WTO postpones ministerial conference amid fears over new Covid variant

The conference was supposed to hold negotiations among nations on the contentious issues of cut in subsidies on fisheries, food security and TRIPS waiver for Covid vaccines

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has postponed its ministerial conference indefinitely after an outbreak of a particularly transmissible strain of the COVID-19 virus forced several governments to impose travel restrictions.

The conference, which was to begin from November 30 and end on December 3 in Geneva, was to hold negotiations among nations on the contentious issues of cut in subsidies on fisheries, food security and TRIPS waiver for Covid vaccines. All these issues are crucial for countries such as India.

The decision was taken by the general council of the WTO at an emergency meeting called by chair Dacio Castillo late Friday,