WTO Ministerials

The “Our World Is Not For Sale” (OWINFS) network is a loose grouping of organizations and social movements worldwide fighting the current model of corporate globalization embodied in global trading system. OWINFS is committed to a sustainable, socially just, democratic and accountable multilateral trading system.

Statement of political unity

WTO Turnaround statement

12^th Ministerial, Geneva 2022

The 12^th Ministerial Conference of the WTO was scheduled to take place Nov 30 - Dec 3, 2021 in Geneva, but it was postponed due to Omicron. (Official announcement.) It has been rescheduled for 12-15 June 2022 in Geneva. Then extended through June 16.

Webinar on WTO MC12 outcomes and implications. English, Spanish. (OWINFS, 27 July 2022)

The World Trade Organization after the 12th Ministerial Conference. English, French. (Deborah James, 22 June 2022)

In German: Faule Kompromisse in der WTO - keine gerechten Lösungen für alle erreicht. (Forum Umwelt und Entwicklung, 17 June 2022)

In French: OMC: un succès en trompe l’œil. (Isolda Agazzi, 17 June 2022)

298 public health, labor & other groups condemn WTO's failure to waive rules standing in the way of COVID vaccine & treatment access. (16 June 2022)

Civil society corrects mainstream media narrative on who is really to blame at MC12. (16 June 2022)

Sauver l’OMC… ou répondre à l’urgence sociale et environnementale?. (Cédric Leterme, Le Monde, 15 June 2022)

Don’t blame developing countries for lack of consensus at the WTO! (15 June 2022)

Civil society performs “die-in” protest to condemn delay and destruction of meaningful TRIPS waiver inside the WTO 12th Ministerial. (15 June 2022)

Joint CSO call to all WTO Trade Ministers to not accept the current draft of Ministerial Decision on the TRIPS Agreement and demand a real Waiver. (15 June 2022)

150 CSOs back India's stand at WTO; seek rejection of pandemic waiver text. (Fortune India, 15 June 2022)

Civil society lampoon exclusive “green rooms” in protest performance. (14 June 2022)

Global unions statement to the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12). (14 June 2022)

The WTO, with its ‘market knows best’ ideology, has failed. It’s time to bury it. (Nick Dearden, The Guardian, 13 June 2022)

Civil society protest at the entrance of the WTO 12th ministerial in Geneva. (13 June 2022)

Police stop peaceful demonstrators outside WTO. (12 June 2022)

Civil Society at MC12 Denounce Ministerial Agenda, Call for Transformation of WTO Rules.
(press conference recording, 12 June 2022)

NGO statement on the WTO decision to retract their previously granted access to the Ministerial Conference on its opening day. (12 June 2022)

The Global South in the WTO: Time to move from the defensive to the offensive. (Walden Bello, 12 June 2022)

Online press conference with civil society and academic experts on the stakes for MC12.
(recording, 10 June 2022)

Why what’s going on right now at the WTO matters: English, Spanish. (Deborah James, 10 June 2022)

Looking towards WTO MC12: What’s on the table for developing countries and LDCs? English, Spanish, French. (Kinda Mohamadieh and Ranja Sengupta, April 2022)

Civil Society Open Letter to the WTO Director General. (16 February 2022)

Previous to the emergence of the omicron variant, the WTO Director-General was for the longest time determined that this ministerial conference should take place November 30 - December 3, 2021 despite a significant number of Ministers and their lead officials not being able to travel safely to Geneva for the MC12. Some would be unable to travel at all, because ongoing COVID-related travel disruptions mean that there are no commercial flights in and out of their countries or accessible transit points. Many are from countries that are basically unvaccinated. The obvious inequities would favour those with Swiss-recognised vaccinations, ease of travel, proximity and Geneva-based delegations – that is rich countries from the Global North.

Unbelievably, the institution whose rules enforce vaccine apartheid, attempted to have a meeting under conditions of vaccine apartheid, without having first resolved that apartheid by agreeing to the TRIPS waiver. Even though the decision to hold a Ministerial when some Ministers are unable to attend would ensure that any decisions taken in this context lack any pretence of legitimacy. The WTO claims to be a consensus based organisation.

The determination to proceed with the MC12 continued the long-standing efforts of rich and powerful WTO Members to control the WTO’s agenda and decisions, and to marginalise the governments of the Global South and the world’s peoples.

Corporate boosters are advocating for expanding the failed model of the WTO through plurilateral agreements on investment facilitation, domestic regulation of services and digital trade (so-called e-commerce). They are attempting to legitimize these illegal “Joint Statement Initiative” (JSI) plurilateral negotiations to make the WTO even more corporate-driven.

Developed countries are also pursuing an agreement to discipline fisheries subsidies, but without the mandate on development.

Instead, negotiators should focus on transforming the existing rules to allow countries to pursue development and shared prosperity, in areas such as agriculture and the development agenda.

The most important agenda for the WTO is to remove intellectual property barriers to resolve the COVID-19 pandemic, by agreeing to a waiver on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rules (TRIPS) in the WTO.

Quotes: Problems with Holding WTO’s MC12 In-Person with the New Variants and European Travel Bans on Southern Africa. (26 November 2021)

What’s at Stake at the WTO? (Deborah James, 25 November 2021)

Upcoming WTO Ministerial: A failure for the world in the making (Online press conference, 24 November 2021)

Letter to WTO Members: Postpone the 12th Ministerial - TRIPS Waiver Now! English, Spanish, French, media release. (23 November 2021)

WTO Ministerial Shaping Up To Repeat The Power Politics Of COP 26. (Professor Jane Kelsey, 17 November 2021)

Global Civil Society Calls for a WTO Turnaround: New Multilateral Trade Rules for People-Centered Shared Prosperity and Sustainable Development (2021): English, Spanish, French.

MC12: What outcomes would strengthen multilateralism? (Civil Society Event at the WTO Public Forum, 30 September 2021) [full list of Civil Society (free, virtual) Events at the WTO Public Forum 28 September - 1 October 2021)]

Over 200 organizations from 67 countries say: “Fundamentally transform the WTO: The WTO’s own policies have caused its existential crisis, which the COVID-19 crisis only amplified”: English, Spanish, French. (28 April 2021)

Letter to WTO Director General from members of Our World Is Not for Sale. (26 April 2021)

Access to medicines, TRIPS waiver

The global health community, civil society around the world, legislators, international agencies, former heads of state, and over 100 WTO members support the waiver on intellectual property rules on COVID-19 related treatments, diagnostics, and vaccines to end the pandemic. The TRIPS waiver can be agreed at any General Council meeting and does NOT require a Ministerial. This is the ONLY agenda that WTO Members should be focusing on at this time.

Statement from Asia Russell, Health GAP Executive Director, on the failure of the WTO’s MC12 to deliver a TRIPS Waiver for COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and tests. (17 June 2022)

Global Days of Action for COVID VACCINE & TREATMENT EQUITY. (12-16 June 2022)

Joint CSO call to all WTO Trade Ministers to not accept the current draft of Ministerial Decision on the TRIPS Agreement and demand a real Waiver. (15 June 2022)

150 CSOs back India's stand at WTO; seek rejection of pandemic waiver text. (Fortune India, 15 June 2022)

Say no to rich nations and WTO bullying in Geneva – why South Africa should stand up and not be silenced. (Yousuf Vawda, Fatima Hassan and Tian Johnson, Daily Maverick, 15 June 2022)

Indonesian Civil Society Group Open Letter regarding TRIPS Waiver Agreement Draft in WTO: English, Indonesian. (13 June 2022)

Civil-20 Vaccine Access & Global Health Working Group Statement. (13 June 2022)

The patent system, by Joseph E. Stiglitz. (Washington Post, 27 May 2022; scroll down until the in-page navigation menu is shown, then you can click on the heading “The patent system”)

Comments on the leaked draft text of discussions facilitated by the Director-General of the World Trade Organization with respect to the TRIPS Waiver proposal. (TWN, April 2022)

WTO fails to finalize TRIPS waiver and response to pandemic. (D. Ravi Kanth, 18 February 2022)

WTO entering into "dangerous" times?. (D. Ravi Kanth, 28 January 2022)

Global Call to Action: WTO Waiver Now to End the Pandemic!. (30 November - 3 December 2021)

Quotes and photos from the press conference “No profit on covid”. (30 November 2021)

Please see here for extensive information on the importance of the TRIPS waiver.
See also: WTO’s response to the pandemic

WTO reform

Global unions statement to the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12). (14 June 2022)

Proposed WTO reform aims to bully developing nations: Civil society members. (Himanshu N, Down To Earth, 13 June 2022)

Civil Society at MC12 Denounce Ministerial Agenda, Call for Transformation of WTO Rules.
(press conference recording, 12 June 2022)

WTO: DG espouses reforms based on Northern priorities inimical to South. (D. Ravi Kanth, 29 April 2022)

Looking towards WTO MC12: What’s on the table for developing countries and LDCs? English, Spanish, French. (Kinda Mohamadieh and Ranja Sengupta, April 2022)

WHAT’S COOKING FOR MC12? Two processes that could reshape the WTO in the interest of the most powerful: English, Spanish. (14 November 2021)

Global Civil Society Calls for a WTO Turnaround: New Multilateral Trade Rules for People-Centered Shared Prosperity and Sustainable Development (2021): English, Spanish, French. (27 September 2021)

Letter to WTO Director General from members of Our World Is Not for Sale. (26 April 2021)

As WTO dispute settlement system collapses, civil society calls attention to need for fundamental change in global trade. (9 December 2019)

Fisheries

What does the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement mean for sustainability and development? (PANG, 17 June 2022)

Indonesian Civil society group open letter regarding fisheries subsidy negotiations in WTO. (12 June 2022)

Special and Differential Treatment takes a beating in the new Draft Fisheries Text submitted to Ministers for WTO MC12. (Ranja Sengupta, TWN, 11 June 2022)

Letter to the Indian Government and Press Statement from National Platform for Small Scale Fish Workers (NPSSFW). (11 June 2022)

Letter from the National Fishworkers' Forum India to the Commerce Minister of India on the issue of the proposed WTO Agreement to discipline fisheries subsidies which is slated to be concluded at MC12. (9 June 2022)

Letter from over 80 national and global fisherfolk and development organizations in favor of a pro-development outcome on fishing subsidies at MC12: English, French. (1 June 2022)

Fisheries subsidies negotiations towards the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference: Considerations for developing countries and LDCs. (Ranja Sengupta, TWN, 27 May 2022)

Off the Hook: How the big subsidisers are avoiding responsibility in the WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations. (19 April 2022)

PANG assessment of November Fisheries Chairs Text (276/Rev2). (18 November 2021)

Protecting the Problem – Fisheries subsidies negotiations and the WTO (17 March 2021)

Analysis of the Overcapacity and Overfishing Pillar of the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Negotiations (South Centre Research Paper, November 2020)

Call to Halt Fisheries Subsidies Negotiations in the Middle of the COVID 19 Crisis: English, Spanish, French. (1 April 2020)

Response from WTO DG Azevêdo. (6 April 2020)

Fisheries subsidies negotiations and development in the World Trade Organization. (October 2019)

Market access the true aim of WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations: English, Spanish. (April 2018)

Agriculture

Agriculture and food security negotiations text at WTO MC12: Implications for developing countries. (Ranja Sengupta, TWN, 13 June 2022)

Civil society submission on agriculture related issues at WTO MC12, from 16 Thai farmers’ and other organizations: English, Thai. (8 June 2022)

UN SR on the right to food - A reform of the global trade architecture and the AoA must for dealing with food crises. (12 May 2022)

Conclude permanent solution on PSH at MC12, say participants. (D. Ravi Kanth, 27 April 2022)

Attempts at “freezing” agricultural outcomes at MC12. (D. Ravi Kanth, 21 April 2022)

LDCs outline their priorities on agriculture for WTO's MC12. (D. Ravi Kanth, 20 April 2022)

WTO: Chair of Doha agriculture talks "misleading" members, says Indonesia. (D. Ravi Kanth, 6 April 2022)

WTO members agree on TRQ under-fill mechanism. (D. Ravi Kanth, 31 March 2022)

UN: Global food prices hit all-time high in February, says FAO. (Kanaga Raja, 9 March 2022)

WTO: Looming North-South battle over market price support programs. (D. Ravi Kanth, 18 January 2022)

Agricultural negotiations for MC12: A factsheet for developing countries: English, Spanish. (Ranja Sengupta, TWN, 13 November 2021)

Agriculture Negotiations at WTO MC12: Analysing Domestic Support. (Abhijit Das, Sachin Kumar Sharma, Paavni Mathur, and Teesta Lahiri, September 2021)

Agriculture Negotiations at WTO MC12: Analysing Market Access. (Abhijit Das, Sachin Kumar Sharma, Raihan Akhter, and Suvayan Neogi, September 2021)

Agricultural domestic support negotiations at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference: Diluting the Development Agenda (Sachin Kumar Sharma, Abhijit Das, Suvayan Neogi, Teesta Lahiri and Paavni Mathur, September 2021)

Inequitable WTO rules in agriculture continue to impact farmers in the developing world: English, Spanish. (Ranja Sengupta, ALAI, April 2018)

Agriculture remains key. (Ranja Sengupta, 22 November 2017)

WTO summit to ignore price crisis, agricultural dumping. (Timothy Wise, 10 December 2017)

WTO and Food Security: Biting the hand that feeds the poor. (Timothy Wise, December 2017)

For India, the fight at WTO will be about food security. (Sachin Kumar Jain, 9 December 2017)

Development agenda

Looking towards WTO MC12: What’s on the table for developing countries and LDCs? English, Spanish, French. (Kinda Mohamadieh and Ranja Sengupta, April 2022)

UN: Doha Programme of Action for LDCs (2022-2031) adopted with some reservations. (Prerna Bomzan, 24 March 2022)

Special and differential treatment: English, Spanish. (Kinda Mohamadieh, 10 November 2021)

Reforming the international trading system for recovery, resilience and inclusive development. (UNCTAD Research Paper No. 65, April 2021)

Updated TWN Briefing paper on International negotiations by virtual means in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. (24 March 2021)

New WTO DG delivers "divisive" trade agenda at GC meeting. (2 March 2021)

Recovering better from COVID-19 will need a rethink of multilateralism. (10 November 2020)

South sets out developmental priorities in face of COVID-19 (4 June 2020)

Moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions

WTO moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions: How much tariff revenue have developing countries lost? (South Centre, 3 June 2022)

WTO Response to the Pandemic

Having refused for over a year to agree to the waiver that would resolve the pandemic, trade negotiators from the EU, Switzerland, Canada, the UK, and a few other countries - representing the interests of Big Pharma over their own citizens and global public health - have invented a diversionary tactic called the “Walker Process.” Allegedly a “WTO Response to the Covid-19,” this process is designed to try to save the WTO from its increasing irrelevance and illegitimacy, by drawing attention away from the WTO’s failure to remove the barriers of its Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rules (TRIPS) agreement to resolving the pandemic.

WTO: Anti-diversion provision in waiver decision text emerges as the next flash point. (D. Ravi Kanth, 10 June 2022)

WTO: GC chair issues draft ministerial declaration on response to pandemic. (D. Ravi Kanth, 17 February 2022)

WTO: GC chair calls for "strategic pause" in WTO response to pandemic talks. (D. Ravi Kanth, 7 February 2022)

WTO GC chair continues consultations amid differences on Walker text. (D. Ravi Kanth, 4 February 2022)

WTO entering into "dangerous" times?. (D. Ravi Kanth, 28 January 2022)

Meeting on WTO’s response to pandemic amid sharp divergences. (D. Ravi Kanth, 26 January 2022)

Leaked text. (22 November 2021)

Open letter to WTO Director General and all WTO Members Against the Sham “Walker Process” and in Favor of the TRIPS Waiver: English, Arabic. (19 November 2021)

Press Release on CSO Open Letter to WTO Director General and all WTO Members Against the Sham “Walker Process” and in Favor of the TRIPS Waiver. (19 November 2021)

Quotes from Civil Society on the so-called Walker Process. (18 November 2021)

WHAT’S COOKING FOR MC12? Two processes that could reshape the WTO in the interest of the most powerful: English, Spanish, Arabic. (14 November 2021)

Seeking market access behind the veil of combating COVID-19. (Abhijit Das, Murali Kallummal and Sachin Kumar Sharma, Centre for WTO Studies, India, June 2020)

COVID-19: South opposes attempts to foist trade liberalization measures (20 May 2020)

COVID-19 and WTO: Debunking developed countries’ narratives on trade measures. (May 2020)

The insanity of business-as-usual trade negotiations: While most nations are focused on coping with Covid-19 and its aftermath, some rich countries are pushing binding WTO rules. (7 May 2020)

COVID-19 and WTO: Debunking developed countries’ narratives on trade measures. (South Centre, May 2020)

Letter from 400 organizations from more than 150 countries to WTO Members: Stop all trade and investment treaty negotiations during the COVID-19 outbreak and refocus on access to medical supplies and saving lives: English, Spanish, French. (30 April 2020)

COVID-19: Trade policy choices during and after pandemic (22 April 2020)

Joint Statement Initiatives (JSIs)

Why the Joint Statement Initiatives Lack Legal Legitimacy in the WTO, by Law Professor Jane Kelsey, a rebuttal to a previous document by Hamid Mamdouh, “Plurilateral Negotiations and Outcomes in the WTO.” Resumen en español. (22 June 2021)

Investment facilitation JSI

Some WTO Members are negotiating rules on facilitating investment: WTO plurilateral investment facilitation draft consolidated text (as of 23 July 2021)

The plurilateral Joint-Statement Initiative on Investment Facilitation: Its developmental promise hangs in thin air: English, Spanish. (Kinda Mohamadieh, 20 November 2021)

Investment Facilitation Joint Statement Initiative: No home in the WTO, by Jane Kelsey. (September 2021)

UNCITRAL fiddles while countries burn, by Jane Kelsey and Kinda Mohamadieh. (September 2021)

The Investment Facilitation Framework & Most Favoured Nation (MFN) Treatment by Peter Lunenborg. (September 2021)

Why the Joint Statement Initiatives lack legal legitimacy in the WTO, by Law Professor Jane Kelsey, a rebuttal to a previous document by Hamid Mamdouh, “Plurilateral Negotiations and Outcomes in the WTO.” Resumen en español. (22 June 2021)

Scope of an investment facilitation framework: Implications for its developmental claim, by Kinda Mohamadieh. (July 2020)

Plurilateral initiatives and their interaction with WTO rules (TWN Policy Brief, 2020)

Investment facilitation – Another plurilateral initiative at the WTO and its potential implications (TWN, October 2019)

Rebuttal to “The WTO Investment Facilitation Initiative: Why It Matters” – background note: Investment Facilitation for Development: Opening the doors of the WTO for hard rules on investment (December 2017)