Philippines pushing for reforms at WTO dispute system
YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon—With the world facing its worst disruptions in decades, the Philippines is pushing for World Trade Organization (WTO) reforms to navigate an increasingly complicated global environment.
Discussions on the WTO and dispute settlement reforms are among the highlights of the WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference happening at the Palais des Congrès here from March 26 to March 29.
Trade Secretary Cristina Roque says reforms are key to restoring confidence in the WTO at a time when trust in multilateral institutions is being tested.
“We can all agree that we are meeting in a more complex global environment. Geopolitical tensions persist. Supply chains are evolving,” Roque says in a statement.
“The multilateral trading system is a stabilizing force in uncertain times,” she adds.
Roque says a fully functional and accessible dispute settlement system is “not a luxury” but a necessity, assuring developing economies that trade rules will be upheld.
Addressing lack of trust
WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says reform efforts are underway to enhance the system, which has been marred by trust issues.
“The lack of trust also filtered into our dispute settlement system, to the extent where its rulings were questioned and its functioning partially blocked and undermined,” Okonjo-Iweala says during her opening remarks.
Introduced in 1995, the dispute settlement system is a rules-based mechanism aimed at resolving trade conflicts between member countries rather than taking unilateral action.
Roque calls for advancing market access and addressing trade-distorting support, adding that development remains at the heart of the organization.
“Agriculture remains our priority; it is the heartbeat of food security and rural livelihoods,” Roque says.
“Furthermore, our success must be measured by the participation of our micro, small and medium enterprises. They deserve the tools and the certainty to compete in global value chains,” she adds.
New global order
Furthermore, Roque says the WTO should evolve and respond to new realities and challenges as well as embrace digital and green transitions.
According to the trade chief, bridging the digital divide will enable entrepreneurs to thrive in a secure, connected global economy, describing digital trade as a “great equalizer.”
Okonjo-Iweala says the global trading system is experiencing the worst disruptions in the last 80 years, emphasizing that the world order and multilateral system have “irrevocably changed.”
“But these disruptions are a symptom of the wider disruptions shaking the international order created after the Second World War to prevent a repeat of the horrors of first half of the 20th century,” she adds.
The WTO chief acknowledges the need to adapt to the world order as governments and international institutions grapple with rising geopolitical tensions, intensifying climate pressures and rapid technological change, even before the conflict in the Gulf emerged.
