Building fairness among WTO member countries is important, G20 TIIWG chair and director general of international trade negotiations at the Indonesian Trade Ministry, Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono, said in Solo on Thursday.
In line with the goal of WTO reform, the Indonesian G20 Presidency succeeded in bringing delegates from various countries to join the TIIWG meeting held on July 6 and 7, 2022.
The meeting served as a forum for discussing issues regarding trade, investment, and industry to forge new cooperation and support post-pandemic economic recovery.
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The first topic discussed at the meeting was WTO reform, as a follow-up to the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in Geneva on June 12–17.
The TIIWG meeting deliberated on two more topics—trade, investment, and industry response to the pandemic and global health architecture, and spurring sustainable investment for global economic recovery.
According to a statement issued by Witjaksono, the meeting highlighted the need to strengthen the WTO in negotiations, monitoring, and dispute resolution systems.
"Indonesia will take the lead in encouraging collaboration through the discussion of all priority issues with the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) as the main goal to achieve a better and sustainable future for all and ensure that no one is left behind," he said.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, some WTO members, both individually and in groups, have issued statements regarding their commitment to ensuring the free flow of goods and services essential for combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
The WTO has played an active role in establishing partnerships among various parties to encourage vaccine production and distribution to various countries.
Through frequent meetings, it is expected that there will be coordination and exchange of information related to the ongoing international trade trends, Witjaksono said.
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Translator: Ade J, Kenzu T
Editor: Suharto
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