Minister of Commerce & Industry, Suresh Prabhu welcoming delegates to the Informal WTO Ministerial Meeting today

The largest Informal WTO Ministerial Meeting began today in New Delhi. Delegations from 52 countries including D.G. WTO, Mr. Roberto Azevedo are participating in the discussions. Ministers and Vice Ministers from 27 countries are part of the delegations. Commerce and Industry Minister, Shri Suresh Prabhu, welcomed the participants and hoped that this meeting will provide the opportunity to the participating countries to engage in free and frank discussions. All heads of delegations appreciated the Commerce & Industry Minister’s initiative in calling this meeting and providing political guidance for the work in the WTO.

Informal discussions will continue through out the day and the delegates will explore in detail the option for reinvigorating the WTO. The meeting will conclude with a Chair’s Summary to be delivered on his own responsibility by the Commerce & Industry Minister of India.

WTO deliberations seek reinvigoration through informal ministerial meeting; Chair to present a concluding summary for participants. Deliberations address institutional and policy dimensions of WTO functioning through an informal ministerial gathering to explore options for reinvigorating the multilateral trade framework. Delegations including senior ministers engage in candid exchange to identify political guidance and potential avenues to strengthen multilateral engagement. The meeting foresees a Chair's Summary issued by the hosting Commerce Minister to capture views expressed and provide political steer for subsequent WTO work.