ExplainerWhat is on the agenda at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference in Geneva?
- The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) four-day 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) starts on Sunday in Geneva
- Trade ministers will gather for the first time in four years after the conference was postponed twice due to the coronavirus
Trade ministers from member countries are set to gather for the first time in four years, after the conference – originally scheduled for June 2020 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan- was postponed twice due to the coronavirus.
Any results from the conference will be seen as a vital answer to whether the multilateral institution can still be capable of agreeing on anything and whether consensus can be attained to reform its outdated laws and keep pace with global developments.
Why does MC12 matter?
The Ministerial Conference is the top decision-making body of the WTO, and has generally met every two years since 1996.
MC12 marks the first ministerial conference since the latest gathering four years ago in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The war in Ukraine adds another layer of complication to the already dysfunctional WTO as multiple members have revoked Moscow’s trading privileges and refused to negotiate agreements with Russian delegates.
I am not saying that at MC12 there will not be some Russia-Ukraine tension. I’m sure there will be