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14th WTO Ministerial Conference

MC14 concludes with adopted decisions, progress on key outstanding issues

The WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) concluded early 30 March with ministers adopting a number of decisions as well as making a commitment to continue work in Geneva on key outstanding issues.

MC14 concludes with adopted decisions, progress on key outstanding issues

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• 14th WTO Ministerial Conference
• Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

- Ministerial conferences

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Cameroon's Minister of Trade Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, the Chair of MC14, said ministers worked to conclude as many issues as possible across the various areas of negotiation during the four-day meeting.? He thanked the ministers facilitating the discussions as well as all the ministers and delegations in attendance for their "tireless work."

"You have shown constructive participation through very long days and short nights," he said. ?"You have shown your determination to make MC14 a landmark conference." ?

Nevertheless, he admitted, "we ran out of time" with regards to several outstanding issues such as the WTO's work programme on electronic commerce and the continuation of the existing moratoriums on customs duties for electronic transmissions and non-violation complaints under the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala welcomed progress in the discussions on a work programme for advancing ongoing talks on WTO reform, the decision on advancing work on further disciplines on harmful fisheries subsidies, and other issues.

"A lot was accomplished," she declared. ?"We decided to work differently.? I think we have a new WTO way of working . to modernize the way we do business, so we can be more nimble, more responsive as we move forward."

She suggested members use the draft texts developed over the four days of ministerial discussions to finalize agreements on outstanding issues in Geneva at the next General Council meeting.

MC14 outcomes

Ministers agreed to continue to engage in negotiations on fisheries subsidies, with the aim of making recommendations to the 15th Ministerial Conference to achieve the comprehensive disciplines on fisheries subsidies referred to in Article 12 of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.

Ministers also adopted two MC14 decisions that were endorsed earlier by members in Geneva: on improving the integration of small economies into the multilateral trading system; and on enhancing the precise, effective and operational implementation of special and differential treatment provisions in the Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT).

Continued work in Geneva

"We are very close to a Yaound? package of agreements that would be important for members and the future of the organization," added Director-General Okonjo-Iweala. ?"But we are not all the way there yet."

"In the circumstances, we believe that it would be appropriate to preserve the important texts we have developed here and use them as a basis to finalize agreements in Geneva at the next General Council meeting."

The Director-General said the emerging Yaound? package that members would be bringing back to Geneva include the following:

• the draft Yaound? Ministerial Declaration on WTO Reform and Work Plan;
• the draft?Ministerial Decision on Electronic Commerce;
• the draft?Ministerial Decision on the Moratorium on TRIPS Non-Violation and Situation Complaints; and
• the least developed country (LDC) package. Finalizing this package "would amount to a considerable achievement," the Director-General said. "We shouldn't leave it on the table."

She noted that the existing moratoriums related to customs duties on electronic transmissions and TRIPS non-violation and situation complaints will expire at the end of this month.?

The Director-General's remarks are available here.

The Ministerial Conference, normally held every two years, is the highest decision-making body of the WTO.? Nearly 2,000 trade officials, including more than 90 ministers, attended the four-day MC14 in Yaound?, the second time a Ministerial Conference has taken place in Africa.

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