- 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.
- Other concerns of India associated with the WTO
| Issues | India’s stand |
| Plurilateral agreements |
|
| Public stockholding (PSH) programme |
|
| Moratorium on customs duty on e-commerce |
|
