MC14: India to continue focus on food security, fisheries at WTO ministerial conference

India will continue to push for reforms of the global trade architecture at the upcoming Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and is expected to defend its public stockholding programme for food security and agriculture.

Issues around special and differential treatment for developing countries, as well as a fully functional dispute settlement system, along with the US tariffs, are also likely to be taken up at the meeting.

The WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) will take place from March 26 to 29 at Yaoundé, Cameroon. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will attend the meeting, along with Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal and a team of officials.

Sources underlined that India will continue to protect and safeguard the interests of its farmers and fisherfolk and will not budge on its public stockholding programme for food security and farmer support as well as fisheries subsidies. Both of these have been key issues at previous WTO meetings as well.

WTO reforms will be the focus on March 27, while on 28, there will be updates on dispute settlement reform. This will be followed by ministerial sessions on fisheries subsidies, incorporation of the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement, the E-commerce Work Programme and moratorium, agriculture, and development, including least developed country issues. The final day will also host the ministerial closing session.

Besides, the issue of US tariffs and the rise of plurilateralism is also likely to be taken up at the WTO. A key issue around the functioning of the WTO’s dispute resolution system is also expected to be discussed. “Since December 2019, the system has been paralysed as the Appellate Body remains non-functional. The US blocked new appointments, disabling the system’s top court. Panels still issue rulings, but appeals ‘into the void’ prevent final, binding decisions,” noted a report by Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI).

Set up in 1995 with an objective to take forward a rules-based global trading order, the WTO today has 166 members and accounts for 98% of world trade. However, MC14 comes at a time when multilateralism and global trade have seen significant challenges from the reciprocal tariffs levied by the US, which have led to several bilateral trade agreements. While the reciprocal tariffs have been struck down by the US Supreme Court, the Trump administration has launched trade investigations against various countries that can lead to the levy of other tariffs.

The functioning of the WTO is also unusual and requires consensus amongst all 166 member countries for any decision. As a result, it is often critiqued for slow rule-making, and most Ministerial Conferences see a lot of exchange in views and discussions. The reform of the WTO is, in fact, seen to be a key agenda item at the upcoming ministerial.