India on Thursday called on World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries to work towards making the dispute settlement system fully functional. The reason for this is that at present this system is inactive, due to which countries are being deprived of effective settlement of disputes. On the first day of the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said there is a need to carefully re-think about extending the customs ban on e-commerce trade.
He said that a dysfunctional dispute settlement system has deprived member states of effective settlement of disputes. We must restore the automatic and binding dispute settlement system. The WTO’s dispute settlement system has not been functioning properly since 2009 because the US has obstructed the appointments of member countries to the Appellate Body.
supreme decision making body
World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries have agreed not to impose customs duties on electronic transmissions since 1998. This restriction has been extended from time to time in Ministerial Conferences (MC). The WTO Ministerial Conference is the highest decision-making body of 166 members. India has repeatedly stressed the need to discuss the scope of customs moratorium, as it impacts revenues.
four day ministerial conference
The four-day ministerial conference will end on March 29. He said that in the absence of consensus among Members on the scope of the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions, and given its potentially significant impacts, the continued extension of the moratorium requires careful reconsideration.
Permanent solution long pending
On WTO reforms, the Minister said that the necessary reforms should be done through a transparent, inclusive and member-driven process. In this, development should be kept at the center and fundamental principles like non-discrimination, consensus-based decision making and equality should be maintained. On agriculture, Piyush Goyal said that public storage for food security purposes, special safeguard measures and permanent solution on cotton are long pending issues and member countries should decide on these on priority basis.
Fisheries subsidy agreement negotiated
He said India is committed to negotiating a comprehensive fisheries subsidy agreement that balances current and future fishing needs, protects the livelihoods of poor fishermen, and implements appropriate and effective control and transition measures. Goyal said that inclusion of multilateral outcomes in the World Trade Organization (WTO) framework should be based on consensus.
WTO, center of global trade
The minister said that we will continue to strive constructively to ensure that WTO remains the center of global trade. We will strive to reform it so that it remains accountable, able to meet the goals of development, equity and inclusion, and better serves the interests of the poor, vulnerable and marginalized people, based on consensus and multilateralism.