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Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social) Profile picture
@CoppetainPU
Jul 24, 2021 • 10 tweets • 8 min read • Read on X
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The General Council (= all @wto members) meets on Tuesday and Wednesday, the last time before the summer break.

It is the top decision-making body below the (in normal times) biennial Ministerial Conference.

Some juicy items on the draft agenda: docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…

1/10
Among items attracting attention, eg:

Item 4—Proposed #TRIPSwaiver on some intellectual property protection for #COVID19—status report & request for a decision to extend the discussion in the intellectual property (TRIPS) council.

See draft here: tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2021/05/25/wto…

2/10
Extending discussion of the #TRIPSwaiver should be a formality. Already agreed in lengthy debate in the TRIPS Council.

But in the past, members needed to underscore their positions politically by repeating their arguments in the General Council

3/10 tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2021/03/05/dir…
More ⬇️ on the draft text of the #TRIPSwaiver for #COVID19—the text, the discussion in the TRIPS Council (also comprising all @wto members), and why a General Council decision is needed:

4/10 tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2021/05/25/wto…
Those unfamiliar with WTO #waivers can observe that four others are on the agenda—item 18

Note: least-developed countries will not have to protect intellectual property for pharmaceutical products until 2033 (they can but don’t have to)

Mea cupla…

5/10 docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…
Mea culpa—I had thought the least-developed country decision was simply about extending a transition period (that’s what the TRIPS Council decision was called), not an Art.9 “waiver”. I was wrong. Apologies if you saw that tweet.

6/10 docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…
Items 7 and 8—on responses to #COVID19, including an EU🇪🇺 paper.

To find the papers listed, search WTO documents online at docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/F…, paste or type the document number (eg WT/GC/W/823) into the “document symbol” field.

7/10 docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…
Item 14—“The legal status of ‘joint statement initiatives’ and their negotiated outcomes”

A repeat outing for a paper by India & South Africa criticising “plurilateral” negotiations in subsets of the WTO membership, when no “multilateral” consensus

8/10 docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…
The #plurilateral talks/“joint statement initiatives” India and S-Africa challenge—seen as the only way to get negotiations going in the WTO—eg:

• digital trade
• services regulation
• investment facilitation
• MSMEs
• trade & gender

See⬇️

9/10 tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2021/02/22/ind…
Item 17—African Group paper ⬇️ on strengthening the “multilateral character” of the WTO.

No mention of #plurilateral initiatives. But the emphasis on “multilateral” and consensus decision-making suggests that might be a target.

Decide for yourself

10/10 docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…

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More from @CoppetainPU

Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social) Profile picture
Jun 9, 2022
🧵 On Sunday, the much-postponed 12th WTO Ministerial Conference #MC12 starts.

Here is another curtain-raiser, with @BobWolfeSPS

@wto Director-General @NOIweala believes it will be a success.

But what does “success” mean?

1/11 tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2022/06/09/tou…
“Many gaps remain but we are making progress,” @NOIweala told members on Tuesday Jun 7

“The success of this whole endeavour is in our hands. Let us deliver. The people outside are waiting for us and, believe it or not, I really think we will do it.”

2/11 wto.org/english/news_e…
Fingers crossed, there might even be a deal on fisheries subsidies, she and the talks’ chair @WillsSantiago said.

But despite “cautious optimism” WTO spokesperson Dan Pruzin warned journalists to expect ministers to meet late into the night at #MC12

3/11 tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2022/06/09/tou…
Read 12 tweets
Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social) Profile picture
May 29, 2022
Was it worth the time looking at the UK’s big deal with Indiana? The one the government hails as a “milestone” and the minister calls a “US trade deal”?

They wants us to take it seriously. So I did. Let’s say I did it so you don’t have to.

1/8 tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2022/05/29/mil…
TL:DR it's not a trade agreement.

It's a memorandum of understanding, a non-binding statement of intent.

The only trade barrier that might get tackled is govt procurement.

Indiana's state-level entities have no commitments on procurement in the WTO

2/8 tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2022/05/29/mil…
Indiana “will actively work towards” (not a commitment) treating UK suppliers the same as suppliers from other US states except those neighbouring Indiana.

“That’s the weirdest MFN clause I’ve ever seen,”—@Lorand_Bartels

3/8 tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2022/05/29/mil…
Read 10 tweets
Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social) Profile picture
May 27, 2022
“Agreement with Indiana marks milestone in UK’s trade with the US”—the UK government proclaims

Read on

It's a memorandum of understanding on what the UK and Indiana want to develop in their trade and economic relations. That stretches the meaning of “agreement” quite a lot

1/9
Good question⬇️. Short answer: no

So, all we know is what the UK government press release says.

2/9
This is what it says:

“The MoU creates a framework to remove barriers to trade and investment, paving the way for UK and Indianan businesses to invest, export, expand and create jobs.”

Remember: all major trade barriers are handled in Washington

3/9 gov.uk/government/new…
Read 10 tweets
Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social) Profile picture
May 22, 2022
It’s been clear for some time that WTO members are unlikely to agree on anything substantial on agriculture—despite declaring it a priority—when their ministers meet in Geneva Jun 12–15

Information from trade sources on a meeting last Thu May 19 reinforce that assessment🧵

1/11
The focus has changed in recent months—the Ukraine war has increased concerns about food security.

But the best binding decision that can be expected is to exempt the World Food Programme’s humanitarian purchases from export restrictions—still opposed by India & Tanzania.

2/11
Expect some non-binding/“best-endeavour” statement on food security, eg, the UK-led proposal⬇️, which draws on familiar themes of keeping supplies flowing, increasing transparency, minimising market disruption.

Even transparency is a problem…

3/11 docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…
Read 11 tweets
Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social) Profile picture
May 20, 2022
Another day, another WTO topic where members find themselves under pressure to reach agreement within days.

Today: fisheries subsidies, at the end of a “Fish Week” of talks in various formats on curbing harmful subsidies that encourage overfishing.

1/8 tradebetablog.wordpress.com/wto-fish-talks…
Chair @WillsSantiago briefed the media after a stock-taking meeting of the membership.

Sandwiched between plenaries Mon and Fri, were sessions in various formats. Wills said 30-40 delegations were involved in each of those sessions, total about 50.

2/8 tradebetablog.wordpress.com/wto-fish-talks…
@WillsSantiago said the talks were constructive with good signals that need to be turned into agreement.

He announced a “Fish Decision” week from May 30, giving members a fortnight to resolve their differences.

3/8 tradebetablog.wordpress.com/wto-fish-talks…
Read 8 tweets
Peter Ungphakorn (also @coppetainpu.bsky.social) Profile picture
May 19, 2022
WTO members on all sides were urged today to sort out their reservations over the proposed compromise, so that a deal on waiving some intellectual property protection for COVID-19 can be struck by the Jun 12-15 Ministerial Conference, trade sources say.

1/14 #TRIPSwaiver
In an informal meeting of the WTO intellectual property (TRIPS) council, Director-General @NOIweala said WTO members have no option but to produce a result for the #MC12 Ministerial Conference, even if that means negotiating round the clock, the sources said.

2/14
Today's meeting was held to take stock of the first two days of real negotiations on the compromise text⬇️, on Mon&Wed, May 16&18. During those sessions, @NOIweala urged delegates to be prepared to compromise: "the perfect is the enemy of the good"

3/14 tradebetablog.wordpress.com/text-g4-trips-…
Read 15 tweets

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