US EditionWeakened WTO Set for High-Level Meet Under Cloud of Mideast War
The WTO faces pressure to reform amid US tariff disputes and Middle East war disruptions as global trade growth slows, with 166 members seeking a new roadmap.
- Next week, the World Trade Organization will gather ministers in Yaounde to seek a reform roadmap at the March 26 ministerial, amid the Middle East war and slowing global trade forecasts.
- Facing structural limits, the World Trade Organization must confront its full-consensus decision rule and a dispute-settlement system crippled since 2019, while the United States called the MFN principle "unsuitable for this era" last December.
- US ambassador Joseph Barloon said last week the United States rejects the current WTO reform proposal, while WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala urged the meeting to be 'a turning point' and 'that island of stability'.
- Swiss ambassador Erwin Bollinger cautioned about loss of WTO relevance, with experts warning the Yaounde ministerial will be unusually tense and success unlikely.
- Washington's critique targets the MFN principle, and Hamid Mamdouh, a former WTO official, agreed these debates matter for broader trading system coherence.
35 Articles
35 Articles
ABC FOX Montana
Weakened WTO set for high-level meet under cloud of Mideast war
A weakened World Trade Organization will gather ministers in Yaounde next week as it seeks a road to reform, amid surging global trade tensions, US tariffs and disruptions caused by the Middle East war.
Mideast war 'threatens global food security': WTO chief
The World Trade Organization warned that the Middle East war could significantly slow global trade to 1.4% this year, threatening food security due to soaring energy prices. High oil prices, with Brent crude over $112 a barrel, are already impacting shipping and infrastructure.
Middle East war 'threatens global food security': WTO chief warns
The war in the Middle East poses a dire threat to global food security, the World Trade Organization chief warned on Thursday, appealing for global supply chains to remain open.The Middle East conflict "threatens global food security, since shipping disruptions and higher energy costs reduce the supply and raise the cost of fertiliser", Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala...
The war in the Middle East is seriously threatening global food security, according to the WTO chief. More expensive transport and energy could limit fertilizer imports and crops.
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