“Let’s get it done [the reform] so that it will be something treasured by each and every member, which means we have to listen to each other and think of the greater good. I’m very optimistic”, declared the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Tuesday 14 May. Although several members have put forward written proposals for reforming the Organization in recent months, there is still a great deal of work to be done before a consensus can be reached.
Newly appointed to lead the discussions on reform, Mauritius’ ambassador to the WTO, Usha Chandnee Dwarka-Canabady, said on the same day that during her consultations, she had felt “a sense of urgency” among members to complete the work “by the end of 2024 and, if possible, before then”.
To achieve this, WTO members will be meeting every month at technical and heads of delegation level, starting on 30 May.
The 13th WTO Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi in February ended without any firm outcome on the reform of the organisation. Ministers had only instructed officials to speed up discussions and had reiterated the objective of concluding before the end of 2024. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)