Road to WTO Thirteenth Ministerial Conference: SEATINI Uganda and Ministry of Trade Hold National Stakeholders’ Consultative Meeting

Ahead of the World Trade organization’s (WTO) Thirteenth Ministerial Conference (MC13) scheduled for 26 to 29 February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), SEATINI Uganda, in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives (MTIC) – Uganda, organized a national consultative stakeholders’ meeting on February 1, 2024.

Among the meeting’s objectives were; sharing input into Uganda’s position on the negotiation issues, creating awareness and building capacity among stakeholders, and providing a platform for sharing perspectives to shape Uganda’s negotiation position, particularly in relation to its quest for structural transformation. The Ministerial Conference of the WTO meets every two years to make important decisions about existing trade agreements. The Ministerial Conference holds the authority to make decisions on any aspects of all multilateral agreements made under the WTO. The Twelfth Ministerial Conference of the WTO was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 12 to 17 June 2022.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Herbert Kafeero, Programs and Communications Manager at SEATINI Uganda, noted that the forthcoming WTO Ministerial Conference is very critical for us as a country and that a number of key negotiation issues and priorities have been put on the table for discussion. Thus, at respective national levels, World Trade Organization members including Uganda must adequately prepare to effectively engage in negotiations.

“At SEATINI, we maintain the perspective that there are no free lunches in trade. As we often stress, agreements are not bestowed upon us; rather, they are the result of deliberate negotiations,” Mr. Kafeero explained. He further explained that in trade, one receives not what is deserved but what is effectively negotiated for.

Mr Kafeero also underscored the importance of trade as a crucial tool for alleviating poverty. He further elucidated that trade policy plays a critical role in promoting positive socio-economic outcomes. “The essence remains clear: successful negotiations and well-crafted trade policies are essential for realizing structural transformation and development aspirations especially in developing countries,” he added.
Ms. Georgina Mugerwa, Principal Commercial Officer in the External Trade Department at the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives, emphasized the unique role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) as the sole global entity governing trade rules among nations. She stressed that the core objective of the WTO is to foster open trade for the collective benefit. The overarching goal is to facilitate the smooth, predictable, and unrestricted flow of trade on a global scale.

Ms. Georgina emphasized, “Aid for trade should complement, not substitute Official Development Assistance (ODA).” She added that additional aid for trade flows to fully implement trade-related capacity-building activities identified in favor of the LDCs within the Aid-for-Trade Work Programme for 2023-2024.

She added that developing countries welcome the continuation of the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) partnership to provide financial and technical support beyond the current phase. According to her, this continuation is vital to further enhance institutional and productive capacity, including those in the process of graduation, aligning with the Graduating LDCs’ unilateral preference schemes for a period of 6 years.

Ms. Georgina stressed the significance of Uganda’s position. “As we prepare for MC13,” she noted, “Uganda’s stance needs to be thorough in considering the issues on the WTO agenda.” She outlined the next steps, explaining that a Cabinet Paper would be prepared and officially endorse Uganda’s negotiating positions.

Furthermore, she highlighted the need to address stakeholders’ comments and feedback and to coordinate Uganda’s Delegation along with other relevant stakeholders for effective participate in MC13 and the various side events that will be organized.
The discussions also covered a range of topics such as WTO reform, TRIPS and COVID-19, fisheries and sustainability, agriculture and food security, E-commerce moratorium, services and digital trade, and investment.
Over the years, SEATINI has maintained and nurtured partnerships with relevant government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and continues to create platforms for various stakeholders to amplify their voices and engage on pertinent issues. As part of her focus and interventions, SEATINI engages in and shapes policy processes and negotiations across the broader spectrum of trade, fiscal and investment-related policy discourse.

During MC13, SEATINI will be holding a session titled; ‘‘The Role of the WTO in addressing Trade-Related Climate Policy Tensions’’ at IISD’s Trade and Sustainability Hub.