A senior Pakistani delegation, headed by Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, arrived in Yaoundé, Cameroon, to take part in the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The delegation also includes Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the WTO, Ali Sarfraz, along with his team from Pakistan’s WTO Mission based in Geneva.
The conference is convening during a turbulent period for the WTO, which many analysts describe as facing an ‘existential crisis.’ This is due to a rise in unilateral trade actions, an increasing number of tariff and non-tariff barriers imposed by various countries, and a growing emphasis on national interests over a rule-based global trade system.
In a significant development, Bilal Azhar Kayani has been appointed as Minister-Facilitator for the WTO’s Committee on Agriculture – Special Session (CoA-SS). This committee is responsible for guiding the future direction of negotiations concerning agriculture-related matters. Agricultural trade discussions have been at an impasse for several years, largely because of rigid stances held by countries driven by domestic policies aimed at protecting farmers’ livelihoods and addressing food security concerns.
During the Ministerial Conference, Kayani is scheduled to engage with senior political and official representatives from key member states. The objective is to build consensus around the Chair’s text, which was drafted by Ambassador Ali Sarfraz based on input from WTO members, aiming to advance negotiations and foster cooperation on trade issues.
