WTO Ends UAE Meeting Without Major Agreements

Negotiators taking part in a World Trade Organization meeting in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ended their summit after failing to reach agreements on several major initiatives, the latest sign of turmoil within the global body, John Gambrell reported for the Associated Press (AP).

The only agreement of note came on extending a pause on taxes on digital media such as movies and video games. I Photo: World Trade Organization - WTO Facebook

The WTO delayed its closing ceremony in Abu Dhabi by over a day as the 166-nation bloc struggled to reach a consensus on fishing, agriculture, and other issues. The only agreement of note came on extending a pause on taxes on digital media such as movies and video games.

On that issue, the WTO decided to extend the pause until their next biennial meeting.

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala noted that the summit took place “against an international backdrop marked by greater uncertainty than at any time I can remember.”

Like in the summit’s opening on Monday, she made no direct mention of Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, though previously the ongoing disruptions to shipping caused by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea over the conflict.

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