Trade ministers from 166 countries gathered in Cameroon on Tuesday for the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), with discussions overshadowed by escalating military conflicts in the Middle East. The two-day summit aims to address the severe disruptions to global supply chains and energy markets caused by US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks.
Delegates will debate structural reforms to strengthen the WTO’s role as a rules-based, inclusive system that prevents unilateral economic retaliation. Long-stalled agricultural negotiations and regulation of global fisheries subsidies are also on the agenda, alongside calls to modernize frameworks for digital economies and e-commerce.
Türkiye’s Trade Minister Omer Bolat is attending, holding bilateral meetings to push for reforms that make the WTO more effective. Ankara has reiterated its commitment to transparent, predictable trade rules that protect developing countries from arbitrary barriers.
The WTO, established in 1995, faces mounting pressure to adapt to today’s turbulent climate, where geopolitical tensions and protectionism threaten the stability of global commerce.
