WTO 'Reform Effort' Needs to Be 'Open and Inclusive,' Says USTR

The Biden administration “is committed to creating resilient and diversified supply chains,” and the multilateral trading system “can play a central role in this effort,” U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai told the World Trade Organization’s 12th Ministerial Conference Sunday in Geneva. But “old habits and expectations” won’t be enough, she said. People around the world are challenging international institutions like the WTO “to work differently and better” by being “more responsive,” better at sharing information and better at keeping pace with technology’s speedy developments, she said. “I’ve spoken before about the need to demonstrate that we can work together to make the WTO relevant to the needs of regular people,” said Tai. “We must recapture a sense of common purpose and focus on what unites our work, rather than ideologies that divide us.” The WTO as a group has “an opportunity to send a clear message to the world that we will undertake a reform effort that is open and inclusive, that repositions the WTO to deliver on its foundational goals, and enables the organization to adapt to changing global realities,” she said. “That means the reform process must avoid being overly prescriptive at the outset. Good ideas come from everywhere. The process must be owned by the members.”