GENEVA – This week, Ambassador María Pagán participated in meetings of the Committee on Agriculture Special Session (CoA-SS), including an informal open-ended session and the drafting sessions of a draft text on agriculture for the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) to be held in Abu Dhabi in late February. Ambassador Pagán emphasized the United States’ support for agricultural domestic support and market access reform and the need for a holistic approach. In total, the U.S. delegation participated in seven meetings covering agriculture issues this week.
The U.S. delegation participated in several meetings of intensified negotiations throughout the third week of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) “Fish Month” to try to reach agreement in the lead up to MC13 on a text to discipline harmful fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.
The U.S. delegation participated in daily drafting sessions throughout the week to contribute to a possible ministerial declaration for MC13.
The U.S. delegation participated in an informal meeting of the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) to discuss a draft paragraph for the MC13 ministerial declaration.
The U.S. delegation participated in an informal meeting of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) Council and a small group meeting convened by the TRIPS Council Chair.
On January 29, the U.S. delegation participated in the E-Commerce Work Program. The United States provided input to help move forward discussions to produce a consensus ministerial decision for MC13 on both the E-Commerce Work Program and the e-commerce moratorium. The U.S. delegation also participated in meetings of the E-Commerce Joint Statement Initiative (E-Commerce JSI) and pledged to continue to work in 2024 to help achieve further progress to bring meaningful benefits to workers, businesses, governments, and the public.
The U.S delegation participated in Aid for Trade and Least Developed Countries (LDC) subcommittee informal meetings.
The U.S. delegation participated in over 20 meetings on dispute settlement reform with WTO Members in various configurations to advance progress on achieving fundamental reform at the WTO.
The U.S. delegation comprises Washington and Geneva based officials and is supported in its work in Geneva by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in Washington, D.C. and a range of other U.S. agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, and Department of the Treasury. The delegation engaged in 28 additional bilateral and plurilateral meetings during the week across a wide range of issues.
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