Bakhyt Sultanov : WTO News

Source https://www.facebook.com/bakhyt.sultanov 

I am at the Headquarters of the World Trade Organization, where I met with the Director General of the WTO, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. This is my first personal meeting with her since she was elected head of the Organization six months ago.

Dr. Okonjo-Iweala took over the WTO at a very difficult time: a pandemic, trade wars, the need to modernize the Organization, strengthen its authority and increase trust among all members.

We discussed these issues at the meeting. Kazakhstan has always supported the WTO initiatives aimed at equal trade.

Our country has the honor to preside over the 12th Ministerial Conference. The meeting was supposed to take place last summer in Nur-Sultan, but the pandemic changed plans - the conference will be held at the end of this year and not in Kazakhstan. However, we will still be able to demonstrate the achievements of our country to all participants of the Ministerial Conference – we are currently preparing proposals for presentation events.

When preparing for the Conference, we, as the organizers, have a key issue – minimizing all organizational risks. It is very important that the meeting be held in the format of the physical presence of delegates in compliance with anti-epidemic requirements. After all, decisions on key controversial issues are most often, most effectively and most quickly taken during informal meetings, on the sidelines of the event.

And very important issues will be discussed at the MK-12.

One of the key ones is subsidies for fishing at sea. Discussions on this topic have been held for several years, and are connected with the need to find a balance between economic activity and the preservation of ecology and aquaculture.

The issue of agricultural subsidies will also be discussed. It is expected that the MK-12 will make a decision on the abolition of all export restrictions on foodstuffs used for non-commercial humanitarian purposes in the participating countries. We are talking about procurement for assistance within the framework of the UN World Food Program. This is a very urgent issue - with the beginning of the pandemic, there is an acute shortage of food in a number of countries around the world.

And another important area is the restoration of the full-fledged activity of the Dispute Resolution Body. It is necessary to increase the credibility of this "supranational referee".

We discussed the preparations for the Ministerial Conference and the search for preliminary agreements today during a meeting with the Ambassadors of key WTO member countries. By the way, just in an informal setting, during a two-hour working lunch with the heads and representatives of missions of more than twenty countries, a very useful discussion of the main key issues of the organizational and substantive plan took place.

Many thanks to our Special Mission to the WTO, headed by Ambassador Zhanar Aitzhanova, who conducted a good preparatory work. They have the most stressful days and nights ahead of them. So we wish the team success and health.

I am sure that when the trade ministers of all WTO countries meet in Geneva for a Ministerial conference in a few months, we will be able to work productively and overcome all differences. After all, all WTO members are interested in achieving tangible results for the global trading system.