Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has called on members to accelerate negotiations following the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), held six months ago in Yaoundé.
She made the statement on 1 October at a meeting of the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC), where members discussed the state of the negotiating agenda and next steps.
“We all recognize that the overall pace of negotiating activity since MC14 has been relatively moderate,” Okonjo-Iweala said. She said the meeting was intended to give heads of delegations an opportunity to assess the current situation and identify ways to advance negotiations.
The chairs of five negotiating bodies established by the TNC briefed WTO members on progress in their respective areas.
In negotiations on additional provisions to the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, Guyana’s Ambassador Leslie Ramsammy reported on the results of the first round of “Fish Week” negotiations and bilateral consultations.
He said there was still a sense of urgency and support for returning to text-based negotiations as soon as possible.
However, the basis for resuming negotiations remains unresolved. According to Ramsammy, no WTO member has proposed starting from scratch or abandoning a substantial amount of work already completed.
The chair of the agriculture negotiations, Pakistan’s Ambassador Ali Sarfraz Hussain, said most members continued to regard agriculture as a key priority. At the same time, participants differed over which issues already addressed under previous decisions should be prioritized. The next negotiating rounds are scheduled for 27 October and 23 November.
In the area of trade in services, Nigerian Ambassador Adamu Mohammed Abdulhamid, chair of the negotiations, reported on a proposal by a group of members to examine the implementation of services commitments under regional trade agreements. Further discussions are needed to determine the next steps, as some members raised reservations about the approach.
On trade and development, WTO Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang reported on the implementation of a commitment adopted at MC14 concerning the application of special and differential treatment provisions under agreements on sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical barriers to trade.
The remaining seven G-90 proposals concerning specific agreements require further work. Trade and Development Negotiations Chair Kadri Ahmed Hassan urged the G-90 to continue engaging with other members to seek practical solutions.
In negotiations on a multilateral system for the notification and registration of geographical indications for wines and spirits, the chair, Panama’s Ambassador Alfredo Suescum, reported on ongoing informal consultations. He said some stakeholders were showing growing interest in the possible use of a multilateral register of geographical indications, but no specific proposals had yet been put forward.
Following the chairs’ reports, 40 WTO members presented their positions, including on issues of concern in individual negotiating areas. Delegations also emphasized the importance of inclusiveness, consensus and balanced outcomes.
Several participants expressed concern about overlapping meetings on WTO reform and negotiating sessions, particularly given the limited resources of smaller delegations. At the same time, a number of members, including the WTO director-general, noted that work on WTO reform and trade negotiations could proceed simultaneously.
In closing, Okonjo-Iweala urged WTO members to show greater flexibility and move beyond simply restating unchanged positions.
“We need to move forward, and move fast,” the director-general said.
The Trade Negotiations Committee provides overall oversight of WTO members’ trade negotiations under the direction of the General Council.
The TNC comprises all WTO members and governments with observer status.
