   
  
WT/MIN(24)/ST/129  
26 February  2024 
(24-1707) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Thirteenth Session  
Abu Dhabi, 26 -29 February 2024  Original: English  
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. DR MAJID ALKASABI  
MINISTER OF COMMERCE  
SAUDI ARABIA, KINGDOM OF  
On behalf of the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I would like to extend our appreciation 
to the Government and people of the United Arab Emirates for the warm hospitality and excellent 
arrangements for this important event.  
Let me take this opportunity to thank H.E Dr. Thani bin Ahmad Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for 
Foreign Trade, and Chair of MC13 and Directo r-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo -Iweala for their leadership 
and excellent preparatory work for this conference.  
We meet today at a critical time when prospects for the global economy indicate slower growth and 
the multilateral trading system is facing multidimensional trade related global challenges.  
Therefore, at no other time in our lives has the need for international cooperation and trade been 
more urgent than it is today.  
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is proud that the Arab Region is hosting for the second time a 
WTO Ministerial Conferen ce. We need to make this Ministerial Conference a breakthrough moment 
for reform and recovery.  
HRH the Crown Pince and Prime Minister Mohammad Bin Salman has undertaken major initiatives 
to further integrate Saudi Arabia 's economy regionally and globally. These initiatives include:  
• Launching four Special Economic Zones . 
• Accelerating the Saudi Land Bridge Project, an East -West corridor involving more 
than 1500 km. 
• Building Neom 's new mega sustainable port and expanding Dammam port (to 
7.5 million  TEU) to all ow regions to access international markets.  
The Kingdom has also implemented four policies to encourage trade growth which include:  
 
• Removing regulatory and procedural burdens on businesses involved in international trade.  
• Supporting small and medium enterprises, especially those owned by women and youth.  
• Strengthening the capacity of peripheral regions of the Kingdom to participate in 
international trade.  
• Accelerating digital transformation in all sectors.  
On the negotiations front, the Kingdom suppor ts a substantive WTO reform package which includes 
addressing the challenges, mainly the dispute settlement mechanism, while reaffirming the 
foundational principles of the WTO.  
Most importantly, we believe that the development dimension is a vital element that should be 
mainstreamed across the whole WTO reform agenda. In our view, our deliberations in MC13 should WT/MIN(24)/ST/129  
 
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  consider the needs and concerns of developing countries and Least Developing Countries (LDCs) 
notably in relation to their right to Special and Di fferential Treatment provisions in the WTO 
agreements.  
The Kingdom welcomes The Union of the Comoros and The Democratic Republic of Timor -Leste as 
new WTO Members and calls on Members to redouble their efforts to further facilitate and expedite 
ongoing acc essions for developing countries and LDCs, especially since we have many Arab countries 
still negotiating their accession to the WTO.  
On rules, I am delighted to announce that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has ratified the Agreement 
of Fisheries Subsidies. I n this regard, we encourage Members to reach a multilateral agreement on 
additional provisions that would achieve a comprehensive agreement on fisheries subsidies.  
Another area of importance is food security. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia looks forward to ac hieving 
concrete outcomes in agriculture that contribute to overcoming the challenges related to the ongoing 
food insecurity situation in developing countries, especially those of the Least -Developed and Net 
Food-Importing Developing countries.  
On E-commer ce, the Kingdom supports reinvigorating the discussions on the work program on 
electronic commerce and the  extension of the current practice of not imposing customs duties on 
electronic transmissions.  
In conclusion, as an active participant in most of the WTO Plurilateral Joint Statements Initiatives 
(JSI), the Kingdom welcomes the substantial outcomes achieved on services domestic regulation, 
and investment facilitation for development and supports their integration into the WTO legal 
architecture.  
The Kin gdom of Saudi Arabia remains committed to work with WTO Members towards a successful 
13th Ministerial Conference.  
__________  