Youande: At the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Minister of State for Finance and Railways, Mr. Bilal Azhar Kayani, engaged in a series of high-level discussions and negotiations, focusing primarily on agriculture and international trade arbitration.

According to Press Information Department, Mr. Kayani co-hosted a session of the Multiparty Interim Arrangement for Arbitration, alongside representatives from the EU, Singapore, and Colombia. This platform offers an alternative appellate mechanism for dispute settlement among participating members, and new members were welcomed, highlighting the necessity of a stable Dispute Settlement Body for a rules-based trading system.

In his role as Minister-Facilitator for Agriculture negotiations, Mr. Kayani concentrated on creating consensus for the draft Ministerial Declaration on Agriculture, Trade, and Global Food Security. His efforts included a series of meetings with key member states to identify shared priorities and build support for the proposed text. He stressed the importance of flexibility and trust in the negotiating process, asserting that a successful agriculture outcome could bolster confidence in the WTO’s ability to achieve significant results.

Later in the evening, Mr. Kayani led an extended session on agriculture with 76 member states, discussing the draft declaration and exploring potential solutions to longstanding disagreements in agricultural negotiations. While no consensus was reached, the majority of members supported the draft and acknowledged Mr. Kayani’s efforts in fostering dialogue.

Additionally, Mr. Kayani met with a high-level German delegation to discuss bilateral trade and economic cooperation, addressing existing trade challenges and exploring opportunities for enhanced collaboration. Mr. Ali Sarfraz Hussain, Pakistan’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO, assisted Mr. Kayani during these meetings.