India hosts 2-day WTO Ministerial meeting

India is hosting a 2-day WTO Ministerial meeting starting today in New Delhi to discuss and build consensus on various issues. A meeting between senior officials of participating countries is being held today, while the Ministerial meeting will be conducted tomorrow. Sixteen developing countries including China, South Africa, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh and Turkey are participating in the meeting, apart from six least developing countries (LDCs). 

At the inaugural session, Commerce Secretary Mr Anup Wadhawan highlighted the existing challenges to the multilateral framework under the WTO due to a series of unilateral measures and counter-measures, deadlock in core areas of negotiations and the impasse with respect to the Appellate Body.