WTO members successfully concluded the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in Geneva on 17 June, securing multilaterally negotiated outcomes on a series of key trade initiatives. The “Geneva Package” confirms the historical importance of the multilateral trading system and underlines the important role of the WTO in addressing the world’s most pressing issues, especially at a time when global solutions are critical.
The package adopted by members include:
a package on WTO response to emergencies, comprising:
- a Ministerial Declaration on the Emergency Response to Food Insecurity;
- a Ministerial Decision on World Food Programme (WFP) Food Purchases Exemptions from Export Prohibitions or
Restrictions; - a Ministerial Declaration on the WTO Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Preparedness for Future Pandemics;
- a Ministerial Decision on the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights;
- a Decision on the E-commerce Moratorium and Work Programme;
- an Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.
In addition, ministers adopted two decisions – on the Work Programme on Small Economies and on the TRIPS non-violation and situation complaints and a Sanitary and Phytosanitary Declaration for the Twelfth WTO Ministerial Conference: Responding to Modern SPS Challenges.
All documents can be found here:
https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news22_e/mc12_17jun22_e.htm