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India at WTO: Goyal Calls for Inclusive Reforms, Development Focus

Union Minister Piyush Goyal articulated India's position at the WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference, emphasizing that any reforms must be transparent, inclusive, and keep development at their core. He held key bilateral meetings with counterparts from Cameroon, the Netherlands, France, and Ethiopia to strengthen trade cooperation. India reiterated its call for a permanent solution on public stockholding for food security and the restoration of the dispute settlement system. Parallel meetings by Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal with numerous nations focused on advancing bilateral trade and ongoing FTA negotiations.

Key Points: India's WTO Reforms Push: Inclusive, Member-Driven, Goyal Says

  • Inclusive WTO reform process
  • Uphold non-discrimination & consensus
  • Push for food security stockholding solution
  • Restore functional dispute settlement
  • Strengthen bilateral trade ties
2 min read

WTO reforms must be inclusive, member-driven: Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal outlines India's stance at WTO MC14: reforms must be inclusive, uphold core principles, and prioritize development & food security.

"WTO reforms must be pursued through a transparent, inclusive and member-driven process, with development at its core - Piyush Goyal"

New Delhi, March 27

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that WTO reforms must be pursued through a transparent, inclusive and member-driven process, with development at its core, at the ongoing 14th Ministerial Conference in Yaounde, Cameroon, an official statement said on Friday.

He also underlined the need to uphold key principles such as non-discrimination, consensus-based decision-making and equity.

On the sidelines of the conference, Goyal met Cameroon Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute and discussed bilateral and multilateral issues, including ways to strengthen India-Cameroon cooperation.

The leaders also held discussions on foundational issues of the WTO, including its core principles.

Goyal held a meeting with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to discuss the MC14 agenda, and separately met his counterparts from the Netherlands, France and Ethiopia to review bilateral trade ties.

Meanwhile, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal held bilateral meetings with counterparts from Chile, Paraguay, the US, Nepal, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Peru, Russia and New Zealand, as well as with a delegation of European Union parliamentarians.

The MC14 of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) commenced in Yaounde on March 26 with a ceremonial session chaired by Cameroon's Trade Minister, and will conclude on March 29.

The opening session was attended by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and trade ministers and senior representatives from member countries.

The session was followed by a brief event, marking the entry into force of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.

Discussions focused on the MC14 agenda and opportunities to enhance bilateral trade ties. Talks with Chile and Peru also covered ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, while engagements with the European Union and New Zealand reviewed progress in respective FTA talks.

India also reiterated that non-discrimination remains a foundational principle of the WTO framework, as reflected in the Marrakesh Agreement. The nation also emphasised the need for a development-centric agenda, including a permanent solution on public stockholding (PSH) for food security, effective Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) provisions for developing and least developed countries (LDCs), and the restoration of a fully functional dispute settlement mechanism.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Good to see India actively engaging with so many countries on the sidelines. The bilateral meetings with Chile, Peru, EU are key for our trade future. Hope these FTA talks conclude soon and benefit our exporters.
A
Aman W
"Member-driven process" and "consensus-based" sound good on paper, but will the developed nations actually listen? The dispute settlement mechanism has been broken for years. Action is needed, not just words.
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Sarah B
Interesting to see the focus on Cameroon and African nations. Strengthening South-South cooperation is the way forward. A more inclusive WTO that genuinely considers LDCs can create a fairer global trade system.
K
Karthik V
The principles are correct, but the implementation is always the challenge. Special and Differential Treatment for developing countries is non-negotiable. We cannot have one-size-fits-all rules when economies are at different stages.
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Nikhil C
While I support the stance, I hope our diplomacy is backed by solid data and negotiation strategies. It's a complex arena. The Fisheries Subsidies agreement is a positive step, but the big issues like agriculture subsidies remain. Let's see concrete outcomes.

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