الإمارات.. أبوظبي تستضيف أكبر حوار تجاري عالمي لتشكيل مستقبل التجارة

Sky News Arabia

---

The eyes of the global trading community are turning to the capital, Abu Dhabi, which is preparing to host the thirteenth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization on February 26, with the participation of delegations from 164 member states of the organization, amid high hopes that it will launch the largest global dialogue for trade negotiations, a new starting point for reshaping the future of the trading system. Global multilateral.

The conference, which will be held at the Abu Dhabi Exhibition Center and lasts until February 29, is receiving wide global attention given the files and issues on its agenda that are of great importance to the global economy, and any progress in any of them could constitute a qualitative achievement in the global trade process, especially the talks. The agenda for reforming the Organization, the Dispute Settlement System, the Fisheries Support Agreement, agriculture talks, investment facilitation, trade and environment support, as well as adopting new technologies to improve the efficiency and sustainability of supply chains.

The conference, which is chaired by Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, comes at a time when the international trade movement is witnessing many challenges that the conference seeks to overcome.

The expected wave of elections, the recession affecting most of the world’s economies, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza are likely to threaten reaching agreements, according to what the Director-General of the World Trade Organization warned.

“It will be a bit difficult because the conference is being held in a difficult circumstance,” World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told reporters in Geneva, describing the negotiating positions as divergent. “We face a lot of headwinds, economic and political headwinds. You will realize that it is not going to be easy.”

However, the director stressed that she believes some agreements are still possible, pointing to the second part of the agreement to reduce fishing subsidies that empty the oceans, as well as a roadmap for talks on agriculture.

But other potential agreements appear to be stuck, amid mounting concern about the impact of current geopolitical tensions.

She added that one of the challenges is holding several elections this year, most notably the US elections in November, which opinion polls indicate in the lead of former President Donald Trump.

“As you know, elections affect the negotiation style,” she said.

The role of the UAE in global trade

The UAE joined the World Trade Organization in 1996, one year after the organization was established in January 1995. With the aim of ensuring the flow of trade between countries as smoothly, conveniently and freely as possible.

The UAE’s accession to the organization in a journey approaching its third decade resulted in it enjoying many advantages, the most important of which are low customs tariffs on UAE exports and the protection of local markets from dumping, while it had to adhere to a number of conditions, including the necessity of updating local legislation and laws in many areas. , such as intellectual property, trade and services, and that their products conform to international specifications with the aim of removing challenges to the development and diversification of national exports so that national companies can take a major role in international trade.

The UAE’s representative office at the World Trade Organization is located in Geneva, and the office serves the country’s economic diplomacy.

Abu Dhabi’s hosting of the Thirteenth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization embodies the UAE’s position as a major supporter of the free flow of trade and investment between various countries of the world, its pivotal role in the global trade scene, and its ability to contribute a prominent role in revitalizing the global trade system and supporting its keeping pace with the future requirements of the first century. Twenty.

Over many years, the UAE’s foreign trade has been one of the most important success stories in the UAE’s achievements, as trade has established itself as a major driver of development, one of the most important pillars of economic strategies, and an essential element in the country’s foreign relations.

Trade is of particular importance to the UAE, as it is the bridge that connects its products of goods, services and natural resources to the world, and supplies the economy with the latest ideas and innovations. Today, trade has become an essential pillar of the country’s ambitions for development and economic diversification in accordance with what was stated in the “We are the Emirates 2031” vision, where The vision’s ambitious goals stipulate doubling the value of foreign trade to 4 trillion dirhams, while increasing the value of non-oil exports to 800 billion dirhams, which reflects the great stimulating power of trade to accelerate the growth of the national economy.

Intensive preparatory consultations

Months ago, the corridors of the World Trade Organization in Geneva witnessed intense formal and informal discussions and consultations between representatives of member states on issues and topics of negotiating priority for members of the World Trade Organization in the period preceding the Thirteenth Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi, and the areas in which it is being studied. Members Organization Reform Agenda.

The main priority of the Thirteenth Ministerial Conference is to build on the achievements of the previous Ministerial Conference held in Geneva during June 2022, by concluding the second wave of negotiations on fisheries supports and ensuring the entry into force of the Fisheries Support Agreement, especially after 56 members have already deposited documents. Their acceptance of the Fisheries Support Agreement, which is half the number required for it to enter into force, and more are being worked on.

Other negotiating priorities include reforming the dispute settlement system and extending the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions, which will expire if members do not renew it at the Thirteenth Ministerial Conference. In addition, members are considering whether to expand the scope of the TRIPS Agreement decision on COVID-19 vaccines approved at the 12th Ministerial Conference to include COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics.

While negotiations on agriculture continue, with food security being an important priority, despite different views on issues such as public stock for food security purposes, local support, and access to markets.

Drafting draft texts

Regular meetings of the General Council of the World Trade Organization, which is the only global organization responsible for international laws concerned with trade between nations, and committees, as well as group meetings and informal retreats that precede the Ministerial Conference, contribute to building confidence among members and facilitating reaching a final formulation of the texts of the agreements that will be presented during the conference. The thirteenth ministerial.

During the General Council meeting, which was held over two days in Geneva in mid-December, members of the World Trade Organization discussed ways to reduce harmful government subsidies, ensure a clear vision of the global e-commerce market, expand access to important medical technologies, and assist developing countries and less developed countries. In particular, it seeks to reap the greatest possible benefits from the global trading system.

During the meeting, Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, President of the Thirteenth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, called, during the opening speech of the meeting of the General Council of the World Trade Organization, the need to intensify efforts to fill the remaining gaps within the organization’s membership on the main issues that the international community needs, And companies large and small, to take action, and build consensus on priority issues, such as renewing the moratorium on customs duties on e-commerce, expanding access to medical goods, narrowing differences over agriculture, achieving tangible results for developing countries, and supporting international efforts to revitalize the movement Trade by strengthening dispute settlement mechanisms and adopting new technologies to improve the efficiency of supply chains.

Agriculture negotiations

According to the World Trade Organization, during the meeting of the Negotiating Body on Agriculture, which took place at the organization’s headquarters on January 30, a draft negotiating text was presented for consideration by member states, which could serve as a useful basis for negotiations among WTO members before the Thirteenth Ministerial Conference ( MC13), from February 26 to 29.

WTO negotiations on agricultural trade began in 2000 under Article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture.

Ministerial conferences in 2015 and 2013 produced some results, while the last conference in 2022 saw ministers agree to a declaration on food security and a decision on food aid as part of a broader package. However, negotiators have not yet reached agreement on several unresolved topics on the negotiating agenda.

Organization reform talks

Regarding reform of the World Trade Organization, the ongoing discussions reflected everyone’s agreement that the World Trade Organization needs reform, with members’ differing views on areas of reform that can be summarized in three areas, including reforming the dispute settlement system, negotiating new rules and reviewing current rules, And revitalizing the deliberative function of the organization.

The past period witnessed WTO members being informed of the latest developments in the ongoing informal discussions on dispute settlement reform and work plans for the talks in the coming weeks at the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) meeting on January 26, based on the mandate of the members at the WTO’s twelfth Ministerial Conference. Global Council will hold discussions, with the aim of having an effective dispute settlement system available to all members by 2024.

All delegations involved in the ongoing discussions consider dispute settlement reform a priority issue for the upcoming Thirteenth Ministerial Conference in late February and beyond, commending the work that has been achieved and the progress achieved so far in the informal consultations to date, which should be preserved because of its importance to build upon. On the “formalization” that one group of delegations said should be given to informal discussions at the Thirteenth Ministerial Conference.

Fisheries negotiations

On January 15, World Trade Organization members agreed to use the latest draft text on reducing subsidies that contribute to overfishing, as a basis for negotiations before the Thirteenth Ministerial Conference (MC13), with the aim of helping members reach an agreement within the next four weeks on the text. “Clean” to present to ministers.

On December 21, the latest draft text was circulated, based on members’ proposals and deliberations, and members were given the opportunity at the January 15 meeting to present their initial reactions to the text, which is still under review until February 9, before the deadline of February 14 to refer the revised text to Ministers at the thirteenth ministerial meeting.

In addition to implementing the second wave of fisheries negotiations, FAO hopes that the Fisheries Support Agreement will enter into force by the Thirteenth Ministerial Conference as well, as several members are working to deposit their ratification of the agreement that was unanimously adopted at the Thirteenth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization. (MC12) held in Geneva on 12-17 June 2022, prohibits support for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, prohibits support for overfishing, and ends subsidies for illegal and unregulated fishing in territorial waters and the high seas.

Fisheries Finance Fund

The Steering Committee of the WTO Fisheries Financing Mechanism held its first meeting on 31 January to prepare to provide assistance to members from developing countries and least developed countries to help them implement the Fisheries Support Agreement, ensuring that assistance is ready to be provided once the Agreement enters into force.

The establishment of the Fund is linked to the ongoing second wave of negotiations, which members hope to conclude at the Thirteenth Ministerial Conference by establishing additional controls on fisheries subsidies that contribute to over-fishing and over-fishing in territorial waters and the upper oceans.

During the meeting, preliminary discussions were held on four areas: governance procedures, project guidelines, project preparation grants, monitoring and evaluation plans, and transparency and engagement strategies. Working groups have been established for further work in these areas.

Since the new agreement on fisheries support will include amendments and improvements to the legislative and administrative frameworks of WTO members, their transparency and notification obligations, and their policies and practices in fisheries management, Article 7 of the agreement provides for the establishment of a voluntary financing mechanism for fisheries support. Providing targeted technical assistance and capacity building to assist developing countries and least developed countries in implementation.