"WTO Grapples with Crisis and Reform Amid UAE Meeting"
The World Trade Organization (WTO) faces a critical moment as its 164 member countries gather in Abu Dhabi to negotiate the future of world trade, including issues such as fishing subsidies, digital trade, dispute settlement, food security, and Covid-19 treatment patent waivers. The organization is grappling with challenges such as conflicting member goals, economic fragmentation, and retreating American leadership on global trade, raising concerns about its ability to create new global trade rules. Despite the contentious backdrop, WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala remains optimistic about the organization's relevance and points to ongoing negotiations and the accession of new members as signs of its continued importance.