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The WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12) scheduled next week in Geneva has been indefinitely postponed as the growing threat from the new Covid-19 variant 'Omicron'
cast its shadow over the event.
"...given the serious epidemiological situation, holding MC12 as previously agreed will regrettably no longer be feasible. We will reconvene it as soon as conditions allow," according to a letter issued to all Heads of Delegations at the WTO by the General Council Chairman and the WTO DG after an urgent meeting on Friday evening.
Read more | SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.529 a ‘Variant of Concern’: WHO
The WTO MC12 was scheduled from November 30-December 3.
The WTO's announcement follows the Swiss government's decision on Friday to ban direct flights from South Africa and the surrounding region while imposing quarantine restrictions on travel from some other countries including Hong Kong and Belgium.
"This has not been an easy recommendation to make … But as Director-General, my priority is the health and safety of all MC12 participants – ministers, delegates and civil society. It is better to err on the side of caution," WTO DG Ngozi Okonjo Iweala said in a statement, noting that the postponement would continue to keep the WTO in line with Swiss regulations.
A call for postponement of the WTO Ministerial Conference was made by several civil society organisations earlier this week. They argued that as some Ministers from poorly vaccinated countries, or those isolated from international travel, may not be able to attend, it was not fair to hold the meeting.
"More than a 100 civil society organisations had sought postponement of the WTO MC12 earlier this week. Finally, with travel restrictions now on a number of other countries, including Belgium, the WTO has realised that it is no longer feasible to carry on with the meeting. It is a good decision," a Delhi-based trade analyst tolls Business Line.
The WTO has 164 members covering 98 per cent of the world trade.
Travel constraints meant that many ministers and senior delegates could not have participated in face-to-face negotiations at the conference, the DG said. "This would render participation on an equal basis impossible", she added.
Many delegations have long maintained that meeting virtually does not offer the kind of interaction necessary for holding complex negotiations on politically sensitive issues, Iweala added.
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