India has urged sweeping reforms at the World Trade Organization (WTO), pressing for action against non-tariff trade barriers, curbs on non-market practices, and the restoration of the defunct dispute settlement mechanism, during a high-level mini-ministerial meeting in Paris.
At the gathering of 25 WTO member nations, convened by Australia, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal laid out India’s three-point agenda for WTO modernisation. He emphasised:
- Addressing non-tariff barriers that restrict fair market access,
- Taking action against non-market economies, and
- Reinstating a robust and binding dispute resolution system.
Goyal reiterated India’s commitment to a consensus-driven, rules-based global trade order, stressing the need to maintain special and differential treatment for developing countries. These, he said, are essential to ensuring equity and fairness within the multilateral framework.
India’s stance comes amid the WTO’s ongoing crisis in dispute resolution, with its Appellate Body non-functional since 2009, mainly due to U.S. resistance to new appointments. While a few members back the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA) as a workaround, Goyal dismissed it as ineffective, stating, “I haven’t heard of any cases resolved through MPIA.”
India also rejected efforts to broaden the WTO’s mandate to include non-trade issues like investment facilitation, particularly the China-led proposal backed by 128 nations. Goyal warned that expanding beyond core trade matters would “fragment the multilateral system” and deepen divisions among member states.
He stressed the urgency of resolving mandated issues first—such as finding permanent solutions for public stockholding of food grains and curbing harmful fisheries subsidies—before adding new items to the agenda.
Despite internal divisions and slow progress, Goyal dismissed the notion that the WTO faces an existential threat. “One should not jump to that conclusion,” he said, calling instead for practical solutions within existing frameworks.
“There was broad agreement among participants on the need to reinvigorate the WTO, uphold core principles, and promote global trade growth,” Goyal concluded.
The minister’s remarks signal India’s firm commitment to shaping a fairer and more effective global trade system, ahead of the WTO’s next ministerial conference in 2026.
