Ministerial Conference

The Ministerial Conference is the top decision making body of the World Trade Organization (WTO).[1] There have been eleven ministerial conferences from 1996 to 2017, usually every two years.

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

First ministerial conference
Main article: World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1996

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
Main article: World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1998

Was held in Geneva in Switzerland.

Third ministerial conference
Main article: World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1999

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
Main article: World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2001

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
Main article: World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2003

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
Main article: World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2005

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
Main article: World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2009

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
Main article: World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2011

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

Ninth ministerial conference
Main article: World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2013

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
Main article: World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2015

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
Main article: World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2017

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 is scheduled for June 8-11, 2020.[6]

Doha Round
Main article: Doha Development 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 globalisation more inclusive and help the world's poor, particularly by slashing barriers and subsidies in farming.[7] The initial agenda comprised both further trade liberalization and new rule-making, underpinned by commitments to strengthen substantial assistance to developing countries.[8]

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.[9]

GATT and WTO trade rounds[10][11][12]
Name Start Duration Countries Subjects covered Achievements
GenevaApril 19477 months23TariffsSigning of GATT, 45,000 tariff concessions affecting $10 billion of trade
AnnecyApril 19495 months34TariffsCountries exchanged some 5,000 tariff concessions
TorquaySeptember 19508 months34TariffsCountries exchanged some 8,700 tariff concessions, cutting the 1948 tariff levels by 25%
Geneva IIJanuary 19565 months22Tariffs, admission of Japan$2.5 billion in tariff reductions
DillonSeptember 196011 months45TariffsTariff concessions worth $4.9 billion of world trade
KennedyMay 196437 months48Tariffs, anti-dumpingTariff concessions worth $40 billion of world trade
TokyoSeptember 197374 months102Tariffs, non-tariff measures, "framework" agreementsTariff reductions worth more than $300 billion achieved
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.
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

References
  1. "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. "http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news09_e/gc_chair_stat_26may09_e.htm WTO to hold 7th Ministerial Conference on 30 November-2 December 2009". World Trade Organization. 26 May 2009. Retrieved 9 December 2013. External link in |title= (help)
  4. "Day 3: Samoa and Montenegro join Russia with membership agreed, as ministers wrap up conference". WTO. 17 December 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  5. https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/minist_e/mc11_e/mc11_e.htm
  6. "Kazinform". Kazakh Minister of Trade and Integration meets ambassadors of WTO member countries.
  7. The Economist, "In the twilight of Doha", 65
  8. The Doha Development Agenda, European Commission
  9. 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.
  10. The GATT years: from Havana to Marrakesh, World Trade Organization
  11. Timeline: World Trade Organization – A chronology of key events, BBC News
  12. Brakman-Garretsen-Marrewijk-Witteloostuijn, Nations and Firms in the Global Economy, Chapter 10: Trade and Capital Restriction
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