Expectations of and Possibilities for the MC11 in Argentina, 27 September 2017

The 11th Ministerial meeting of the WTO is fast approaching. In Buenos Aires, Ministers will take decisions on a variety of issues including agriculture, fish subsidies, domestic regulation and trade facilitation in services, special and differential treatment, TRIPS, and e-commerce.

• What are potential outcome scenarios at this point?
• Among the potential outcomes, which would be most likely to promote inclusion, particularly for small and medium enterprises (SMEs)?
• Which mandates are consistent with fostering development to achieve the SDGs? What is the status of the Doha Round?
• Can WTO rules be made more consistent with achieving global food security and sustainable fishing?
• Is a new mandate on e-commerce in the interest of countries besides the US?
• Recent geopolitical shifts will have a significant impact on the outcome of the Ministerial; in this context, is a global multilateral deal possible?
• Will the recent spate of WTO cases contribute to increased acceptance of the “rule of law” in trade agreements, or are they to the WTO’s detriment?

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Presentation: WTO’s MC11: Issues and Challenges by Aileen Kwa