“I would like once again to thank the Government of Kazakhstan for offering to host the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference next June. This is a sign of Kazakhstan's commitment to the WTO and the multilateral trading system. We are honoured to work closely with the Government of Kazakhstan to make the Conference a success,” DG Azevêdo said.

The Ministerial Conference is the WTO's top decision-making body and the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the organization instructs members to hold one at least every two years. The event is attended by trade ministers and other senior officials from the organization’s 164 members.

The previous Ministerial Conference (MC11) was held in Buenos Aires in December 2017.