13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) began in Abu Dhabi

Posted 27 Feb 2024

Updated 27 Mar 2024

2 min read

Ministerial Conference (MC) is the topmost decision-making body of the WTO and usually meets every two years.
- It brings together all members (countries or customs unions) of the WTO.
- It can decide on any matters under any of the multilateral trade agreements.

Key highlights of MC 13
- Comoros and Timor Leste acceded to WTO.
- India has opposed mixing non-trade topics (e.g. Gender, MSMEs) with WTO rules as it can lead to greater trade fragmentation.
  - Additionally, such non-trade topics are already under discussion in other relevant international organizations.
- India also expressed serious concerns regarding increasing use of trade protectionist unilateral measures sought to be justified in the guise of environmental protection.

Issues	India’s stand
Plurilateral agreements	India opposed China-led Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFDA) proposal as: investment falls outside the mandate of WTO, India is against plurilateral pacts on multilateral platforms.
Public stockholding (PSH) programme	India wants a permanent solution for the PSH programme. At present, developing countries' food subsidies are protected by the Bali peace clause (negotiated as a temporary solution).
Moratorium on customs duty on e-commerce	Since 1998, WTO countries have agreed to not impose customs duties on electronic transmissions covering both goods (such as e-books and music downloads) and services. India opposes extension of this moratorium as it benefits developed countries at the cost of developing countries.