Welcome remarks by the Deputy Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Desna Solofa at the opening of the Pacific World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade Ministers Meeting.
Delivered on 25 March 2026
Yaounde, Cameroon
Honourable Ministers and Heads of Delegations of Pacific WTO Members;
Excellencies, Pacific Ambassadors to WTO in Geneva and London;
Senior Pacific Trade Officials;
Secretariat staff;
I am delighted to welcome you all to this important Meeting. As you are aware, this Meeting is part of our preparations for the WTO Fourteenth Ministerial Conference or MC14, that will be held in Yaoundé, Cameroon from 26 to 29 March.
Honourable Ministers, MC14 is taking place at a time of rising global uncertainty. The world economy is still reeling from the effects of the trade turbulence triggered by unilateral tariffs imposed in 2025. The geopolitical tensions from the continuing war in Ukraine and more recently in the Middle East, are causing disruptions to global trade and value chains. This will see fuel and food price inflation across the world. This will soon be felt in our region which is highly dependent on imported food and fuel.
The rules-based multilateral trading system of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) therefore plays an important role in keeping international markets open and in providing stability and predictability for world trade. This is especially important for small Members like us in the Pacific that rely heavily on international trade.
At MC14, Ministers of the 166 Members of the WTO will take stock of the negotiations in Geneva, make decisions on new trade rules, set direction for WTO work or launch new negotiations.
While no substantive outcomes in the form of new trade rules will be adopted at MC14, some key decisions will be made to shape the future work of the WTO. A Draft Yaoundé Package has been transmitted to Ministers on 17 March 2026.
The priority focus of MC14 is the WTO reform – to launch work on reform and agree to a post-MC14 work plan that will enable recommendations to be made to MC15. Pressure for reform come from within and from outside the WTO. In recent years there is increasing recognition that WTO has not been able to deliver on negotiating mandates. This is due to systemic issues relating to decision-making by consensus, the principle of special and differential treatment for developing countries and least developed countries or (LDCs) as well as the issues of fairness or level playing field in the conduct of global trade. In addition, the weakening commitment to multilateralism and rise in unilateral measures which could lead to fragmentation.
From outside, the global trade environment has evolved significantly since 1995 when the WTO was established. Advances in technology has enabled new forms of trade such as digital trade and frontier technology like artificial intelligence will significantly influence global production and trade. The impact of environment and climate change on global production and trade, and vice versa, is increasingly being felt. We therefore need to reposition the WTO to be more effective and more responsive to these evolving trade challenges and opportunities.
Apart from WTO reform, specific decisions are expected in a few other areas. These include decisions to move forward negotiations on agriculture reform, fisheries subsidies, the extension on ecommerce work programme and moratorium on customs duties, Investment Facilitation for Development (IFDA) and development issues including the Small Economies Work Programme.
Fisheries subsidies remain a priority for the Pacific Members. At MC14 Ministers will consider a draft decision that welcomes the entry into force in September 2025, the Agreement on Fisheries subsidies or Fish 1 which was adopted in 2022. The decision will also renew the mandate to continue negotiations on subsidies to Overcapacity and Overfishing, or Fish 2, with the view to making recommendations to MC15. The conclusion of this negotiation will fully deliver SDG 14.6 and support the sustainable management of the region’s fish stocks.
A decision on the extension of the Ecommerce Work programme and moratorium will need to be made as the current extension ends on 31 March 2026. Many developing countries including the ACP group support a temporary extension of the Work Programme and moratorium not to impose customs duties on electronic transmissions. The developed countries are pushing for a permanent moratorium.
On agriculture, a draft Ministerial Declaration focussing on food security and the net food importing countries is being proposed to Ministers. This is important for the Pacific given the impact of climate change and natural disasters and that many Pacific countries are net food importing developing countries.
On development issues, the LDC proposal for a transition period on smooth transition after graduation should be supported. Similarly, the Small Economies Work Programme to continue work on addressing the trade challenges small vulnerable economies like the Pacific should be supported.
A few divergences still exist across these issues, especially on WTO reform and Ecommerce. Pacific Ministers will therefore need to work together, and with other strategic alliances such as the ACP and the Pacific Islands Forum family with Australia and New Zealand to secure the region’s interests and build consensus.
To conclude, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat team is in Yaoundé to provide technical support and help co-ordinate your positions and meetings.
With these remarks Honourable Ministers, I wish you a successful meeting.
[ENDS]
