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Trade ministers meet in Cameroon for critical WTO reform talks amid deep divisions
Trade ministers from 166 countries face deep divisions over reforms including digital tariffs and dispute settlements amid risks of WTO irrelevance, with 72% of world trade governed by the body.
- On Thursday, trade ministers from 166 countries gathered in Yaounde, Cameroon, for the 14th Ministerial Conference to address critical WTO reforms amid deep divisions over the organization's future relevance.
- Amid Middle East conflicts and United States tariff policies, the multilateral trading system governing around 72 percent of world trade faces strain from years of dispute settlement paralysis.
- Trade Representative Jamieson Greer signaled the United States is "not interested" in a temporary extension of the digital moratorium, setting up a clash with India over customs duties on downloads.
- Chris Bryant warned of a "disorderly collapse" of the WTO if ministers fail to reach a deal this week, cautioning that members may pursue alternative trade rules outside the organization.
- WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala urged members to produce concrete results as delegates attempt to finalize a reform roadmap addressing fisheries subsidies and special treatment for developing nations.
53 Articles
53 Articles
Manninder Sidhu said he had held bilateral meetings with Argentina and Paraguay, and will meet with Brazil and Uruguay at the WTO meeting in Yaoundé.
WTO members gather in Yaounde amid deep divisions and calls for reform
The World Trade Organization’s 166 members opened a key ministerial conference in Cameroon’s capital on Thursday, sharply divided over the future of the institution as geopolitical tensions, protectionism and the fallout fromthe Middle East war cast a shadow over global trade.
Global trade tensions test WTO as reform battle begins in Yaoundé
Trade ministers from 166 countries are gathering in Cameroon’s capital this week for a high-stakes World Trade Organisation meeting – with divisions over reform, digital trade and development raising doubts about whether the body can adapt to a rapidly changing world.
In Cameroon, more than 160 countries are wrestling for the future of the WTO. But interests are falling apart, especially in the US and China.
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