WTO Ninth Ministerial Conference and Trade Facilitation Agreement, 2013

Abstract

The WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement 2013 (TFA) has been endorsed by more than 160 members of the WTO by way of Ninth Ministerial Conference held at Bali on 2–6 December, 2013 and has come to effect from 2017. TFA is being taunted as feather in the future prosperity of the WTO especially in the backdrop of virtual demise of Doha Development Agenda and Doha Development Decade (2001). While approving the TFA, the General Council (GC) of WTO took note of the entire gamut of the Bali Package, i.e. trade facilitation, public stockings for food security and package of recommendations for the least developed countries. India initially stalled the TFA by resisting its ratification by demanding the simultaneous resolution of the contentious issue of importance concerning public procurement of food grains for food security. However, due to USA diplomatic endeavors India relented and TFA became a reality. At the same time, GC proposed that a permanent solution has to be found and till then the peace clause of Agreement on Agriculture (AOA) will continue to operate in this area.