WTO Yaoundé Ministerial Conference: Trade Rules Are Being Reformed for a New Era

The 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) took place in Yaoundé, Cameroon, from March 26 to 29, 2026, with reform of the dispute settlement mechanism at the top of the agenda.

The Redrafting of the World Trade System: The 14th WTO Ministerial Conference Brought Together Global Trade Policymakers in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on March 26, 2026. The conference is set to last until March 29.

The Council's decision on the European Union's stance on Uzbekistan's WTO membership was at the top of the agenda. The conference also focused on the renewal of the mechanism for resolving trade disputes, the updating of subsidy rules, and the framework for green trade policy.

The European Union attended the conference with a multi-faceted agenda: to improve the functioning of the dispute settlement mechanism and to demand more effective restrictions on China's state-supported industrial practices. The previous statements of the European Union's Trade Commissioner show that the EU remains committed to multilateral norms without entering into bilateral dispute corridors with any of the major market access powers.

One of the most striking issues on the agenda is how to design mechanisms that will respond to the US's recent tariff actions within the WTO framework and maintain the institutional integrity of the multilateral system in the face of ongoing trade wars involving multiple major trading partners. The conference also reflected the trade-development divide, with some developing countries expressing concerns about the restrictions on industrial policy-linked subsidies; this issue has the potential to generate more tension between the EU and Global South members in the coming period.