Bangladesh urges development-centred WTO reform

At the WTO General Council’s Heads of Delegation's informal meeting on WTO Reform, Bangladesh Ambassador in Geneva Nahida Sobhan underscored that any reform process must remain firmly anchored in the WTO’s core principle of development.

She said it must ensure that global trade rules create a fair and level playing field for all Members, particularly developing countries and LDCs.

The Ambassador emphasised that an effective WTO is not only about new rules, but also about inclusive processes.

For reform to succeed, every Member, regardless of the size of its delegation, must be able to participate meaningfully.

To this end, Nahida Sobhan called for a development-centred approach to WTO reform; transparent, inclusive and Member-driven negotiations; better scheduling of meetings to enable the effective participation of small delegations; timely circulation of documents to facilitate consultations with capitals; opportunities for virtual participation by capital-based experts; regular transparency briefings on reforms meetings; and broader engagement with civil society and think tanks, reports UNB.