At the General Council meeting from 10th to 12th March, WTO’s DG said that the multilateral trade body has long spoken of unfinished negotiations and overdue reform with promises having outpaced results, calling for the need to demonstrate that “this time is different.”
She said that an informal “state-of-play” package will be sent to Ministers next week with documents to represent current state of work in Geneva and a final “Road to Yaoundé” document outlining how MC-14 will be conducted. She said that it’s a ‘Turning Point Ministerial’, in which “we can show that the organization is up to the job of taking criticism seriously and using this to reposition itself.”
Members were closing in on texts to be sent to ministers for their consideration, while sent documents would deliver the political signals needed to advance post-MC14 negotiating work.
Chair of the General Council, Ambassador Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel from Saudi Arabia, said that the package “is informal in nature and does not constitute a formal transmission of work from Geneva. Rather, he said that it serves as a briefing tool to help ministers prepare for their deliberations based on the MC-14 programme structure.”
On the issue of WTO reform, which has been identified by many members as a priority for discussion in Yaoundé, the Director-General underlined the importance of securing political impetus to advance the work after MC14.
Reporting in his capacity as the facilitator on WTO reform, Ambassador Petter Ølberg from Norway noted that “significant progress” has been made since the start of intensified engagement by WTO members in June 2025. He noted that a draft Yaoundé Ministerial Statement on WTO Reform and draft WTO Reform Work Plan, which reflect the cumulative efforts of members over the past nine months, have been presented to members for consideration.
Agriculture, fisheries subsidies, development
Ambassador Ali Sarfraz Hussain from Pakistan, the Chair of the negotiations on agriculture, reported that nine new submissions have been received from members since his call for new inputs last December. Two rounds of consultations took place in mid-January and early February respectively to facilitate the negotiations.
Responding to requests from several members, the Chair said he had presented a draft Ministerial Declaration in late February and, following further consultations, a revised draft on 5th March that was discussed at a transparency meeting the following day.
With regard to discussions on agriculture at MC-14, Ambassador Ali Sarfraz Hussain said the majority of members favour holding a plenary session in Yaoundé, while some favour smaller breakout sessions. The Chair said he would forward a few guiding questions to help structure the discussions.
Ambassador Leslie Ramsammy (Guyana), chair of the negotiations on fisheries subsidies, said he has been holding consultations with members since his appointment in December on what could be accomplished on the issue in the run-up to MC14, as well as on post-MC14 work.
The Chair reported broad support for securing a political statement from ministers at MC14 calling for the effective implementation of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and reaffirming members’ commitment to continue negotiating additional provisions on fisheries subsidies after MC14. However, several members said they were prioritizing other more pressing matters for MC14.
In light of this, Ambassador Ramsammy said a text issued under his own responsibility seemed the most viable way forward. Circulated on 6th March, the text “succinctly captures the broad views of the membership” as per the WTO. “Such a commitment”, he added, “would send a clear message to the world that prosperous sustainable fisheries remain an important priority for WTO members”.
Ambassador Kadra Ahmed Hassan, chair of the negotiations on trade and development, said that work in the run-up to MC14 continued to focus on proposals in the areas of sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS), technical barriers to trade (TBT), and Article 66.2 of the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) related to the promotion of technology transfer to least-developed countries (LDCs).
As to the first two issues, work focused on an updated draft from the G90 group of developing and LDC members on enhancing the precise, effective and operational implementation of special and differential treatment provisions of the SPS and TBT Agreements. While a few differences remain on some elements of the text, significant progress has been made, and there was broad convergence on the draft proposal and its direction, Ambassador Hassan said.
On Article 66.2, members’ views on the G90 proposal in this area continue to differ, and reservations have remained, Ambassador Hassan said, adding that the G90 will continue to engage with members to find a possible landing zone ahead of MC14.
Ambassador Almoqbel reported on his consultations with members regarding his proposed “minimalist zero draft” Ministerial Declaration for adoption at MC14. He said it is ultimately for ministers to decide in Yaoundé whether they wish to endorse a Ministerial Declaration or whether the MC14 Chair would consider it more appropriate to issue a Chair statement under his own responsibility.
Ambassador Almoqbel also reported on his consultations regarding the possible venue for the 15th Ministerial Conference (MC15). While many members expressed appreciation for the offer last October from Saudi Arabia to host MC15, and while several members voiced their support for this offer at the December 2025 General Council meeting, other delegations have preferred not to take a decision on this before or at MC14.
India’s stand at the WTO:
At the WTO in the past, India has sought a permanent solution to issue of Public Stockholding of essential food items in support of its Public Distribution System (PDS), which has found support in many other developing countries. The country has repeatedly argued for protection of rights of small fishermen and imposition of obligations on rich countries which have denuded the world’s oceans of its aquatic wealth.
India has also sought a revival of the appellate body at the WTO, which has been defunct since 2019, and wants the multilateral trade body to help remove Technical Barriers to Trade (TBTs) to support globalization.
India has opposed the proposal for Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) backed by 128 out of 166 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
As per the WTO website, the IFD Agreement provides global benchmarks to support the efforts of member countries who are parties to the Agreement to improve the investment and business climate and aims to make it easier for investors in all sectors of the economy to invest, conduct their day-to-day business and expand their operations.
However, India is of the view that instead of being beneficial to poor nations, IFD may undermine their policy autonomy in case they lack adequate capacity to protect their institutions from being taken over by other countries.
