Abu Dhabi: The 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has begun in Abu Dhabi, with the participation of trade ministers and senior officials from around the world.
Ministers and top officials from around the world convene for a four-day conference to deliberate on laws and regulations pertaining to international commerce.
The international community will be able to collaborate to advance a more effective, sustainable, and inclusive trade system thanks to the meeting of 175 Member States, leaders of the corporate sector, NGOs, and members of civil society.
The WTO’s top decision-making body, Ministerial Conferences, provide vital platforms for member states to discuss trade issues, improve trade regulations, and establish the direction of international trade policy.
MC13 will build on the achievements of MC12, which took place in Geneva in June 2022 and saw notable progress made in areas like food security, e-commerce, and subsidies for fisheries. Its main goals will be to improve the access of developing nations and least developed countries (LDCs) to intellectual property, the global trading system, and WTO dispute resolution mechanisms.
Through a number of side activities, the conference will also offer a chance to investigate ways to increase cooperation and partnerships with non-governmental organizations, the commercial sector, and civil society in order to improve the efficacy of trade policies and programs.
These include sessions on trade facilitation in partnership with Etihad Credit Insurance, trade finance with HSBC, SMEs with the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), the WLP Logistics Challenges with DP World, Future of Cargo in partnership with Emirates, and Sustainable Trade Africa. The TradeTech Global Forum promotes the use of technology in global supply chains.
The WTO was established in 1995 to supervise international trade regulations. Its twice-yearly Ministerial Conference, which brings together ministers and senior officials from every member state to examine and revise legislation influencing international trade, is considered its most important platform for decision-making.