Global General
WTO opens first ministerial conference in four years
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-11-30 23:08
GENEVA: The World Trade Organization (WTO) opened its first ministerial conference in four years on Monday, where trade chiefs of its 153 members were due to review the activities of the multilateral trade body.
It would be "a platform for ministers to review the functioning of this house" and an occasion "to send a number of strong signals to the world with respect to the entire WTO waterfront of issues, from monitoring and surveillance to disputes, accessions, aid for trade, technical assistance and international governance," WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy said.
For the three-day conference, the first one after trade chiefs last time met in 2005 in Hong Kong, more than 2,700 delegates, along with 400 journalists and nearly 500 members of civil society, would have discussions under the main theme "WTO, Multilateral Trading System and Current Global Economic Environment."
