The Ministerial Conference is the top decision making body of the World Trade Organization (WTO).[1] There have been twelve ministerial conferences from 1996 to 2022, usually every two years.

Ministerial conferences

#Date[1]Host City
1st9–13 December 1996 Singapore
2nd18–20 May 1998Switzerland Geneva, Switzerland
3rd30 November – 3 December 1999United States Seattle, United States
4th9–14 November 2001Qatar Doha, Qatar
5th10–14 September 2003Mexico Cancún, Mexico
6th13–18 December 2005 Hong Kong
7th30 November – 2 December 2009Switzerland Geneva, Switzerland
8th15–17 December 2011Switzerland Geneva, Switzerland
9th3–6 December 2013Indonesia Bali, Indonesia
10th15–18 December 2015Kenya Nairobi, Kenya
11th10–13 December 2017Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentina
12th12–16 June 2022Switzerland Geneva, Switzerland
13th estimated26-29 feb 2024

United Arab Emirates Abu dhabi, UAE

First ministerial conference

The inaugural ministerial conference was held in Singapore in 1996. Its primary purpose was to initiate an international effort among global trading nations to overhaul the structure and mechanisms of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) while preserving the considerable progress and success achieved by that system since its inception in 1948.

Disagreements, largely between developed and developing economies, emerged over four issues initiated by this conference; afterward, these were collectively referred to as the "Singapore issues".

Second ministerial conference

Was held in Geneva in Switzerland.

Third ministerial conference

The third conference in Seattle, United States ended in failure, with massive demonstrations and police and National Guard crowd control efforts drawing worldwide attention.

Fourth ministerial conference

The fourth conference was held in Doha In Persian Gulf nation of Qatar. The Doha Development Round was launched at the conference. The conference also approved the joining of China, which became the 143rd member to join.

Fifth ministerial conference

The ministerial conference was held in Cancún, Mexico, aiming at forging agreement on the Doha round. An alliance of 22 southern states, the G20 (led by India, China[2] and Brazil), resisted demands from the North for agreements on the so-called "Singapore issues" and called for an end to agricultural subsidies within the EU and the US. The talks broke down without progress.

Sixth ministerial conference

The sixth WTO Conference Ministerial was held in Hong Kong from 13 December – 18 December 2005. It was considered vital if the four-year-old Doha Development Agenda negotiations were to move forward sufficiently to conclude the round in 2006. In this meeting, countries agreed to phase out all their agricultural export subsidies by the end of 2013, and terminate any cotton export subsidies by the end of 2006. Further concessions to developing countries included an agreement to introduce duty-free, tariff-free access for goods from the Least Developed Countries, following the Everything But Arms initiative of the European Union — but with up to 3% of tariff lines exempted. Other major issues were left for further negotiation to be completed by the end of 2006.

Seventh ministerial conference

Was held 30 November – 2 December 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland. The general theme for discussion was "The WTO, the Multilateral Trading System and the Current Global Economic Environment".[3]

Eighth ministerial conference

Was held 15–17 December 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland. Membership agreement were made for Russia, Samoa, and Montenegro.[4]

Ninth ministerial conference

Was held 3–6 December 2013 in Bali, Indonesia. 159 members of World Trade Organization agreed to the Bali Package which eases barriers to international trade.

Tenth ministerial conference

The WTO's 10th Ministerial Conference was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 15 to 19 December 2015. The completion of Afghanistan and Liberia's accession to the WTO was on the agenda. It culminated in the adoption of the "Nairobi Package", a series of six Ministerial Decisions on agriculture, cotton and issues related to least-developed countries (LDCs). The Conference was chaired by Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Amina Mohamed.

Eleventh ministerial conference

The WTO's 11th Ministerial Conference was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 11 to 13 December 2017. It was chaired by Minister Susana Malcorra of Argentina. The Conference ended with a number of ministerial decisions, including on fisheries subsidies and e-commerce duties, and a commitment to continue negotiations in all areas.[5]

Twelfth ministerial conference

The agreement to host the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan was signed on October 30, 2019. The Ministerial Conference was scheduled for June 8-11, 2020, but was postponed and took place in June 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] It ran from 12 to 17 June 2022: although it was initially scheduled to end on 15 June, the meeting was extended by two days to allow more time for negotiations.[7]

13th ministerial conference

Two proposals were received to host the thirteenth Ministerial Conference, from Cameroon and from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).[7] It will take place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from 26 to 29 February 2024, and will be chaired by Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Trade.[8]

Doha Round

The WTO launched the current round of negotiations, the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) or Doha Round, at the Fourth Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar in November 2001. The Doha round was to be an ambitious effort to make globalization more inclusive and help the world's poor, particularly by slashing barriers and subsidies in farming.[9] The initial agenda comprised both further trade liberalization and new rule-making, underpinned by commitments to strengthen substantial assistance to developing countries.[10]

The negotiations have been highly contentious and agreement has not been reached, despite the intense negotiations at several Ministerial Conferences and at other sessions. As of 2008, disagreements still continued over several key areas including agriculture subsidies.[11]

GATT and WTO trade rounds[12][13][14]
Name Start Duration Countries Subjects covered Achievements
Switzerland GenevaApril 19477 months23TariffsSigning of GATT, 45,000 tariff concessions affecting $10 billion of trade
France AnnecyApril 19495 months34TariffsCountries exchanged some 5,000 tariff concessions
United Kingdom TorquaySeptember 19508 months34TariffsCountries exchanged some 8,700 tariff concessions, cutting the 1948 tariff levels by 25%
Switzerland Geneva IIJanuary 19565 months22Tariffs, admission of Japan$2.5 billion in tariff reductions
Switzerland DillonSeptember 196011 months45TariffsTariff concessions worth $4.9 billion of world trade
Switzerland KennedyMay 196437 months48Tariffs, anti-dumpingTariff concessions worth $40 billion of world trade
Japan TokyoSeptember 197374 months102Tariffs, non-tariff measures, "framework" agreementsTariff reductions worth more than $300 billion achieved
Uruguay UruguaySeptember 198687 months123Tariffs, non-tariff measures, rules, services, intellectual property, dispute settlement, textiles, agriculture, creation of WTO, etc.The round led to the creation of WTO, and extended the range of trade negotiations, leading to major reductions in tariffs (about 40%) and agricultural subsidies, an agreement to allow full access for textiles and clothing from developing countries, and an extension of intellectual property rights.
Qatar DohaNovember 2001?159Tariffs, non-tariff measures, agriculture, labor standards, environment, competition, investment, transparency, patents etc.The round has not yet concluded. The last agreement to date, the Bali Package, was signed on 7 December 2013.

See also

Further reading

  • World Trade Organization (2023). WTO Ministerial Conferences: Key Outcomes (2 ed.). Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781009444651. ISBN 978-1-009-44465-1.

References

  1. 1 2 "Ministerial Conferences". World Trade Organization. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  2. ↑ Five Years of China WTO Membership. EU and US Perspectives about China's Compliance with Transparency Commitments and the Transitional Review Mechanism
  3. ↑ "WTO to hold 7th Ministerial Conference on 30 November-2 December 2009". World Trade Organization. 26 May 2009. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "Day 3: Samoa and Montenegro join Russia with membership agreed, as ministers wrap up conference". World Trade Organization. 17 December 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "Eleventh WTO Ministerial Conference". World Trade Organization.
  6. ↑ "Kazakh Minister of Trade and Integration meets ambassadors of WTO member countries". Kazinform. 30 October 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Twelfth WTO Ministerial Conference". World Trade Organization. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  8. ↑ World Trade Organization, 13th WTO Ministerial Conference, accessed 13 January 2024
  9. ↑ The Economist, "In the twilight of Doha", 65
  10. ↑ The Doha Development Agenda, European Commission
  11. ↑ Fergusson, Ian F. (18 January 2008). "World Trade Organization Negotiations: The Doha Development Agenda" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2008.
  12. ↑ The GATT years: from Havana to Marrakesh, World Trade Organization
  13. ↑ Timeline: World Trade Organization – A chronology of key events, BBC News
  14. ↑ Brakman-Garretsen-Marrewijk-Witteloostuijn, Nations and Firms in the Global Economy, Chapter 10: Trade and Capital Restriction
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