At the 9^th Ministerial Conference, held in Bali, Indonesia, from 3 to 7 December 2013, ministers adopted the "Bali Package", a series of decisions aimed at:

• streamlining trade;
• allowing developing countries more options for providing food security; and
• boosting least-developed countries’ trade and helping development more generally.

They also adopted a number of more routine decisions and accepted Yemen as a new member of the WTO.

The President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, opened the 9^th WTO Ministerial Conference on 3 December. The Chairman, Indonesia’s Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan, WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo and the Chairman of the General Council, Ambassador Shahid Bashir (Pakistan), also addressed the conference.

The plenary sessions on 4-5 December provided an opportunity for ministers to make prepared statements. On 5 December, ministers approved the accession of Yemen. At the Closing Session on Saturday 7 December, a day later than scheduled, ministers adopted the “Bali Package” and a number of more routine decisions.

            The Bali Package

            The Bali Ministerial Declaration and accompanying ministerial decisions — known informally as the Bali Package — were adopted at the Bali Ministerial Conference on 7 December 2013. The General Council adopted subsequent decisions related to the Bali ministerial outcomes on 27 November 2014.

            The package approved during the Conference includes documents relating to the three areas, which, among other things, are the subject of negotiations within the current Doha Round - Trade facilitation; Agriculture; and Development.

Bali Package structure:

• Bali Ministerial Declaration and post-Bali work

• The Bali Ministerial Declaration
• Post-Bali work: November 2014 General Council decision

• Trade Facilitation

• Bali Ministerial Decision, Trade Facilitation Agreement
• November 2014 decision, including the legally cleaned-up text of the Trade Facilitation Agreement and a Protocol for adding it to the WTO agreements

• Agriculture

• General Services
• Public Stockholding for Food Security
• Understanding on Tariff Rate Quota Administration Provisions of Agricultural Products, as Defined in Article 2 of the Agreement on Agriculture
• Export Competition

• Cotton
• Development and LDC issues

• Preferential Rules of Origin for Least-Developed Countries
• Operationalization of the Waiver Concerning Preferential Treatment to Services and Service Suppliers of Least-Developed Countries
• Duty-Free and Quota-Free (DFQF) Market Access for Least-Developed Countries
• Monitoring Mechanism on Special and Differential Treatment

In addition, the Conference approved decisions on:

• TRIPS Non-violation and Situation Complaints;
• Work Programme on Electronic Commerce;
• Work Programme on Small Economies;
• Aid for Trade;
• Trade and Transfer of Technology.

Detailed information on the 9^th WTO Ministerial Conference, Bali Package and November 2014 decisions