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TWN
Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Dec25/24) Geneva, 19 Dec (D. Ravi Kanth) — The facilitator overseeing the World Trade Organization reform work on 18 December said members have made “quite a bit of progress” on the three issues of decision-making, special and differential treatment (S&DT) and development, and “level playing field” issues, while acknowledging that sharp divergences remain among members. Speaking to reporters from Copenhagen at the close of the three-day General Council (GC) meeting on 18 December, the facilitator, Ambassador Petter Olberg of Norway, warned that if members “don’t do anything” on reforms, they risk “witnessing WTO’s sliding backwards.” The facilitator acknowledged that “there is also a lot of divergence in the core,” but stressed the need to reform the trade body to address the latest global challenges. Responding to a question about a US proposal to address the continuation of the foundational principle of non-discrimination – as embodied in the Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) principle -in the reform discussions, the facilitator said, “it should not surprise anyone that they’re saying that. They have been saying that and they have been doing that since the beginning of the year, and practising non-MFN.” He added, “I think this is not an issue whether membership would agree,” noting that “most members would like to have MFN, even reaffirm MFN.” However, he said that members should discuss the issue, as there have been no in-depth discussions on it so far. Ambassador Olberg is expected to put the issue before ministers for discussion at the WTO’s 14th ministerial conference (MC14), to be held in Yaounde, Cameroon, on 26-29 March next year. The MFN issue “is a very political thing, and it goes to the very heart of the topic,” the facilitator said, adding that he expects “in-depth exchange(s) between ministers on some of these foundational questions, like MFN.” “They should discuss what it means if one member, a big important member, says we will trust MFN is no longer the rule,” he emphasized. FACILITATOR’S REPORT In his restricted report (Job/GC/485) presented at the GC meeting on 16 December, seen by the SUNS, Ambassador Olberg said: “while divergences remain, our discussions since June have made tangible progress. The goal in the lead up to MC14 is not to resolve every issue, but to lay the foundation for Ministers to be in a position to provide guidance at MC14 that will allow officials to begin examining approaches after MC14.” According to a trade envoy who asked not to be quoted, this approach essentially seeks to launch a new round of trade negotiations on only three WTO reform issues – an “unbalanced” agenda that will be unacceptable to many members. The facilitator warned in his report that “reform must mean change – not a restatement of familiar approaches. A return to the status quo will only deepen scepticism – and with such an approach, we run the much more risk of sliding into irrelevance.” During the Christmas break, Ambassador Olberg urged members to “reflect together with our Senior Officials and return ready to do things differently.” The facilitator continued: “The world has evolved. Our rules, processes, and mindset must evolve too, or confidence – inside and outside – will erode. No Member should be left behind. The needs and interests of all must be considered. At the same time, stakeholder engagement – including the private sector and the civil society – has been strong and constructive. We should positively consider a mechanism to receive meaningful contributions from those who are directly impacted by our actions.” NEXT STEPS Ambassador Olberg recommended four steps for continuing the reform work: (1) that Ministers engage in a different, focused, Ministerial-level discussion on the foundational and pressing systemic issues that many Members have identified as essential; (2) that Ministers endorse a balanced and forward-looking plan for post-MC14 reform work, building on the outcomes of Reform Week and the revised one-pagers; (3) that Ministers endorse clearly defined check-points to guide and assess progress; and (4) that Ministers endorse appropriate modalities to enable concrete and effective reform following MC14. “To ensure that Ministers will be in a position to endorse these four recommendations, we must focus our reform work when we return in January,” he stated. “In particular, we must: (i) prepare the Ministerial discussion or exchange at MC14, with clear framing, key questions, and guidance to ensure a productive and high-level political conversation; (ii) develop a draft of a balanced plan for WTO Reform work post-MC14, building on the concrete challenges and possible approaches while ensuring flexibility to accommodate further discussion; and (iii) define modalities for follow-up and identify check-points, responsibilities, and practical mechanisms to monitor progress, maintain transparency and accountability throughout the process.” +
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