Speaking at an informal Heads of Delegation meeting on 7 July, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala welcomed the “Geneva package” concluded at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) on 12-17 July but warned WTO members that they should not rest on their laurels.
“We showed that we can deliver results for people across the globe,” she said. But “success begets expectations. Because of the unprecedented outcomes at MC12, the world expects us to keep delivering.”
DG Okonjo-Iweala noted that recent meetings with leaders and ministers at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Rwanda and the Group of Seven summit in Germany showed that perceptions about the WTO were changing.
"Every leader I spoke to was excited about the success at MC12, and eager to build on the results we achieved there," she said. "So, the WTO's image, at least in the eyes of leaders, is one of triumph and hope."
WTO members secured multilaterally negotiated outcomes on a series of key trade initiatives at MC12 - ten agreements, declarations and decisions in total.
The package was the culmination of efforts by WTO members to provide concrete trade-related responses to important challenges facing the world today.
The DG urged members to start focusing now on the implementation of MC12 outcomes.
One immediate goal is to ensure the entry into force of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which requires the acceptance of two-thirds of the WTO's 164 members before it can enter into force.
