General Council of the WTO decides to postpone 12th Ministerial Conference indefinitely

Due to the spread of a more transmissible strain of the Covid 19 virus and the travel restrictions imposed by a number of countries in this regard, there were some difficulties in the participation of many ministers and high-level representatives in the 12th Ministerial Conference. Taking into account the issue, according to the information published on the official website of the WTO, the expected 12th Ministerial Conference was postponed indefinitely in accordance with the recommendations of the Director General and the General Council.

This marks the second time that the pandemic has forced a postponement of the 12th Ministerial Conference. The meeting was originally due to take place in June 2020 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Although the General Council decided to move the meeting to Geneva, Kazakhstan was chosen to chair the meeting.

General information on the WTO Ministerial Conference

The Ministerial Conference, which is the highest decision-making body of the WTO, is held every two years in accordance with the rules. All member countries, observers, customs unions, etc. took part in the conference. The Ministerial Conference expresses views on the future of the multilateral trading system, as well as concludes negotiations between members in a number of areas and makes decisions. Decisions on the accession of new members to the organization are also approved by the Ministerial Conference.

You can use the link below for more information.

https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news21_e/mc12_26nov21_e.htm