Need to deepen discussions on WTO reform highlighted at General Council meeting

“We are facing a new reality,” Ambassador Ølberg, the outgoing Chair of the General Council, told members. “We must all understand that some of our fundamental values and principles are being challenged. It's not business as usual anymore for any of us. It's not the time for any of us to insist on old positions or speaking points. We must engage in real dialogue.”

Ambassador Ølberg said the new reality underlined the need for fundamental reform of the WTO. At MC12, WTO members for the first time agreed to undertake a comprehensive review of the WTO's functions in order to ensure the organization is capable of responding more effectively to both the challenges facing the multilateral trading system and the opportunities provided by contemporary developments in global trade.

“We should be open to reform, real reform, not baby steps,” he said. “Only then can our common WTO have a future. It's up to us.” Channelling a Bob Dylan song, he warned members that “the times, they are a-changing”.

The need to accelerate and deepen the reform as the WTO marks the 30th anniversary of its founding was highlighted by a number of members under several agenda items during the two-day General Council meeting.

Ambassador Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), who took over as General Council chair towards the conclusion of the meeting, said he was also “keenly aware of the significant challenges and opportunities that lay ahead.”

“The global trading landscape is undergoing profound changes, driven by economic uncertainty, geopolitical shifts, technological advancement and an urgent imperative for sustainable and inclusive growth,” Ambassador Almoqbel said. “These dynamics demand that we, as a membership, work together with renewed momentum and unity to ensure that the WTO remains a cornerstone of the rules based multilateral trading system.”

The new Chair declared that the WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) set to take place in Cameroon in March 2026 “must be a transformative event that delivers tangible results, reinforces our shared values, and strengthens the WTO's relevance in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.”

Earlier in the meeting, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala also underlined the importance of WTO reform.

“It seems to me an opportune time to launch some serious reflections on the system, with a view to seeing what works, what doesn't work, and how we reform it,” she told members. “I know that we've been engaged in reforms here in Geneva, especially the work of reform by doing … but I think it's time to elevate the level, depth and breadth of the reforms, to take a thorough look at the organization and make sure it's really fit for 21st century global trade challenges.”

Such an in-depth look, she suggested, would be best carried out by an independent panel of eminent persons, chaired by a respected political leader and comprising experts in both technical trade issues as well as the political economy of trade. Members would have a chance to nominate persons to this group to enable balance and ownership, but the group would operate independently.

The independent panel's recommendation or interim report could be sent to ministers to deliberate over at MC14 if ready, depending on how quickly the work could be done, DG Okonjo-Iweala said. This is not a new idea, she said, noting that similar work was undertaken by former GATT and WTO Directors-General Arthur Dunkel and Supachai Panitchpakdi during their terms, albeit at a more technical level. Furthermore, during a recent development retreat, members also suggested the need for such a reform exercise, DG Okonjo-Iweala noted.