Washington DC– National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) Vice President for Global Trade Issues Jake Colvin released the following statement today on the conclusion of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Nairobi, Kenya.
“The WTO appears to have done a couple of things to demonstrate its importance as a trade body today, but it’s disappointing that delegations could not shake off the Doha Round albatross completely.
“We applaud U.S. negotiators and their counterparts for successfully concluding an expansion of the WTO Information Technology Agreement (ITA) earlier in the week, which will provide a major boost to a global economy underpinned by the technologies it covers.
“The recent accession of Kazakhstan, progress on the Environmental Goods Agreement negotiations and the apparent agriculture deal in Nairobi are other steps forward for the trade body.
“Yet the ministerial also exposed serious uncertainties about the efficacy of the WTO’s negotiating function.
“In 2016, like minds must find new pathways to advance a timely and relevant agenda that responds to the realities of the 21st century global economy. The NFTC looks forward to contributing to that conversation.”
About the NFTC
Serving America’s Global Businesses Since 1914 – The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules- based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves hundreds of member companies through its offices in Washington and New York. Follow us on:
