The World Trade Organization (WTO) opened for business in 1995. Since then, negotiations have become more complex as greater numbers of countries have begun to actively participate in bargaining over an expanded agenda. This has lead to deadlock and delay in Geneva.
In recognition of the strains on the organization, the WTO has just completed a special negotiating session designed to think deeply about possible structural reforms. Some of the proposed ideas are quite radical, including allowing smaller groups of countries to forge ahead with new agreements or new rules governing the proliferation of free trade deals outside the WTO.
The Ministerial meeting in Geneva also gave member states an opportunity to restate their positions in the ongoing Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations in hopes of reaching a consensus.
Mr. Jaime Ho, Singapore’s Deputy Perm Rep to the WTO will give our participants an update in this closed door session on the discussions that have just taken place in Geneva.
The Seventh Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, took place from 30 November to 2 December 2009. It was a platform for ministers to review the functioning of WTO, including the Doha Round, and an occasion “to send a number of strong signals to the world with respect to the entire WTO waterfront of issues — from monitoring and surveillance to disputes, accessions, Aid for Trade, technical assistance and international governance”.
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Closing Date: 14 Dec 09
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