Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, The Director-General of, World Trade Organization has called on members to deliver concrete results that promote the WTO’s founding objectives, using trade to improve the living standards of ordinary people, creating better jobs, and contributing to sustainable development.
She said this in a statement by the WTO on its website titled ‘Director-General urges WTO members to deliver concrete results this year while speaking at an informal general council meeting on Tuesday.
The meeting was called by General Council Chair Ambassador, Dacio Castillo (Honduras), to initiate a process of consultations on the nature of the prospective outcome document for the 12th Ministerial Conference, which would take place in Geneva on November 29.
BANK ROBBERY: Three Killed In Delta
With only seven working months until MC12, DG Okonjo-Iweala called on members to “create a recipe for success upfront,” starting with “two or three or four concrete deliverables” in areas such as fisheries and agreeing on work programs for other items where differences remained.
She noted that MC12 would come at the end of a series of international policy discussions aimed at “examining the lessons from this pandemic and trying to put the framework for tackling the next.”
According to her, if trade ministers emerged at the end of the year “with no agreement, no contributions to the meaningful issues that are being faced by the world today, nothing to add in terms of a framework for tackling the next pandemic, it will not look good.”
“My wish is for all the Ambassadors, Ministers, and Leaders on trade to come out of MC12 looking good. Looking good means being seen by the world as having delivered for today’s problems,” she said.
DG Okonjo-Iweala also said that she plans to convene an event in mid-April to discuss ramping up COVID-19 vaccine production and how the WTO could contribute to more rapid and equitable distribution of vaccines.
He described the options in front of members, based on the documents that emerged from earlier Ministerial Conferences, a consensus Ministerial Declaration, a summary issued under the conference chair’s own responsibility, and a “hybrid” document containing elements of the two.
Castillo described the options in front of members, based on the documents that emerged from earlier Ministerial Conferences: a consensus Ministerial Declaration, a summary issued under the conference chair’s own responsibility, and a “hybrid” document containing elements of the two.
Members “may wish to start thinking about what type of outcome document we might realistically envisage for MC12, including its structure and elements,” the general council chair added.
Insecurity In Nigeria Is Getting Worse – British Envoy Laments
He would begin consultations on these issues with interested delegations.
He cautioned that this process should not divert attention from ongoing substantive negotiations.
Post Disclaimer
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author and forum participants on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Anaedo Online or official policies of the Anaedo Online.
