Zim to fight for fair trade at WTO conference

ZIMBABWE will use the upcoming World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC12) to push for an open and fair trading environment rather than divert focus to the current Russia-Ukraine conflict, a Cabinet Minister has said.

The WTO was established with the main mandate to open trade for the benefit of all nations ensuring that trade flows as smoothly, predictably, and freely as possible.

But ahead of the Ministerial Conference, the highest WTO decision-making body, a number of developed countries are moving to have political statements by Ministers on the current Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Zimbabwe is, however, joining other developing countries in pushing for a WTO that sticks to its mandate of improving the Agreement and assisting in coming up with rules that strengthen and enhances capacities in agriculture. Speaking on the sidelines of the 2022 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Ambassador Frederick Shava, said Zimbabwe will push for the discussion of genuine issues of trade without politicising them. “We want a fair platform without involving politics. All we want is to be able to trade without questions on political relations, said Minister Shava.

One of the focus areas for Zimbabwe, according to Minister Shava, is agriculture and Zimbabwe will join other progressive nations in calling for trade reforms globally.

Minister Shava said some of the reform issues in the agriculture sector include issues of market access, export restrictions, public stockholding for food security purposes and cotton among others.

“On reforms in agriculture, pertinent issues are how the agreement on Agriculture could help address on-going food crisis, food security and achieving a strong agricultural trading system that contributes to the realisation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs),” said Minister Shava.

The ministerial conference, which will take place between the 12-15th of June 2022, come at a time there is no convergence on what kind of reforms are needed as the developed countries are looking at reforms in the operation and functioning of the organisation including the mode of participation of developing countries.

The conference also comes at a time when developing countries are concerned that Covid19 doses are not reaching the vast majority of developing countries in sufficient amounts resulting in a crisis of vaccine inequity.

Calls are now being made to expand and diversify manufacturing capacity and reduce barriers to the export of Covid-19 medicines, diagnostics, and raw materials. These are seen as critical components of a comprehensive preparedness policy.

According to Zimbabwe‘s Ambassador to the United Nations, Stuart Comberbach, one of the most important issues that MC12 will deal with is the WTO’s response to the Covid-19.

He said trade has a huge role to play in economic recovery after the pandemic which hit every single country with businesses and factories shutting down.

“So revitalising international trade is a huge part of recovery after the pandemic.”

Ambassador Comberbach’s comments come as a significant number of countries put in place export restrictions which “acerbated the global trade situation which was already quite fragile”. “A lot of countries put in place restrictions on exports of foodstuffs, on medical equipment on PPEs and that led to a restriction on international trade.”

Ambassador Comberbach said this is what the WTO should deal with including dealing with the issue of a temporary waiver on intellectual property rights (TRIPS Agreement) for the production of vaccines so that they can be produced in more parts of the world and more quickly.

The TRIPS Agreement is a minimum standards agreement, which allows Members to provide more extensive protection of intellectual property if they so wish.

There are calls to waiver the Trips Agreement, according to Ambassador Comberbach.

Developed countries are however resisting the move when it comes down to the actual engagement on putting down rules that govern the waiver.