Organized by the WTO Secretariat and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) at the request of francophone countries, the meeting titled "En route vers la 14ème Conférence Ministérielle de l’OMC" aimed to generate ideas for countries in the francophone system to enhance their participation in the WTO and play a larger role in global trade.
His Excellency Minister Mbarga Atangana highlighted several challenges faced by the francophone regions in recent years, including health crises affecting supply chains, security crises, food insecurity, and trade tensions. He reminded that the goal of trade multilateralism since its inception was to promote the development of states through trade. He emphasized that the political leverage of governments for Africa's development must be decisive.
To make the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference a "springboard for a better future," Minister Atangana stated the importance of focusing negotiations on agriculture, food security, investment facilitation for development, e-commerce, fisheries subsidies, the relationship between trade and the environment, WTO reform, and development issues in general.
At the closing session, participants emphasized the significance of global trade for their economies and the urgency for francophone countries to increase their participation in global trade to foster economic growth, employment, and enhance the prosperity and well-being of their populations. They committed to leveraging the opportunity of a Ministerial Conference in Africa to prioritize the economic and commercial development of francophone economies.
The WTO Secretariat presented to government representatives the latest "Perspectives and statistics on world trade" along with a status update on current ratifications of the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement.
The list of participants is available here.
This consultation was part of a strengthened cooperation framework between the WTO and OIF, marked in 2023 by the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding. The objective is to increase the participation of francophone countries in the global trading system, particularly developing economies. Key areas of support include trade capacity building, promotion, and development activities in francophone countries, especially in Africa and the least developed countries.