New Delhi: India will emphasise on safeguarding the interests of small farmers and fishers at the the World Trade Organization (WTO) 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) beginning 26 March in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
The Indian government delegation will emphasise on protecting the livelihoods of small farmers and fishermen while safeguarding policy space for developing economies in emerging areas such as digital trade.
The Indian delegation will be led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.
“The need to respect the multilateral mandate of the WTO, prioritising food security, protecting the livelihood concerns of millions including small farmers and fishers in developing countries, and ensuring adequate policy space for developing economies in emerging areas such as digital trade will remain the cornerstones of India’s stance on the agenda,” commerce ministry said in a statement.
“India’s engagement at MC14 will remain constructive, balanced, and development-oriented. India will continue to support meaningful WTO reform aimed at strengthening the multilateral trading system, while keeping development concerns at its core. The country will emphasise the importance of respecting the multilateral mandate of the WTO, prioritising food security, safeguarding the livelihoods of small farmers and fishers, and ensuring adequate policy space for developing economies, particularly in emerging areas such as digital trade,” Ministry of Commerce & Industry said in a statement.
The meeting assumes great significance as global trade has been severely impacted by sweeping tariffs by the US and the West Asia crisis.
The key agenda items for WTO reform include: e-commerce work programme and moratorium; investment facilitation for development (IFD); fisheries subsidies; agriculture and development issues.
India has repeatedly advocated for the need for an open, fair, inclusive, and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core.