WTO Talks

India has called for re-energising discussions in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on the development dimension to achieve tangible progress and meaningful outcomes. In a communication to the WTO, the country said that there is a substantial unfinished development agenda emanating from the recently concluded 13th ministerial conference of the WTO in Abu Dhabi. "We seek to strengthen the discussions and debate on the issue of development in the working of all regular bodies of this organisation. We wish that the momentum of development discussions continues in a focused and structured way. "We, therefore, need to commit to reinvigorating discussions on the development dimension for tangible progress and meaningful outcomes for the WTO to be seen as fit for purpose," India said in its communication titled - '30 Years of WTO: How has Development Dimension progressed - A way forward'. According to experts, development agenda refers to issues being pushed by developing and least ...

Many WTO members have opted to include a mechanism for resolving trade disputes in their bilateral or regional free trade agreements

India also called for effective formalisation of the ongoing informal dispute settlement reform discussions among some member nations at the WTO, at the 13th ministerial conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi

The services domestic regulation agreement entered into force at the 13th Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi

Developing nations like India, South Africa and Indonesia are set to oppose efforts by US and Europe to extend the moratorium. If no agreement is made, the moratorium would expire this year

WTO member countries are unlikely to reach a consensus next month on reforming the dispute settlement system of the global trade body as there are wide differences over the issue between developed and developing countries, a GTRI report said on Sunday. The trade minister of the 164-member World Trade Organisation (WTO) will gather in Abu Dhabi in February for the 13th ministerial conference (MC) to resolve different issues such as reforms in dispute settlement mechanisms, agriculture-related matters and a moratorium on customs duties on e-commerce trade. "Reaching a consensus on reform of the dispute settlement system is complex, with developed and developing countries holding different priorities and concerns," economic think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said. It said that balancing India's demands for an appellate body, S&DT (special and differential treatment) provisions, and fairness while addressing other members' concerns, including transparency and legal ...

US, Canada, 17 other members raised 35 specific trade concerns

The two tier dispute settlement system of WTO involving consultation and adjudication remains non-functional since December 2019

India has called for starting formal negotiations by WTO members to reform the dispute settlement body of the World Trade Organisation, as the present informal deliberations are creating hindrance for several nations to participate in the talks, an official said. The official added that formal talks on the subject can help in arriving at some kind of consensus by the 13th ministerial conference (MC), the highest decision making body of the WTO, in Abu Dhabi in February next year. The issue came up for discussion during a recent meeting of senior officials of WTO members in Geneva last week. Certain countries flagged their concerns on the informal system of talks. "We have to formalise this process as soon as possible. India stated that if you want to maintain the WTO's credibility, we need to talk on this," the official said. WTO's dispute settlement body (DSB) is one of the important arms of the 164-member Geneva-based body. Besides monitoring global exports and imports related ..

India on Thursday told WTO members that its success in feeding a large population demonstrates the country's understanding of what is best for developing nations at the negotiation table, an official said. The observations were made at an agriculture negotiation meeting in Geneva, chaired by Ambassador Alparslan Acarsoy of Trkiye. It is time for some developed members to abandon the higher moral ground, the Geneva-based official said. In recent negotiations, India, along with 80 World Trade Organization (WTO) members, has made it clear that the focus of the outcome on agriculture at the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in February 2024 should centre around a food security package, with a solution for public stockholding at its core. The Ministerial Conference is the highest decision-making body of the WTO. It is scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi in February next year. India has stated that this solution should provide developing members with sufficient flexibility to purchase food

In Norway's view, the MC13 should drive further progress on the WTO's contribution to tackling common environmental challenges

'We have seen curbs on export of palm oil by Indonesia two years back. Another reason for countries like India to restrict export of wheat and rice is largely a fall out of emerging global trade'

India, however, believes that such retaliations will eventually be detrimental to the trade on both sides

The conflict in Ukraine is the most recent clash between the West and the rest of the world's perspectives

The conference was initially scheduled to close on Wednesday and is now extended till June 16

Trump has specifically blasted the WTO for slighting US trade interests to the benefit of China.

Overarching indecision at largest multilateral trade meet may plague trade policymaking over next 2 years

India's attempts to find a permanent solution to the food stockpile issue at the 11th edition of the ministerial conference (MC11), has hit a roadblock as the US refused to engage, threatening a succe