REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LONDON - The General Council Session of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva recently decided that the Ninth Ministerial Conference of WTO would be held in Bali, Indonesia, in December 2013. The WTO General Council chairman expressed gratitude to Indonesia for the willingness to host the conference next year, Mardy Farid, the third secretary of the Indonesian permanent mission to the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva said in a statement on Friday.
Saudi Arabia representing the Arab Group, Lesotho representing the African Group, Haiti, Panama and China in the session hailed the decision saying that Indonesia would be the right nation to host the WTO conference because Indonesia`s strong commitment to the multilateral trading system, the statement said. Indonesian Ambassador to WTO, Erwidodo, welcomed the decision.
Erwidodo said the multilateral trading system has a significant role to promote a just and balanced international trade, to maintain the world economic growth, to reduce the poverty rate and create more job opportunities. As the host of the Ninth Ministerial Conference of WTO, Indonesia is expected to be able to build new spirit which is constructive for the international trade negotiation particularly within the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) framework.