WTO postpones key meet over new COVID variant Omicron: 'Better to err on side of caution'

The World Trade Organization (WTO) on Staurday, 27 November postponed its conference of government ministers which was set to commence on Tuesday next week over the spread of the new highly concerning Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 with several mutations. The move was prompted after Switzerland instated new travel bans to curb an event of the variant outbreak within the country via air travel.

The 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) at WTO headquarters in Geneva was scheduled to commence next week to discuss a range of key issues such as the negotiations on the subsidies for fisheries launched in 2001 at the Doha Ministerial Conference to deter the overfishing problem in the global sea. Other key issues to be discussed were the patent waiver and other intellectual property protections relaxations on the COVID-19 vaccines. 

On Friday, however, as the countries worldwide scrambled to hold a meeting on the new virus of concern [VOC] Ambassadors from the WTO’s 164 member states agreed to cancel the in-person ministerial conference in Geneva. WTO on Twitter updated its decision shortly after Switzerland prohibited flights from southern Africa, and Belgium. The global trade body stated that it was discussing possible alternative arrangements for the now-cancelled conference as new travel restrictions were in place in Switzerland. 

"Given these unfortunate developments and the uncertainty that they cause, we see no alternative but to propose to postpone the Ministerial Conference and reconvene it as soon as possible when conditions allow," Amb. Castillo told the General Council. "I trust that you will fully appreciate the seriousness of the situation."

Face-to-face meeting 'impossible' 

Director-General  Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala stressed that her priority at this time was the health and safety of all MC12 participants --ministers, delegates, and civil society. She emphasised that it was indeed better to “err on the side of caution” than take risks at the moment. “Conference will be convened as soon as conditions allow” Dacio Castillo added. With strict travel constraints, she said, it became inevitable for many ministers and senior delegates to have participated in face-to-face negotiations at the Conference and this would have rendered participation on an “equal basis” impossible. And hence, the WTO conference was called off. 

As the in-person conference has been declared cancelled, a virtual meeting at this time was not deemed to be an option, a Geneva-based trade official told ABC on condition of anonymity as he wasn’t authorised to discuss the matter publicly. MC12 was due to start on 30 November and run until 3 December. General Council Chair Amb. Dacio Castillo (Honduras) called an emergency meeting of all WTO members to inform them of the situation."This has not been an easy recommendation to make,” she stressed, adding that the delegations must maintain the negotiating momentum.