The g7+ WTO Accessions Group held its second ministerial meeting on the margins of the 12th Ministerial Conference. The meeting took stock of the first five years of the Group's activities and reiterated the role of the WTO in promoting “Trade for Peace”, as contained in the Group's proposal. The g7+ WTO Accessions Group includes eight members — three least-developed countries (LDCs) which recently acceded to the WTO (Afghanistan, Liberia, Yemen) and five acceding LDCs (Comoros, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, South Sudan and Timor-Leste).

The Group, joined by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon and Sierra Leone, adopted a Ministerial Declaration, which was circulated to participants in the WTO 12th Ministerial Conference held in Geneva on 12-17 June.

Chairing the meeting, Mawine G. Diggs, Minister of Commerce and Industry of Liberia, stressed the relevance of the Group's initiative: “The global challenges that we have faced in recent years have been unprecedented. Having gone through the devastating experiences of violent conflict, struggling with fragility constraints, FCS governments remain among the most disadvantaged. We urgently need effective support to access the international trade tools provided by the WTO, for the benefit of our people.”

Recounting the Group's experiences, Minister Diggs spoke about the fragility of peace-making and the serious humanitarian situations which prevented some of the Group members, such as Afghanistan and Yemen, from pursuing effective trade integration. Her statement is available here.

As Group co-coordinator, the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs of Timor-Leste and WTO chief negotiator Joaquim Amaral noted that the Work Programme on Trade for Peace “had the potential to help achieve stability and contribute to the shared goal of prosperity through the effective inclusion of FCS into the multilateral trade system, reinforcing the links among them and with the rest of the international community.”

He called for the enlargement of the Group beyond g7+ members by accepting other WTO members and observers sharing the Group's objectives, with a view to achieving results before the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13). His statement is available here.

Speaking on behalf of the Director-General, WTO Deputy Director-General Zhang Xiangchen commended the Group for its dedication and resolve in making the case for Trade for Peace in the WTO, which is making the institution more sensitive to the needs of the most vulnerable.

“I believe that the Group's goal is even more relevant today than ever as we experience increased tensions from conflicts in different parts of the world,” said DDG Zhang. His statement and report on the WTO Trade for Peace Programme is available here.

The Minister of Planning and Economic Development of Sierra Leone, Francis Kai, who is currently  the Chairperson of the g7+, stressed the trade-peace nexus and the need to give FCS governments fair access to global trade and economic opportunities, recognizing their unique situation. “The g7+ WTO Accessions Group is best placed to broaden its coalition and collectively share this perspective in related policy discourse,” he said. His statement is available here.

The Minister of Industry and Trade of Yemen, Mohamed Al-Ashwal, underlined that WTO accession is an important building block in post-conflict recovery and called for members to support Yemen in its efforts to overcome the humanitarian crisis.

The Minister of Trade and Industry of Sierra Leone, Edward Hinga Sandy, underscored the relevance of effective participation in the WTO for FCS governments, which face increased risks due to the current geopolitical and economic situation.

The Minister of Economy and Trade of Libya, Muhammad Al-Hawij, stressed his government's strong desire to achieve post-conflict economic integration into the global economy through the necessary reforms and creation of credible frameworks, as integration is needed now more than ever.

Background

The g7+ WTO Accessions Group is a sub-group of the larger g7+ association of FCS. Following its launch at the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Group has served as a platform to facilitate the integration of FCS into the multilateral trading system, in particular through WTO accessions. The Group, first under Afghanistan's coordination until December 2020, and thereafter by Liberia and Timor-Leste, has been active in promoting the Trade for Peace agenda in the WTO, with the support of the WTO Secretariat.