General Council chair outlines next steps to build on momentum from MC14 negotiations

At the first meeting of the General Council since the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), the newly elected Chairperson, Ambassador Clare Kelly (New Zealand), reported on her consultations with members on how to continue discussions in Geneva to build upon the high level of convergence on several areas of work at MC14 held in Yaound�, Cameroon. Members also took note of T�rkiye's announcement that it was joining the growing convergence to extend the e-commerce moratorium, with many welcoming the additional progress in narrowing gaps in the discussions.

General Council chair outlines next steps to build on momentum from MC14 negotiations

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Citing the summary of MC14 Chairperson Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, Cameroon's Minister of Trade, Ambassador Kelly recalled that members came close to endorsing texts on the E-Commerce Work Programme and moratorium and on WTO reform. Her consultations indicated that many members valued the degree of convergence in these two areas, she said.�

"This degree of convergence represents a considerable investment in persuasion and pragmatism by very many members. These members, whom I would judge to be the majority, do not want this effort to go to waste and are keen to keep working," she said.�

Ambassador Kelly said she will undertake consultations with members on the issues of e-commerce and WTO reform with the intention of reporting to the General Council in July, or sooner if possible, on her views on the way forward.�

T�rkiye at the meeting said it will not stand in the way of consensus on a temporary extension of the e-commerce moratorium as proposed in the annex to the MC14 Chairperson's Summary.�

Ambassador Kelly further noted that the draft declaration and work plan on WTO reform, likewise annexed to the MC14 Chairperson's Summary, acknowledges that consultations on dispute settlement reform under the auspices of the Dispute Settlement Body should continue following MC14.�

Ambassador Kelly also recalled the other issues tackled in Yaound� and suggested the next steps for these topics, namely the moratorium on non-violation complaints under the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), the least developed countries-specific package including the G90 Agreement-specific proposals on Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement regarding transfer of technology, cost of remittances, and emerging agricultural trade issues: "As General Council Chair, I would like to reiterate the MC14 Chairperson's encouragement to members to continue discussions amongst themselves and relevant WTO bodies with a view to addressing these important issues."�

"I believe the same applies to other matters that ministers discussed in ministerial sessions namely agriculture, fisheries subsidies and investment facilitation for development."�

Summing up members' responses at the GC meeting to the proposed way forward, the GC Chair furthermore said: "There seems to be a shared recognition of the importance of continuing our efforts toward concluding this work without either starting over, backtracking, losing momentum or getting lost in process, all while preserving the careful balance reflected in the convergence achieved in Yaound�."�

Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala likewise lauded the progress made at MC14 and called on members to finish the work in Geneva.�

Members formally adopted three decisions in Yaound� covering improving the integration of small economies into the multilateral trading system; enhancing the precise, effective and operational implementation of special and differential treatment provisions in the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement; and continuing to engage in negotiations on fisheries subsidies.�

"The task before us now, as the MC14 Chairperson so clearly articulated, is how to follow up with our work and not let our ministers, leaders and other stakeholders down," DG Okonjo-Iweala said.�

"I want to thank members for their patience and willingness not to backtrack from their positions in Yaound� and those who have yet to join consensus on their willingness to keep communication channels open," she said.�

"On reform, let me strongly support the process outlined by the GC Chair. Progress on reform is vital. It is members that see the challenges to the multilateral trading system, and only members can push to reform and confront those challenges," she added.�

The United States, as part of its intervention on the follow-up to MC14, introduced a Joint Statement on the Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmissions from 19 members. Beginning on 8 May 2026, the co-sponsors of the communication will continue to not impose customs duties on electronic transmissions among themselves.

Members at the meeting also took note of the Agreement on Electronic Commerce, a plurilateral initiative. Over 60 members announced at MC14 that they had adopted a pathway to bring into force the Agreement through interim arrangements while continuing to work towards its incorporation into the WTO legal framework of rules.�

Members also considered a statement from the Republic of Korea on "Preserving the Spirit of Open and Predictable Trade: Collective Restraint Against Actions Undermining Trade Liberalization" and a communication from several members on agricultural trade issues.�

15^th Ministerial Conference

The GC Chair noted that MC14 ministers agreed to request the General Council to hold consultations on the date and venue of MC15. She said she will be continuing to hold consultations based on the offer by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host MC15 in Riyadh in 2028.�

Outgoing Chair

The outgoing GC Chair, Ambassador Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel of Saudi Arabia, said it was an honour to serve in the role. He added: "Post-MC14, we must not lose the momentum, given how close we are on many files. We must now build on the process from Yaound� and provide a final push here in Geneva."�

Next meeting�

The next General Council meeting is scheduled for 14-15 July.

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