Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Manlio Di Stefano, in the national statement presented during the proceedings of the 12th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (MC12- Geneva, June 12-15) stressed the absolute priority of reforming the WTO to ensure that the organization can respond to the challenges of the 21st century.
Undersecretary Di Stefano remarked on the opportunity provided by MC12 to revitalize trade multilateralism, in the spirit of the Sorrento Declaration, taken up by the G20 under Italian chairmanship last October, to ensure that trade contributes to sustainable, equitable and inclusive growth.
Food security, the role of the WTO in responding to the pandemic, and concluding negotiations on fisheries subsidies to ensure the sustainability of the oceans are the main objectives of the ministerial meeting outlined by Undersecretary Di Stefano, who also mentioned the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises, the need for mutual support between trade and environmental policies, the role of digital trade, and the importance of a level playing field.
Undersecretary Di Stefano also strongly condemned Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine and its serious consequences for food security.
Undersecretary Di Stefano’s statement is available on the WTO website at.
https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/minist_e/mc12_e/mc12_statements_e.htm
