BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 12
Trend:
The 12th WTO Ministerial Conference will be held in Geneva under the chairmanship of the Republic of Kazakhstan from November 30 to December 3, 2021, Trend reports citing the Ministry of Trade of Kazakhstan.
In accordance with the decision of the General Council of the WTO, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Trade and Integration Bakhyt Sultanov was elected the Chairman of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference.
The Ministerial Conference is the highest governing body of the WTO, which is competent to make decisions on all issues under multilateral trade agreements, including the negotiation and approval of new rules and disciplines governing international trade.
The key issues of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference to be discussed by the WTO members are the following:
1) ensuring access to vaccines and medical products for all countries,
2) completion of negotiations on fisheries subsidies,
3) making progress in agricultural negotiations,
4) restoration of the WTO Dispute Resolution Mechanism.
WTO member states have expressed interest in the successful holding of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference. The decisions of the upcoming Ministerial Conference can make a significant contribution to solving global challenges, including overcoming the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.