The Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, urged on Tuesday (20.12.2022) at the last meeting of the General Council of the organization, to advance in the negotiations next year.
The WTO managed to renew its credentials in terms of the recognition that member countries give to its capacity to provide transparency and predictability to the international trade system and to serve as a space for dialogue, with the XII Ministerial Conference last June, also in Geneva, where progress was made in Topics such as subsidies to the fishery, the response to emergencies, including an exemption from certain requirements related to the granting of compulsory licenses for COVID-19 vaccines, Food security and the reform of the OrganizationBut little has happened since then due to a deadlock over who should chair the talks.
While the 12th Ministerial Conference remains a highlight of the year, “we have not done much serious negotiating over the past six months,” the WTO director-general told members. “We have a lot of ground to cover and we will need to step up our efforts when we return from the winter break.
He was referring to the time period from the June package to the present, which encompasses the summer recess and the months since previous presidents left office. Okonjo-Iweala is aiming for further agreements at the next ministerial meeting in the United Arab Emirates in February 2024.
The impasse comes at a time when the WTO's 164 members cannot agree on whether to extend a temporary intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines to medicines. Another relevant issue up for debate is WTO reform.WTO Press Release)
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