The Ministerial Conference is the top decision-making body of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It usually meets every two years and makes decisions on all WTO work, including ongoing negotiations on various trade issues.
The Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13) was held in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, from 26 February to 2 March 2024, and concluded with the adoption of a Ministerial Declaration setting out a forward-looking, reform agenda for the WTO. Ministers also took a number of decisions, including renewing the commitment to have a fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system by 2024, extending the moratorium on non-violation and situation complaints regarding the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, as well as maintaining the current practice of not imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions until the Fourteenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) or 31 March 2026, whichever is earlier. Ministers also formally approved the WTO membership terms of Comoros and Timor-Leste, the first accessions since 2016.
MC12 was postponed twice from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WTO Members successfully concluded MC12 and secured multilateral outcomes on a series of key trade initiatives (referred to as the "Geneva Package"), covering WTO response to the current and future pandemics (including a waiver of certain requirements under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) concerning the use of compulsory licences to produce COVID-19 vaccines), food security, electronic commerce, WTO reform, etc. Notably, an Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies was concluded. This is the first WTO agreement that carries an environmental sustainability objective at its core by curtailing harmful fisheries subsidies to help ensure the sustainable use of marine resources. For further details on the Conference, please see here.
Then Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr. Edward Yau, was one of the three Vice Chairs of MC11 who presided over the plenary sessions, the moderator of a meeting on Investment Facilitation, and the facilitator of a meeting on the initiative to promote the participation of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in the global value chain. MC11 concluded with Ministerial Decisions on five areas, including Work Programme on Electronic Commerce; fisheries subsidies; trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) non-violation and situation complaints; Work Programme on Small Economies; and the creation of the working party on accession for South Sudan. For further details on the Conference, please see here.
WTO Members concluded the Nairobi Package at the Conference. The Nairobi Package comprises a series of six Ministerial Decisions on agriculture, cotton and issues related to least-developed countries. Another substantive achievement was the conclusion of the negotiation to expand the trade in information technology products (also known as ITA II). The ITA II is the WTO's first major tariff-cutting deal since 1996 when the Information Technology Agreement was concluded. For further details on the Conference, please see here.
WTO Members concluded a multilateral trade package, the Bali Package, at the Conference. The Bali Package comprises a new Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA) and 9 decisions on agriculture and development issues. The TFA is the first multilateral trade agreement concluded by the WTO since its establishment in 1995. The achievement of the Bali Package has provided a boost to the multilateral trading system, restoring the credibility of the WTO as a viable platform for trade negotiations. For further details on the Conference, please see here.
The three themes of MC8 were "Importance of the Multilateral Trading System and the WTO", "Trade and Development" and "Doha Development Agenda" (DDA). Ministers emphasized the vital role of the WTO in fighting against all forms of protectionism, reaffirmed their commitment to work towards a successful conclusion of the DDA in accordance with its mandate, and approved the terms of entry of Russia, Samoa and Montenegro to the WTO. For further details on the Conference, please see here.
It was a low-key regular ministerial meeting with the theme "The WTO, the Multilateral Trading System and the Current Global Economic Environment". While the MC7 was not a Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiating session, Ministers had a fruitful discussion on the operation of the multilateral trading system, and considered how the WTO could make further contribution to global recovery, growth and development. Ministers also reaffirmed the need to conclude the Round in 2010 and for a stock-taking exercise to take place in the first quarter of 2010. For further details on the Conference, please see here.
It was also known as the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference. Ministers adopted the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration (HKMD), which set out a series of agreements in the major areas of negotiations, and a timetable for the next and final phase of the multilateral trade negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda (DDA). This outcome put the DDA negotiations back on track, and provided a foundation for full modalities for agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA) to be agreed. It also invigorated WTO Members' determination and willingness to engage in serious negotiations. For further details on the Conference, please see here and the Legislative Council Brief of 10 January 2006.
At MC5, Ministers were expected to take stock of progress of the negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) mandated at the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference, give further instructions to take forward negotiations on key issues like agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA), and to take decision on the launch of negotiation on the "Singapore Issues", namely trade and investment, trade and competition policy, transparency in government procurement and trade facilitation.
However, after five days of tough negotiations, Ministers were unable to reach consensus on the direction of the negotiations under the DDA. Members' polarised positions on the Singapore Issues triggered the collapse of the MC, despite progress was made in agriculture and NAMA. On 14 September 2003, the Chair of MC5 (Mexico) announced that the MC could not lead to any agreement. Ministers only instructed officials to continue to work on the outstanding issues, and asked the Chairman of the General Council and the Director-General of the WTO to convene a General Council meeting at Senior Officials level before 15 December 2003 to discuss the way forward for the negotiations. For further details on the Conference, please see here.
After protracted negotiations, ministers agreed to launch a new Round of multilateral trade negotiations on the basis of a work programme set out in the Doha Ministerial Declaration. Ministers also adopted a Declaration on the Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement and Public Health, and a Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns.
The work programme is broad and balanced. It includes negotiations in the areas of agricultural products, services, market access for non-agricultural products, and certain environment-related issues, as well as negotiations aimed at clarifying and improving existing WTO rules. It also includes future work on the following areas: e-commerce; trade facilitation; transparency in government procurement; trade and competition policy; trade and investment; as well as on the improvements and clarification of the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes (Dispute Settlement Understanding). Ministers aim to conclude the new Round of negotiations, called by some the "Doha Development Agenda", by 1 January 2005.
The separate declaration on TRIPS Agreement and Public Health reiterates the importance of intellectual property protection for the development of new medicines, while reaffirming that TRIPS Agreement does not and should not prevent WTO members from taking measures to protect public health.
The Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns spells out concrete actions to address issues and concerns raised by developing economies in the implementation of certain WTO agreements. For further details on the Conference, please see here.