Few gains at WTO

Basic functioning must be repaired

The World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) 13th ministerial-level meeting — or MC13, as it is generally known — ended in Abu Dhabi with minimal consensus. A last-minute deal to extend the moratorium preventing countries from levying tariffs on digital trade has been extended by two years, allowing delegates to claim a small victory. But that was the only good news available. The declaration, issued after the meeting that had continued into the early hours on Saturday, did indicate that member states would continue to work on reforms essential to the WTO’s functioning. This is one of India’s most basic demands. Commerce