Goyal calls for inclusive, transparent WTO reforms

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said the necessary reforms of World Trade Organization (WTO) should be carried out through a transparent, inclusive and member-driven process, keeping development at its core, upholding the foundational principles and objectives of the organisation.

Speaking at the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) of the WTO in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Goyal said the incorporation of plurilateral outcomes into the WTO framework should be based on consensus and not impair existing rights of non-parties or cast additional obligations on them.

The past mandates, he said, should be delivered on priority and a dysfunctional Dispute Settlement System has deprived members from effective redressal. “We must restore the automatic and binding dispute settlement system,” Goyal said.