Elizabeth Morgan | WTO: 14th Ministerial Conference, Cameroon

There is so much happening related to the USA and the Trump administration that we tend to forget that work continues in international relations at the bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels. A significant meeting taking place this week is the World Trade Organization (WTO) 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, from March 26 to 29. This is only the second time a WTO Ministerial Conference will be held on the African continent.

Some people question whether the WTO is still relevant, especially given the US’s unilateral tariffs. This issue was addressed in this column on March 23, 2025, with the conclusion that the organisation and its multilateral trading system remain relevant for the majority of its 166 members. Approximately 72 per cent of global trade is conducted under WTO rules. Despite the confusion emanating from the USA, global trade increased by nearly five per cent in 2025 to US$35 trillion. Growth in exports of nine per cent was recorded in Asia, and imports grew in Africa and in Latin America and the Caribbean.

CARICOM REPRESENTATION

It is understood that the CARICOM region should be well represented at MC14. It is believed that Guyana remains the regional spokesperson for CARICOM on WTO issues. Guyana’s Ambassador, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, is chair of the Negotiating Group on Fisheries Subsidies. It is not clear whether Guyana’s Foreign Minister, Hugh Todd, will be attending. Jamaica’s Ambassador, Dr Richard Brown, is the facilitator for the Work Programme on E-Commerce, and it is therefore expected that Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith, will attend. Barbados’s Ambassador, Matthew Wilson, is coordinator of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) group at the WTO. Accordingly, Barbados’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Christopher Sinckler, is also expected to attend. St Vincent and the Grenadines and Haiti also appear likely to participate at the ministerial level.

The ministers will be supported by their national technical teams and by technical staff from the CARICOM Secretariat. In addition to coordinating as CARICOM, the countries also work through the OACPS group and the group of Small Vulnerable Economies.

REGIONAL COORDINATION

There are usually regional coordinating meetings in Geneva, as well as within the region through the CARICOM Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED). The communiqué of the 50th CARICOM Heads of Government Conference noted that they had received a report on preparations for MC14.

In addition to the OACPS, the Commonwealth Secretariat has also provided support to its small states in preparing for MC14.

MAIN ISSUES

This is viewed as a very important ministerial conference for the future of the WTO – a “turning point” ministerial, as described by WTO Director General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Key issues to be addressed include:

• Reform – Ministers are expected to consider various proposals and agree on a ministerial statement establishing a work programme to begin as soon as possible. Areas under discussion include decision-making (consensus), development and special and differential treatment, and level playing field concerns relating to unfair trade practices. This also involves reviewing the status of plurilateral agreements – agreements involving only those WTO members willing to participate, such as the current Agreement on Investment Facilitation for Development. These are not multilateral, though plurilateral arrangements have existed since the GATT era.

• Agriculture – Negotiations have been ongoing for years. Members are seeking pragmatic outcomes on food security, domestic support, and market access.

• E-commerce – A decision is needed on whether to continue the temporary moratorium on import duties on electronically traded goods or establish a permanent one, and whether to create a committee to continue work in this important area.

• Fisheries subsidies – Negotiations remain unfinished, and further progress is urgently needed.

• Dispute settlement – The dispute settlement mechanism has been impaired for more than a decade because the USA has blocked appointments to the Appellate Body. Many members want to see a fully restored dispute settlement system.

It is clear that the US Trump administration’s unilateral tariffs are illegal under WTO rules, and some bilateral agreements concluded by the US are not WTO-compliant.

A positive point is that the USA is still actively participating in the WTO. Recall that the USA has withdrawn from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the International Trade Centre, both of which have been helpful to developing countries. Development issues within the WTO remain important for developing countries, including those in CARICOM.

Let us hope that this meeting goes well and results in some useful decisions. In this time of chaos, confusion, and predictions of the demise of the post–World War II rules-based system, the reality is that the world, especially developing countries, still needs the multilateral system – being optimistic here.

Elizabeth Morgan is a specialist in international trade policy and international politics. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.