India has urged the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to take concrete action against non-tariff barriers and trade distortions caused by non-market economies, while also calling for the restoration of a robust dispute settlement system. The appeal was made by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal during a gathering of ministers from 25 WTO member nations on the sidelines of the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris.
Goyal emphasized the need for a fair and predictable global trade environment, advocating for a consensus-based approach and special provisions for developing and least-developed countries. He stressed that the WTO must prioritize already mandated issues and resist expanding its agenda beyond trade, including the China-led investment facilitation proposal, which India opposes.
The minister also reiterated India’s longstanding demand for a two-tier dispute resolution system at the WTO. The organization’s appellate body has been non-functional since 2009 due to stalled appointments, primarily by the United States.
WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala participated in the meeting, which was convened by Australia ahead of the 14th Ministerial Conference scheduled in Cameroon next March. Other topics discussed included public stockholding of food grains, curbing overfishing, and concerns about joint statement initiatives (JSIs) being brought under the multilateral framework.
Goyal noted that while the MPIA (multi-party interim appeal arbitration arrangement) was briefly mentioned, there was little support or momentum around the proposal. He dismissed notions of a WTO existential crisis, instead calling for collaborative reform to revitalize the 30-year-old institution.
“All the ministers expressed shared concerns and committed to strengthening the WTO’s functioning and preserving its core principles for global trade growth,” Goyal said.
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