DG Okonjo-Iweala said that during her recent mission to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, leaders, ministers and stakeholders all expressed sentiments of support for the organization. "I was heartened by the amount of unwavering support expressed for the WTO," she declared.

"Beyond frequent references to the WTO, leaders consistently emphasized the value they attach to the multilateral trading system for providing stability and predictability to their businesses and consumers," she continued. "While they acknowledge the challenges we face – and I was not sparing in laying out that those challenges exist and that we must tackle them – they talked about renewed appreciation for our work amid today’s global trade turbulence."

The Director-General referenced the convening notice she circulated to members in advance of the TNC meeting, which asked members for their views on prospects for an MC14 outcome on agriculture and finalizing negotiations on additional provisions for the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which recently entered into force. She also noted ongoing work on development and issues related to least developed countries.

Noting the "road map" goal of deciding by December which issues with convergence among members should be taken to MC14 for ministerial action, she said: "We all agreed that if things are not ripe, we should not take them forward. If we cannot prepare adequately some files here, we shouldn't expect ministers in the two or three days that they'll be in Yaoundé to be able to solve these issues."

"Across all negotiating files, political will and flexibility from every member are essential for substantive progress and meaningful outcomes," she declared

MC14 will take place from 26 to 29 March 2026 in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Ambassador Ali Sarfraz Hussain (Pakistan), chair of the WTO negotiations on agriculture, reported on the outcome of his recent consultations with members and the 23 September meeting of the negotiating group on agriculture.

"The prevailing mood among members is pragmatic," Ambassador Hussain said, reaffirming remarks he delivered at the 23 September meeting. "Most do not expect a major breakthrough at MC14, as engagement has diminished and negotiations have made little progress since MC13."

Nevertheless, "almost all members expressed the view that agriculture must be part - one way or another - of the broader MC14 outcome," he said. 

The chair said options floated by members include an outline for post-MC14 work; a political declaration reaffirming members' commitment to continue negotiations beyond MC14; the incorporation of key elements on agriculture and food security into a broader MC14 declaration or outcome document; and a package of "early deliverables" aimed at assisting the most vulnerable WTO members in addressing food insecurity challenges.

Discussion by members on agriculture, fisheries subsidies

In the discussion that followed, members addressed the questions put forward by the Director-General in her TNC convening notice: how members viewed the prospects for the agriculture negotiations and what outcomes they viewed as possible on agriculture at MC14; and how members can finalize negotiations on the additional provisions for the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.

Nearly 50 members took the floor, some speaking on behalf of groups of members.

The Director-General thanked members for their "direct answers" on agriculture which she said gives "clear guidance" on what members wish to do. "Everybody acknowledges the difficult situation and the need to be realistic," she said.

DG Okonjo-Iweala also noted the intention of the African Group and the Cairns Group of WTO members to put forward a new joint proposal for the agriculture negotiations which "shows some promise of pulling members together in some direction."

On fisheries subsidies, the Director-General said that while it was clear from the interventions that members have different views on what can or cannot be achieved by MC14, virtually all members expressed their commitment to move forward and to appoint a new chair to guide the negotiations.

DG Okonjo-Iweala also said it "looks certain that trying to focus ministers on delivering a (WTO) reform package for this organization is critical."

"We have to realize that things are changing, and this organization has to grapple with those changes," she said. "If we focus our minds along those lines, I think we will be able to deliver."

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