Contact with parliamentarians

News

Background

The first gathering of legislators from WTO members took place in December 1999 on the margins of the 3rd WTO Ministerial Conference in Seattle. This gathering agreed on the need for parliamentarians to be more closely associated with the work of the WTO and called for the establishment of a Standing Body of Parliamentarians whereby Members of Parliaments (MPs) could exchange views, be informed and monitor WTO negotiations and activities.

Formal meetings

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the European Parliament (EP) regularly hold Parliamentary Conferences on the WTO, which usually include a briefing from the Director-General. These conferences are often held on the sidelines of the WTO's Ministerial Conferences.

The Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference meets twice a year in Geneva. The Committee consists of around 30 parliamentarians. The Director-General regularly briefs the Committee on the status of the latest trade negotiations.

Parliamentary Conference on the WTO

The aim of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO is to “strengthen democracy at the international level by bringing a parliamentary dimension to multilateral cooperation on trade issues”. In this regard, the Conference provides legislators with the opportunity to examine developments in the WTO, obtain first-hand information on the state of multilateral trade negotiations, and consider a possible parliamentary contribution to these multilateral processes.

These conferences usually include a briefing from the Director-General of the WTO and dialogue with Geneva-based trade diplomats, including the Chairs of WTO negotiating groups.

• 2024 - Abu Dhabi
• 2022 - Geneva
• 2018 - "WTO: The way forward"
• 2017 - Buenos Aires session of the parliamentary conference on the WTO
• 2016 - What future for the WTO?
• 2015 - WTO at the age of 20
• 2013 - Bali session of the parliamentary conference on the WTO
• 2012 - Back to basics: Connecting politics and trade
• 2011 - Parliaments and the multilateral trading system

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee is composed of around 30 representatives from various member parliaments of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the European Parliament and other international organizations. It is supported by the Secretariats of the IPU and the European Parliament. The WTO (Information and External Relations Division) observes Steering Committee meetings at the Committee's invitation and provides up-to-date information on developments in the trade negotiations.

The Director-General, senior staff of the WTO, the Chair of the WTO General Council and Geneva-based ambassadors are often invited to the Steering Committee meetings to brief legislators on the latest developments in the trade negotiations.

Reaching out to parliamentarians

Senior WTO management regularly attend key international meetings involving parliamentarians (including meetings held at WTO Ministerial Conferences); they often address parliaments in capitals and also meet with parliamentary visitors to Geneva.

The Information and External Relations Division works closely with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to strengthen collaboration with parliamentary organizations around the world. It routinely organizes briefing sessions for parliamentarians

The WTO Secretariat delivers workshops tailored to the needs of parliamentarians and parliamentary staff. Workshops are often organized in cooperation with international and national level partners.

Working with partners

The WTO Secretariat engages through collaboration with:

• Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
• L’Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF)
• European Parliament's Committee on International Trade (INTA)

These partnerships help amplify the exchange of knowledge and promote informed engagement on WTO and global trade.

Resource Hub for Parliamentarians

The Resource Hub is intended to provide legislators and their staff with timely updates on trade issues, training resources and opportunities to engage with WTO activities

More details