Nairobi WTO Ministerial Conference Preparation On Track, Says Ambassador

“Membership is comfortable with the level of preparedness and what we have done as a country” to host the December trade ministerial, the Kenyan trade minister told press at the World Trade Organization today.

Amb. Amina Mohamed, cabinet secretary, Kenya Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, spoke to a press conference held today. Ambassador Mohamed commented on Kenya’s preparedness for the upcoming Tenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC10) in Nairobi to be held from 15 to 18 December.

Mohamed confirmed Kenyatta International Convention Center (KICC) as the venue for MC10. The KICC has hosted more than 1,000 other conferences and is a well-suited host for MC10, according to the ambassador. She also commented on the online registration system for visas to Kenya and security for the delegates.

The Delegates Information Guide can be found here.

In response to a question about no multilateral agreements reflecting the interest of developing countries being signed in the last 14 years, Mohamed responded that it would have been wonderful to have had better results.

But she cautioned that “windscreen is much larger than the rear view mirror. If we continuously use the rear view mirror, we will be crushed again. So, we need to use that windscreen to continuously move forward.” She also commented that there is a need for the “bigger players to take up their leadership role.”

Rishi Dhir is an intern at Intellectual Property Watch. He holds a Juris Doctor with honours from the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law. He also holds dual Bachelor Honour Degrees in Mathematics and Business Administration from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University. Rishi has an interest in a variety of IP issues including copyright law, piracy and Internet governance.

 

Image Credits: Catherine Saez