2019 – Posted in: Press Information Bureau – Tags: foreign delegates, ministerial meeting, WTO

WTO Ministerial Meeting

(Ministry of Commerce & Industry)

WHAT

Commerce Secretary, Dr. Anup Wadhawan, welcomed senior officials of participating delegations from Developing and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) who are meeting in New Delhi over two days.

Sixteen developing countries and six Least Developed Countries, LDCs are participating in the meeting.
It includes China, South Africa, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Bangladesh. The Director-General of WTO Roberto Azevedo is also participating in the meeting.

AGENDA

The two-day meeting is being held at a time when the multilateral rule-based-trading system is facing serious and grave challenges.
The meeting will discuss key issues and challenges facing the multi-lateral trading system.
Speaking at the inaugural session, Commerce Secretary Dr Anup Wadhawan said that the existential challenges to the multilateral rules-based trading system are manifest in a spate of unilateral measures and counter-measures, deadlock in key areas of negotiations and the impasse in the Appellate Body.
He said, the logjam in the Appellate Body is a serious threat to the dispute settlement mechanism of the WTO and the implementation function of the organization.
Our correspondent reports, it is an effort to bring together the developing countries and Least Developed Countries on a platform for sharing common concerns on various issues affecting the WTO and work together to address the issues.
The current situation has given rise to demands from various quarters to reform the WTO.
The 22 countries would also try to build consensus on how to move forward on the WTO reforms, while preserving the fundamentals of the multilateral trading system.

REFORMS NEEDED

Promote inclusiveness and non-discrimination, build trust and address the inequalities and glaring asymmetries in existing agreements.
There is a need to work together to put issues of importance for developing countries and their priorities in the reform agenda.
Priorities to be given to the key issues of developing countries including LDCs.
Agriculture remains a key priority.

FOLLOWING ISSUES LIKELY TO BE DISCUSSED

Finding a solution to the ongoing impasse in the Appellate Body on an urgent basis.
Issues of importance and priority for developing countries including LDCs in the reform agenda.
How to reinvigorate negotiating agenda on issues of critical importance for developing countries?
How to ensure effective S&D for all developing countries including LDCs?

MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE

The topmost decision-making body of the WTO is the Ministerial Conference, which usually meets every two years. It brings together all members of the WTO, all of which are countries or customs unions. The Ministerial Conference can take decisions on all matters under any of the multilateral trade agreements.

WTO

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.

Source: PIB

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