WTO Draft Decision to Boost Integration of Small Economies Like Fiji
Jamaica and Mauritius Ahead of MC14
Ø MC14 will be held from 26–29 March in Yaoundé, Cameroon
1. First
Draft Decision for MC14
·
World Trade Organization members agreed (17
February) on a draft decision to improve integration of small economies.
·
Adopted at the Committee on Trade and Development’s
Dedicated Session on Small Economies.
·
It is the first draft decision forwarded for
approval at the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14).
2.
Proposal by Small, Vulnerable Economies (SVEs)
·
Submitted by the WTO’s Group of Small,
Vulnerable Economies (SVEs).
·
Focus: Stronger integration into the digital
trade economy and the broader multilateral trading system.
3. Key
Action Points in the Draft
·
Calls on the WTO Secretariat to:
o
Map challenges faced by SVEs in trade logistics,
connectivity, and border processes.
o
Promote adoption of trade facilitation measures
and digital tools.
o
Improve transparency and traceability in
trade systems.
·
Encourages sharing of best practices in policy
and regulatory frameworks.
·
Aims to enhance participation of micro, small,
and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in digital trade.
4.
Continuation of Work Programme
·
Mandates the Dedicated Session on Small Economies
to:
o
Monitor progress of SVE-related proposals across
WTO bodies and negotiations.
o
Frame responses to trade-related challenges for
fuller integration.
·
Reinforces commitments under the 2001 Doha
Ministerial Declaration.
5.
Ministerial Conference Details
·
MC14 will be held from 26–29 March
in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
·
Ministers are requested to take note of progress
under the Work Programme on Small Economies.
Conclusion
The draft decision marks a significant step toward
addressing structural challenges faced by small and vulnerable economies, with
a strong emphasis on digital trade integration, transparency, and MSME
participation. Its approval at MC14 could strengthen inclusivity within the
global trading system.
WTO
members agreed on 17 February on a draft decision for approval at the 14th Ministerial
Conference (MC14) in March on improving the integration of small economies into
the world trading system. Adopted at a meeting of the Committee on Trade and Development's
Dedicated Session on Small Economies, it is the first draft decision to be submitted
for ministerial approval at MC14.
Submitted
by the WTO's Group of Small, Vulnerable Economies (SVEs), the draft decision calls
for WTO members to address how to integrate small economies more effectively into
the digital trade economy, and into the multilateral trading system more generally.
It calls on the WTO Secretariat to map the challenges SVEs face in trade logistics,
connectivity and border processes, promote the adoption of trade facilitation and
digital tools, while also improving transparency and traceability.
The
decision also encourages the sharing of best practices on policies and regulatory
frameworks, among other things, to increase the participation of micro, small, and
medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in small economies' digital trade.
MC14
will take place from 26 to 29 March in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
The
draft decision calls on the Dedicated Session on Small Economies to continue monitoring
progress on the small economies' proposals in WTO bodies and negotiating groups,
with the aim of framing responses to the trade-related issues identified for the
fuller integration of SVEs into the multilateral trading system, as mandated by
ministers in the 2001 Doha Ministerial Declaration.
The
decision also requests ministers to take note of the work undertaken to date in
the Work Programme on Small Economies. A 2025 compilation paper by the WTO Secretariat
outlining the work done thus far is available here.
Background
WTO
ministerial and General Council decisions relating to small economies include those
adopted:
·
at the
latest Ministerial Conference held in Abu Dhabi in 2024
·
at the
2022 Geneva Ministerial Conference
·
at the
Buenos Aires Ministerial Conference in 2017
·
at the
Nairobi Ministerial Conference in 2015
·
at the
Bali Ministerial Conference in 2013
·
in 2011
at the Geneva Ministerial Conference
·
at the
Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in 2005
·
in Geneva
in August 2004