India wants more say for developing countries at WTO meeting

The Indian delegation emphasized the point that developing countries seek appropriate policy space to find solutions to their concerns.

Abu Dhabi: India on Monday told the 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Abu Dhabi that it believes developing countries need flexibility in existing agreements to overcome the constraints they face in their industrialization.

The Indian delegation led by Commerce Minister Sunil Barthwal emphasized the point that developing countries seek appropriate policy space to find solutions to their concerns, some of which have gone unaddressed for a long time.

India also expressed concern over the concerted attempt to reconcile long-standing development issues such as policy space for industrial development with the new issues of “Trade and Industrial Policy”.

India also claimed that it was not practical to bring issues like gender and MSMEs into the WTO discussions as these issues were already being discussed in other relevant international organizations.

In the session on Sustainable Development and Policy Space for Industrialization, India emphasized the need to avoid fragmentation of the multilateral trading system and the importance of staying focused rather than mixing non-trade issues with the WTO agenda.

India also explained that it has proposed and promoted a sustainable way of life based on traditions and values ​​of conservation and moderation, including through a mass movement for LiFE – ‘Life Style for Environment’ – as a key to combating climate change.

It expressed serious concerns about the increasing use of trade protectionist unilateral measures, justified under the guise of environmental protection.