US seeks flexible pathway to include plurilateral pacts at WTO

New Delhi: With two days left for the 14th ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the US suggested the global trade watchdog to focus on finding a more flexible way to incorporate plurilateral agreements into its architecture.

Plurilateral agreements are negotiated and agreed by only some WTO members.

The US also said it believes that members need to rethink how the most favoured nation (MFN) principle functions in its current form and that members should seek to restore the purpose of special and differential treatment (S&DT) by agreeing to objective criteria for determining eligibility. S&DT provides longer transition periods, softer obligations, policy space for development.


Washington said it believes that members should address the role of the Secretariat and “consider issuing guidance or taking other actions to ensure the Secretariat serves the interests of the Members-and not of the institution or any abstract trading system.”

The US’ statement is crucial as MC14 is being termed a “reform ministerial” and India has pitched for a consensus-based decision-making at the WTO with a fully functional two-tier dispute settlement system, continuation of the S&DT provisions, keeping non-trade issues outside the WTO’s purview and resolving mandated issues like food security first.

The MC14 will take place in Yaoundé, Cameroon from March 26-29.