenous Business Summit.”
Ends…//
Approved for Release Hon. Richard Maru, BTech, MBA, OBE, MP Minister for International Trade & Investment
PNG to Hold Trade Talks with New Zealand in April 2024.
Abu Dhabi, February 27, 2024- The Minister for International Trade and Investment, Hon. Richard Maru and the New Zealand Minister for Agriculture, Hunting and Fishing, Forestry, and Trade, Hon. Todd McClay have agreed for a small Papua New Guinea (PNG) delegation to visit New Zealand in the last week of April to hold high-level trade talks. The two Ministers agreed on this in their meeting on Sunday at the margins of the World Trade Organization (WTO) 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Minister Maru said the visit to New Zealand in April will be to learn from the experience of New Zealand’s capital market industry and seek New Zealand Government’s support to transform the Securities Commission of PNG and the capital market industry of PNG. Apart from the capital market industry, the PNG delegation will also visit the chicken and dairy farms in New Zealand and invite the New Zealand investors in these industries to invest in PNG.
“We want to look at New Zealand’s chicken industry and invite the New Zealand investors in this industry to come and invest in PNG because we still continue to import an estimate of over K100 million worth of chicken annually and this results in loss of jobs and revenue for our MSMEs, SMEs, and our industry. We want to stop that. We also do not want to be exposed to the risk of imported chicken diseases like the Avian Influenza and others. We want to produce enough day-old chicks to supply the entire need of our nation, our farmers, and our industry so we are able to produce enough chicken locally to meet the growing demand for chicken. We also want to meet and invite some potential New Zealand investors to invest in our Special Economic Zones,” said Minister Maru.
Minister Maru added: “We also want to meet the Indigenous Maori Commission to discuss and learn about how indigenous Maori businesses are doing business in major industries. This is a lead-up on part of our preparations to host our first PNG Indigenous Business Summit in August this year at Kokopo, East New Britain Province. We really want to learn from the success of Maori indigenous businesses and also consider inviting some of them to be the speakers at our PNG Indigenous Business Summit.”
Ends…//
Approved for Release Hon. Richard Maru, BTech, MBA, OBE, MP Minister for International Trade & Investment