"The world order has changed irreversibly" - WTO chief calls for reform of the global trading system
The head of the World Trade Organization said the multilateral system has fundamentally changed and that countries must look to the future to consider how to reform the global trading system.
"The world order and the multilateral system we once knew have changed irreversibly. We will not get it back... We must look to the future," WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told delegates at the opening of the 14th WTO ministerial conference in Cameroon.
While 72% of global trade still takes place under WTO rules, with the rise of trade related to artificial intelligence providing a bright spot, Okonjo-Iweala said the global trading system faces significant uncertainty due to the conflict in the Middle East and the impact of US tariffs.
Okonjo-Iweala outlined a list of problems facing the WTO, including the paralysis of the WTO dispute settlement body and transparency in the notification of the use of subsidies.
Only 64 members had submitted subsidy notifications to the WTO for 2025, meaning 102 had not done so, Okonjo-Iweala said.
"Lack of transparency leads to a lack of trust, and this raises suspicions of unfairness and anti-competitive behavior," she told delegates. This contributed to a "vicious circle" of distrust that is preventing members from agreeing on new rules and reforms, Okonjo-Iweala added.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) said in a report published a week ago that global trade growth will slow in 2026, after a stronger-than-expected performance in 2025, warning that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East could add further pressure on global trade.
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