Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal to lead Indian delegation with senior officials and experts at WTO Ministerial Conference

WTO Ministerial Conference to deliberate on reform, e-commerce, investment facilitation, fisheries subsidies and agriculture issues

The 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is scheduled to be held from 26–29 March 2026 in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The Conference, to be chaired by Minister of Trade of Cameroon, Mr. Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, will bring together Trade Ministers from WTO member countries to deliberate on key issues affecting the global trading system.

The Indian delegation will be led by Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal. The delegation will include senior officials from the Department of Commerce, officers from the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva, representatives from other stakeholder Ministries/Departments, as well as technical and legal experts participating in various negotiating tracks.

The key agenda items for discussion include WTO reform, the E-Commerce Work Programme and Moratorium, Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD), fisheries subsidies, and issues related to agriculture and development.

India’s engagement at MC14 will remain constructive, balanced, and development-oriented. India will continue to support meaningful WTO reform aimed at strengthening the multilateral trading system, while keeping development concerns at its core. The country will emphasise the importance of respecting the multilateral mandate of the WTO, prioritising food security, safeguarding the livelihoods of small farmers and fishers, and ensuring adequate policy space for developing economies, particularly in emerging areas such as digital trade.

In the run-up to MC14, India has consistently underlined the need for an open, fair, inclusive, and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core. India has reiterated the principle of non-discrimination as foundational to the WTO framework, as reflected in the Marrakesh Agreement. It has also emphasised the need for a development-centric agenda, including a permanent solution on Public Stockholding (PSH) for food security purposes, effective Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) provisions for developing countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and the restoration of a fully functional, automatic, and binding dispute settlement mechanism.

A permanent solution on PSH remains critical for India, given that a significant proportion of farmers are low-income and resource-constrained, relying on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system for price assurance and livelihood security. On fisheries subsidies, India has advocated for a balanced approach that addresses sustainability concerns while protecting the livelihoods of fishers. India has also emphasised that distant water fishing nations should undertake proportionate responsibilities, including progressive reduction of their distant water fishing capacities.

On the IFD agenda, India supports initiatives that facilitate investment flows into developing countries, including LDCs. With regard to the e-commerce moratorium, India has highlighted the rapidly evolving nature of the digital economy, particularly in the context of emerging technologies, and the need for policy space to enable countries to effectively harness these developments.

India has also been actively advancing its bilateral trade engagements. In the recent period, India has concluded key Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), including with the United Kingdom and Oman, and has made progress in negotiations with other major partners such as New Zealand and the European Union. India’s FTAs remain aligned with WTO principles and reflect its commitment to a rules-based multilateral trading system. Several FTA negotiations are currently underway with partner countries.

On the sidelines of MC14, bilateral meetings are scheduled at the level of the Minister of Commerce and Industry and the Commerce Secretary with their counterparts. These engagements will provide an opportunity to exchange views on key agenda items and discuss bilateral trade issues.

Multilateral trading system priorities shape India's agenda on WTO reform, food security, digital trade, and development concerns. The WTO Ministerial Conference agenda covers WTO reform, the e-commerce work programme and moratorium, investment facilitation for development, fisheries subsidies, and agriculture-related issues. India's priorities include a development-centric multilateral trading system, a permanent solution on Public Stockholding for food security, effective Special and Differential Treatment, and a fully functional, automatic, and binding dispute settlement mechanism. India also supports policy space in digital trade, balanced fisheries subsidy disciplines, and investment facilitation for developing countries.