WTO Ministers in Davos underline importance of multilateral trading system
Bern, 20.01.2017 - At the invitation of Federal Councillor Johann N. Schneider-Ammann, Ministers in charge of WTO affairs and WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo met today in Davos. The informal gathering focused on the negotiating agenda ahead of the next WTO ministerial conference in December 2017 and on the role of the multilateral trading system for development and economic growth.
29 WTO Member States represented at Ministerial level as well WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo attended the meeting in the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Noting weak world trade growth and raising protectionist tendencies, Ministers emphasized the importance of safeguarding the multilateral trading system and of further strengthening it.
Ministers expressed their willingness to pursue their active engagement in view of further substantive results at the forthcoming 11th WTO ministerial conference, hosted by Argentina in Buenos Aires (MC11).
Ministers also pointed out main issues for further work in the lead-up to MC11, thereby underscoring WTO’s central role in supporting developing economies, and in particular least developed countries, in further integrating into the global trading system.
Additional information for the media
For the Chair’s personal concluding remarks as well as a list of participants, please see links below.
Address for enquiries
Markus Schlagenhof, Ambassador, Delegate of the Federal Council for Trade Agreements, Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Tel. +41 58 462 22 10.
Publisher
Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research
http://www.wbf.admin.ch
