At a high-level WTO conference on Sunday, India will press for a pro-poor agenda

At a high-level WTO conference on Sunday, India will press for a pro-poor agenda

Web Desk
June 12, 2022

At a high-level WTO conference on Sunday, India will press for a pro-poor agenda

India will attend the key 12th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, which begins on Sunday.
It will incorporate the theme of equitability, humanitarianism, and India-first.
WTO reforms will test the developed world’s push for favorable outcomes from the crucial meeting.

India will attend the key 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which begins on Sunday, with a theme of equitability, humanitarianism, and India-first.

India’s successful mobilization of 80-plus member nations on issues such as food security, fisheries subsidies, suspension of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) on vaccines to improve access for poor countries, and WTO reforms will test the developed world’s push for favorable outcomes from the crucial meeting, which will be held after its previous two avatars were called off.

India has expressed its dissatisfaction with three important draught proposals on fishery, agriculture, and vaccine intellectual property rights that have been proposed for discussion ahead of the summit.

To begin with, the rich countries’ approach stipulated that no fishing subsidies would be eliminated. “No discipline would be accepted in territorial waters,” India is expected to say. India has the support of a vast number of developing and impoverished countries.

Second, India’s draught agriculture plan would continue to defend its food security program for the needy and subsidies supplied to farmers. On this topic, India enjoys the support of 82 of the 125 member countries, and the goal is to “recognize similar but distinct approaches.”

Third, in response to the draught plan for Covid vaccines, India would restate that, in light of the epidemic, patent regulations must be relaxed to allow for wider vaccine manufacturing in order to assist poor countries in combating the pandemic.

“WTO is led by members, not chairs or draughts,” Gajendra Navneet, India’s ambassador to the WTO, said in response to a question regarding the new draught plans. It must consider the views of 80 countries representing two-thirds of the world’s population.”

The Indian delegation, led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, is anticipated to lobby the WTO for a 3A-rating for trade that includes availability, accessibility, and affordability, as opposed to an A-rating that only considers trade availability.