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https://theconversation.com/wto-conference-ends-in-division-and-stalemate-does-the-global-trade-body-have-a-viable-future-224948>
"The 13th World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi
has failed to resolve any issues of significance, raising the inescapable
question of whether the global trade body has a future.
The three-day meeting was due to end on February 29. But late into a fourth
extra day, the 164 members were struggling to even agree on a declaration, let
alone the big issues of agriculture, fisheries and border taxes on electronic
commerce.
The closing ceremony was sombre, and the ministerial declaration bland,
stripped of the substantive content previously proposed. Outstanding issues
were kicked back to the WTO base in Geneva for further discussions, or for the
next ministerial conference in 2026.
Briefing journalists in the closing hours, an EU spokesperson noted how hard it
would be to pick up the pieces in Geneva after they failed to create momentum
at the ministerial conference. She predicted:
[Trade] will be more and more characterised by power relations than the rule
of law, and that will be a problem notably for smaller countries and for
developing countries."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
