IP waiver on Goyal-wto chief meet agenda

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal is expected to meet World Trade Organization (WTO) Director General Ngozi Okonjo-iweala in New Delhi this week to discuss key issues related to global trade.

Okonjo-iweala's maiden visit to India since her appointment in February comes in the backdrop of the crucial WTO 12th ministerial conference (MC12) that will be held on 30 November-3 December in Geneva.

This ministerial conference is the highest decision-making body of the WTO and can even take decisions on all matters under any of the multilateral trade agreements. The MC customarily meets every two years, but this time it is being held after a gap of four years as it was postponed due to the outbreak of the pandemic.

“The meeting between Goyal and Okonjo-iweala is expected to take place on October 22. A meeting may also take place between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the WTO DG,” a senior government official said.

Long-pending issues related to agriculture and fisheries are likely to be discussed in the meeting. The latest push by India and South Africa on Trade-related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waiver on Covid-19 vaccine is also the agenda. Moreover, various reforms at the WTO can also be discussed. “As such, with respect to any reforms, India will pitch for reforms (if and when needed) should be inclusive. Apart from that the WTO, as such, should be a consensusbased body and every policy implemented by any country must be transparent,” another government official said.

“India is not the only country that the (WTO) DG is meeting ahead of WTO’S MC12. She is meeting representatives from other countries as well in person, to understand every nation’s point of view on key trade related issues,” he added.