The World Trade Organization General Council (WTO) convened last week to discuss budgeting and preparation for the 13th Ministerial Conference scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi next year.
The Ministerial Conference is recognized as the highest decision-making authority within the WTO. Held biennially, this conference provides a platform for WTO members to make decisions on multilateral trade agreements. The upcoming conference is slated for Feb. 26-29, 2024, in Abu Dhabi with H.E. Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Trade, serving as the chair, according to a news release about the meeting of the WTO’s general council.
Al Zeyoudi has held his current position since 2020 and is responsible for developing foreign trade sectors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that are not oil or oil-related, as stated in his biography at the UAE Ministry of Economy. Prior to this role, Al Zeyoudi served as the permanent representative to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and was also Director of the Department of Energy Affairs and Climate Change at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
According to a December 13 news release from the WTO about the conference, officials have been selected for the 13th ministerial conference. On Dec. 13, vice chairs were chosen to serve alongside Al Zeyoudi who was elected on July 24 to chair the conference. The Vice Chairs include H.E. Mr. Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, Minister of Trade for Cameroon; Hon. Mr. Todd McClay, Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Hunting and Fishing, and Trade for New Zealand; and H.E. Jorge Rivera Staff, Minister of Trade and Industry for Panama.
The WTO operates through multiple levels of decision-making processes with its pinnacle being the ministerial conference. Following this, there are three bodies that manage the routine work between ministerial conferences: the General Council, the Dispute Settlement Body, and the Trade Policy Review Body. Additionally, there are three councils that report to the General Council: the Council for Trade in Goods, the Council for Trade in Services, and the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. Each of these three councils have their own subsidiaries as outlined on the WTO’s website on understanding the organization.