WTO Summit

India has called for action to curb non-tariff barriers, address trade distortions caused by non-market economies, and restore a strong dispute settlement mechanism at the WTO, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday. The minister also pitched for strengthening the current consensus-based approach at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the special and differential treatment given to less developed countries and developing countries, and bringing back focus on issues that have already been finalised and mandated at previous ministerial meetings. "India made a strong pitch for addressing non-tariff barriers that certain countries use to deprive others of market access, take necessary action against non-market economies, ensure that we have a strong dispute settlement mechanism at the WTO so that finality can be brought and discipline can be maintained," Goyal told reporters here. The minister made these remarks in a meeting of about 25 ministers of WTO member ...

India has called for re-energising discussions in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on the development dimension to achieve tangible progress and meaningful outcomes. In a communication to the WTO, the country said that there is a substantial unfinished development agenda emanating from the recently concluded 13th ministerial conference of the WTO in Abu Dhabi. "We seek to strengthen the discussions and debate on the issue of development in the working of all regular bodies of this organisation. We wish that the momentum of development discussions continues in a focused and structured way. "We, therefore, need to commit to reinvigorating discussions on the development dimension for tangible progress and meaningful outcomes for the WTO to be seen as fit for purpose," India said in its communication titled - '30 Years of WTO: How has Development Dimension progressed - A way forward'. According to experts, development agenda refers to issues being pushed by developing and least ...

Many WTO members have opted to include a mechanism for resolving trade disputes in their bilateral or regional free trade agreements

Countries say European bloc's safeguard duty was inconsistent with regulations of the global trade organisation

China said it was contesting 'discriminatory subsidies' under the US Inflation Reduction Act that it said resulted in the exclusion of goods from China and other WTO countries

Farmers under the banner of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) are all set to launch a nationwide tractor procession on highways on Monday

'Tough' politics complicate deal-making, says Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO chief

From the outside, it's easy to think of India as an undifferentiated mass of individuals with leaders who turn up in places such as Abu Dhabi to reject everything the rest of the world suggests

India on Friday expressed hope that other countries will come to the WTO meet in Abu Dhabi with a positive attitude and listen to the concerns of developing nations for providing free and fair solutions to their problems. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also said that though the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has played an important role in setting robust rules for global trade, there are significant problems in the organisation. Trade ministers of 164 countries will gather in Abu Dhabi, UAE from February 26 to discuss a range of issues pertaining to areas such as agriculture, fisheries subsidies, and a moratorium on imposing customs duty on e-commerce trade. "I do hope that other countries will also come to the table with a positive attitude as does India...(I do hope that) other countries are also willing to listen to us and other less developed and developing countries' concerns and give free and fair solutions to the problems," Goyal said at the Raisina Dialogue ...

Ministerial Conferences are the highest decision-making body of the WTO and serve as crucial forums for member states to address trade challenges, refine trade rules, etc.

Goyal said if multilateralism was imperilled, the world will not be left with many fora to promote dialogue and diplomacy

Union minister of commerce and industry Piyush Goyal called the WTO meeting a "spectacular success" for India. But experts insist that it was a mixed bag. So what exactly happened in Geneva this time?

A meeting of the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) last week was the last chance for nations to break the more than two-year-long deadlock but saw both sides dig into their positions, sources said

The mini ministerial had been called by India to 'break the ice' after the Argentina meet saw nations hardening their positions on key agricultural issues

Roberto Azevedo, WTO's director general, to attend the event