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Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference: what outcomes for agriculture and fisheries?

Year of publication 2024

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 2 p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Policy brief

Series title Trade policy briefs

Series number No. 56

Synopsis (short abstract) The 13th Ministerial Conference of the WTO (MC13) took place from 26 February to 2 March 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Conference was chaired by the Minister of State for Foreign Trade of the host country. Agriculture and fisheries subsidies were once more at the centre of the deliberations, but no concrete outcome was possible due to differences and divergence of positions among Members. However, WTO Members adopted a number of important decisions and declarations that are relevant for the two sectors. These included a Ministerial Declaration reaffirming the principles and objectives of the WTO and providing the framework for the continuation of the work in a number of areas, a “Ministerial Decision on dispute settlement reform”, a “Ministerial Decision on work programme on small economies”, a “Ministerial Declaration on strengthening regulatory cooperation to reduce technical barriers to trade”, and a “Ministerial Declaration on the precise, effective and operational implementation of special and differential treatment provisions of the agreement on the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures and the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade” . Finally, the Ministerial Conference decided that the Comoros and Timor-Leste may accede to the WTO under the terms and conditions set out in their respective protocols of accession. The two countries will formally join the WTO on the thirtieth day following the date on which the protocols have been accepted by their respective domestic constituencies. The accession of these two new members will bring the total number of WTO members to 166.

Cite this content as:

FAO. 2024. Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference: what outcomes for agriculture and fisheries? Trade policy briefs, No. 56.Rome.

https://doi.org/10.4060/cd0516en

Language English

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