The United Arab Emirates will be the host of the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Abu Dhabi in the first Quarter of 2024 to shape the future of global trade.
In the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12), the areas of focus included export restrictions, food security, intellectual property, regulatory cooperation, services, tariff classification, technology transfer, trade facilitation, and transparency.
"Geneva Package"** , which was secured at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) held in Geneva on 12-17 June, was delivered to provide concrete trade-related responses to important challenges facing the world today.
The contribution of IP to the pandemic response has sparked a debate within and beyond and has proven to prioritize technical assistance and policy support for WTO members.
This includes efforts such as the waiver of certain requirements under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) concerning the use of compulsory licenses to produce COVID-19 vaccines, to make access to medical supplies and components more predictable; the TRIPS waiver compromise will contribute to efforts to deconcentrate and diversify vaccine manufacturing capacity.
* Emirates News Agency - UAE to host WTO's 13th Ministerial Conference in Q1 2024 (wam.ae)
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