WTO members disagree on an investment agreement supported by China, and India is frank about its goal of ending hunger by 2030

Opposition to the World Trade Organization's (WTO) 13th Ministerial Conference stemmed from the demand that a multilateral agreement be adopted. Some members are unhappy with the coordinators of the China-backed agreement, who are demanding that it be adopted unanimously. The investment agreement is said to be without a mandate by those who are against the China-backed agreement. Legislator Jane Kelsey of New Zealand denounced it and referred to it as a Chinese threat. Deborah James denounced the pressure as well.

India has urged the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to resolve the long-standing problem of public food storage, arguing that it is directly related to the UN's 2030 sustainable development goal of ending hunger. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said WTO should resolve rules on non-trade related issues like climate change, gender and labour in the relevant intergovernmental organizations. He stressed that a permanent solution on Public Storage (PSH) is necessary for food security, as without it the development agenda will remain incomplete.

Obviously, this is directly essential to meeting the Sustainable Development Goal of making the world free from hunger. Despite clear consensus from members in the past, a permanent solution has not been found, which shows that this has not been part of our agenda. Trade ministers of 164 member countries of WTO have gathered in Abu Dhabi for the 13th Ministerial Conference. The highest decision-making body began a four-day meeting in the United Arab Emirates on February 26.

The purpose of WTO is to create global trade rules. But organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala sought to temper expectations. Thani Al Zeyoudi, Chairman of the Conference and Minister of Foreign Trade of the UAE said the multilateral trading system at the core of the WTO is at a critical juncture. It is facing many challenges. We will have to face them.