On 4 May, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has urged Member State delegations to do their utmost to overcome their differences and reach a number of agreements in time for the organisation’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12).
She also acknowledged that the targets that have been clearly stated for the June CM12 would probably have to be lowered (see EUROPE 12942/33). She had hoped, until a few months ago, to see agreements on agriculture, fisheries subsidies and trade and health.
However, in the opinion of the Director-General, it is vital to achieve concrete results by June, to “show that the WTO is capable of contributing to overcoming current and future global challenges”.
To this end, she has called on delegations to work tirelessly over the coming weeks, emphasising the fact that she will be available day and night to facilitate discussions. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)