Ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization promises twenty-first century trade rules to fight protectionism

Washington: Affirming that the current situation at the World Trade Organization (WTO) is no longer viable, the Ottawa Ministerial Conference on WTO Reform. promised Thursday to fight against protectionism.

trade officials from 12 countries and the European Union called for urgent action to develop 21st century trade rules in the WTO.

"The current situation in the WTO is no longer sustainable: our desire for change must go hand in hand with action: we continue to fight against protectionism and we are politically committed to moving forward. Before an urgent need for transparency, dispute settlement and the development of 21st century trade rules in the WTO, "said a joint statement issued by the Ministerial Conference of the WTO. Ottawa on the reform of the WTO.

A delegation representing a dozen or so "like-minded" WTO members and the European Union gathered in Ottawa on October 24 and 25 to discuss ways to strengthen and modernizing the global body Donald Trump, President of the Republic of Canada

chaired the meeting chaired by Jim Carr, Canadian Minister for International Trade Diversification. Other countries represented in the group were Australia, Brazil, Chile, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore and Switzerland. The group is scheduled to meet in January 2019. India, China and the United States are not part of the meeting.

Recognizing that there were concerns about the functioning of the dispute settlement system, the group was prepared to take action. work on solutions while preserving the essential features of the system and its calling body.

Affirming that the WTO must reinvigorate its negotiating function, the group stresses the need to conclude negotiations on fisheries subsidies in 2019 in accordance with the instructions of WTO ministers at the eleventh ministerial conference (CM11) held last year in Buenos Aires. Aires.

"Its rules must also be updated to reflect the realities of the 21st century, such as the goals of sustainable development.To address modern economic and trade issues, and unfinished business is essential to ensure the relevance of the policy. WTO, "he said.

Noting that development must remain an integral part of the WTO, the Ministerial Conference of Ottawa said that members should explore how the development dimension, including special and differential treatment, should be "We should strengthen the monitoring and transparency of our members' trade policies, which play a central role in ensuring that WTO members quickly understand the steps their partners have taken. " said the minister.

Expressing concern over the general compliance of WTO members with their notification obligations, the group agreed that improvements are needed to ensure the effective transparency and operation of the relevant agreements.

Reaction to the joint statement, Brad Brady, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said the international body must take seriously the long-standing concerns of President Donald Trump for reform.

"The WTO urgently needs reforms so that its organization continues to function well and remains viable, particularly with regard to negotiations for the conclusion of new agreements as well as improved dispute settlement. Now that many of our major trading partners are focused, it is important that we address the full range of issues and resolve long-standing issues, "said Brady.

One of the key anti-fraud reforms that the United States would like to see significant consequences if WTO members continue to ignore their commitment to submit notifications timely compliance with their obligations, he said.

The main US lawmaker stated that the body of appeal had to be reformed in order to function in the intended manner and to render accountable. WTO members.

According to him, these reforms include procedural solutions to ensure that the appeal body does not depart from the deadlines and procedures established by the WTO members. as well as structural reforms to avoid disturbing disturbances and "gap filling". "