Pakistan pushes trade, agriculture agenda at WTO Ministerial Conference in Cameroon
CAMEROON: Pakistan’s delegation, led by Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, has participated in a series of meetings in Yaounde, Cameroon, during the ongoing 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
During the conference, the minister represented Pakistan’s position in multilateral discussions held as part of WTO reform breakout sessions on foundational issues, decision-making, development and the level playing field.
He stressed the need to strengthen the rules-based trading system by combining inclusivity and flexibility to address emerging challenges through trust-building and greater transparency.
Kayani also addressed the late-night plenary session on reform, where he shared Pakistan’s position on the Facilitator’s report in an effort to safeguard the country’s vital trade interests. Other member states also echoed similar views.
Serving as Minister-Facilitator for Agriculture at the ministerial conference, he has also been engaged in efforts to help WTO members reach a consensus outcome on agriculture.
On the sidelines of the conference, he held extensive bilateral meetings with ministers and senior officials from a number of countries and groups, including the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade Peter Kyle, Turkiye’s Minister of Trade Dr Omer Bolat, Japan’s Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Yukinoro Nemoto, and members of the Cotton-4 group.
He also met senior officials from the United States, Brazil, China, the European Union, Cameroon, Mozambique, Canada and Argentina.
During these engagements, the minister underscored the importance of cooperation to send a positive signal to farmers and growers in member states who look to the WTO for predictability and fairness in agricultural trade, production, food security and livelihood protection. The state minister thanked his counterparts and officials for what he described as their constructive engagement and positive cooperation in helping develop convergences on the draft declaration, as well as encouraging other members to join it. Ministers and senior officials from member states acknowledged and commended the efforts of Minister-Facilitator Kayani and Pakistan’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO, Ali Sarfraz Hussain, for their role in working towards consensus. Pakistan’s participation in the conference is set to continue on Saturday and Sunday. Staff Report
