Azevêdo tells ministers more commitment is needed to deliver success at MC11

At an informal ministerial gathering in Marrakesh on 9-10 October, hosted by Morocco and Argentina, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo told ministers that there were some promising issues on the table, but in all areas there remains a long way to go in order to deliver a successful outcome at the 11th Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires in December.

The meeting was attended by over 30 delegations, from different regions and representing all levels of development. The Director-General welcomed the level of engagement at the meeting and called for further political support in the time remaining before the Buenos Aires conference. The Marrakesh meeting was co-chaired by the Minister of Industry, Investment, Trade and Digital Economy of Morocco, Mr Moulay Hafid Elalamy, and Minister Susana Malcorra of Argentina, who will serve as Chair of MC11.

Speaking after the meeting Director-General Azevêdo said:

“This has been a positive meeting with strong support from ministers for a successful 11th WTO Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires. We are certainly better placed after the discussion, but now need to translate this into action in Geneva. Ministers have heard one another’s positions and will now need to look at how to seek convergence – working with their Ambassadors in Geneva.

“There are some promising issues on the table, but in all areas there is still a lot of work to do. If ministers want to see a successful outcome in Buenos Aires, something more is going to have to happen in the coming days and weeks.

“We need to see an approach where everyone is prepared to make some kind of contribution. We can’t be in a position where members insist on a particular outcome and expect everyone else to accept that. This is dangerous as one size doesn’t always work for all.

“We should also work to ensure that we get the balance right in assessing the issues that we think we can advance at MC11 and those where further work will be required. All of this will require the same intensive levels of engagement to ensure we have a clear path forward both in Buenos Aires and beyond.”

Source: wto.org

 

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