The WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference has been extended by a day and is now scheduled to end 16th June 2022. This decision comes after members remain locked in intense negotiations on several pertinent areas with the objective of attaining consensus. CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP.
Key areas include:
- Fisheries Subsidies;
- Agriculture;
- The Work Programme on E-commerce and Moratorium on the application of customs duties on electronic transmissions;
- Trade and Health, notably agreeing on a WTO response to COVID-19 and a waiver of certain aspect of The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) to enable diversification of production of COVID-19 vaccines; and
- WTO reform.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. E. P Chet Greene, indicated that “the negotiations are at a critical stage and compromises will be required if meaningful outcomes are to be achieved centered around sustainability, development and livelihoods.”
Greene further expounded that “this illustrates the existential crisis currently plaguing the WTO and by extension the multilateral trading system”.
Antigua and Barbuda’s delegation to MC12 comprises of the Hon. E.P Chet Greene, Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E Colin Murdoch, Permanent Representative to the WTO and Miss Joy-Marie King, Director of International Trade.
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