Director-General Roberto Azevêdo attended an informal meeting of African Union trade ministers in Brussels today (20 October) to discuss preparations for the WTO’s 10th Ministerial Conference, which will be held in Nairobi in December. The Director-General gave a frank assessment of the current situation.

DG Azevêdo said:

“We are now just eight weeks away from the ministerial conference. We must ensure that Nairobi is a success — and that it delivers for Africa. We still face very significant challenges. Despite intense efforts this year, we have made little progress on the core Doha issues.

“However, there are still some elements on which we may be able to find agreement. A package of development and LDC issues would be at the heart of any such outcome. An agreement on export competition in agriculture would also be a very significant breakthrough for developing countries — in fact it would be the WTO's first ever negotiated outcome on agriculture. In addition, it may be possible to deliver some measures to increase transparency in some areas of trade policy, potentially covering issues such as antidumping and fisheries subsidies.

How Trade Affects You - Ask the Man in Charge!

Questions for the World Trade Organisation Director General ahead of the Ministerial Conference (MC-10) in Nairobi Dec 15-18

 

Here's your chance to query Roberto Azevêdo. AllAfrica will interview the WTO Director-General prior to the first Ministerial Conference of his institution to take place in Africa since WTO was created in Morocco in 1994.

 

We'll select issues and questions from those you submit - about the importance of trade to eradicate poverty, the status of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, progress on the Doha Development Agenda, and agreements on agricultural issues such as cotton. Weigh in, as negotiators head to Nairobi to tackle world trade issues and move towards an agreement that would 'deliver for Africa'.

 

For more, go to Briefing: WTO-MC10 Kenya

“These potential deliverables don't represent a perfect outcome — they simply represent what seems to be achievable at this stage. Nevertheless it is clear that they could have real economic and developmental significance — particularly for Africa, which could be the biggest winner of the ministerial conference. I am working hard to make sure that we deliver for Africa.

“But just as important as any deliverables in Nairobi will be the direction of our work after Nairobi. There are big decisions to take about the future of the system. We have to ensure that the WTO continues to be operational, so that developing countries continue to have a seat at the table. I urge African members to get involved in this conversation now.”

In summing up the meeting, the chair, Joshua Setipa, Lesotho's Minister of Trade and Industry, underscored the desire of ministers to increase their engagement in the final weeks leading up to the ministerial conference, in order to achieve a strong outcome.

The Director-General was also joined on the panel by African Union Trade Commissioner Fatima Acyl and Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed of Kenya, who will chair the 10th Ministerial Conference. Tomorrow the Director-General will attend a ministerial meeting of the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States.