- Key decision-making body of the WTO meeting in Geneva -

- HE Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi: “All WTO Members must intensify our work to deliver the results the world expects from MC13.
Geneva, December 14, 2023: His Excellency Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Chair of the WTO’s 13th Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi, delivered opening remarks at a two-day meeting at the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) General Council in Geneva. 

His participation at the General Council was part of a series of engagements where HE Al Zeyoudi worked intensively with WTO Members on the range of issues in the lead up to the WTO’s 13th Ministerial Conference, set to take place in Abu Dhabi from 26 to 29 February 2024.
During the General Council meeting, WTO members began discussing ways to reduce harmful government subsidies, ensure certainty for the global e-commerce marketplace, expand access to life-saving medical technologies, and help developing countries, and least developed countries in particular, to reap greater benefits from the global trading system. 

Alongside the meeting in Geneva, HE Al Zeyoudi met with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to review the progress of the MC13 agenda as well as with several Ambassadors, Permanent Representatives, and senior officials to discuss the latest developments in the WTO negotiations. HE Al Zeyoudi also joined the UAE-hosted reception, which was attended by leaders from many different countries. 

HE Al Zeyoudi said: “We are now less than 10 weeks from MC13, and we must all intensify our work to bridge remaining gaps within the Membership on key issues where the international community, and business large and small, need action. The time is now to build consensus on priority issues such as renewing the moratorium on duties on e-commerce, expanding access to medical goods, narrowing differences on agriculture, and delivering tangible results for developing countries. It is crucial for delegations and capitals to advance progress in the coming weeks toward closing these gaps.”

The Ministerial Conference is the topmost decision-making body of the WTO that can decide on all matters under its range of multilateral trade agreements and is being Chaired by HE Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi. MC13 will bring together the WTO’s 164 Members to discuss ways forward on a number of trade issues including digital trade and e-commerce, agriculture, investment facilitation for investment, WTO Reform and dispute settlement, and trade and environment and fisheries subsidies.