In her remarks, DDG Ellard provided an overview of the WTO structure and functions as well as key items on the WTO's trade policy agenda. In particular, she outlined the state of play in ongoing discussions on fisheries subsidies, access to vaccines, domestic regulation of services, agriculture and dispute settlement.

With respect to fisheries subsidies, DDG Ellard underlined that currently more than a third of global fish stocks are overfished, which poses a risk to the environment and endangers the livelihoods of coastal communities. Some forms of fisheries subsidies contribute to the problem, she noted. DDG Ellard underlined the urgent need to conclude the negotiations in order to deliver on the UN's Sustainable Development Goal of prohibiting certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, and eliminating subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

DDG Ellard also outlined the two dimensions of the WTO's work that contribute to equitable access to vaccines, particularly in developing and least developed countries. First, she observed that the WTO has played an important monitoring and information sharing role, which has helped ensure that vaccine supply chains remain uninterrupted. Second, she provided an overview of the negotiations concerning the proposed TRIPS waiver. She stressed the importance of arriving at a pragmatic solution to address vaccine inequity and spur economic growth.

DDG Ellard said WTO members have made good progress in the plurilateral negotiations on e-commerce. Provisions have been finalized on e-signatures/e-authentication and spam, and electronic contracts. Good progress has also been made on online consumer protection and open government data.

With respect to the agriculture negotiations, she recalled that a draft negotiating text issued by the chair on 29 July attempts to narrow differences in members' positions and enable them to build convergence towards MC12. DDG Ellard noted, however, that significant gaps remain, especially on the issues of domestic support and public stockholding for food security purposes.

DDG Ellard cited the importance of members working together in the run-up to MC12 to resolve the remaining disagreements. She noted that if members do not manage to reach consensus on all the issues on the MC12 negotiating agenda, they could agree on work programmes to develop solutions in the future.

The Washington International Trade Association (WITA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to providing a neutral forum for the open and robust discussion of international trade policy and related issues. WITA is widely considered Washington’s premier trade forum, and the central hub of a community of trade professionals in the United States and around the world.