Belgian FM: WTO meet in UAE is opportunity to uphold rules-based global order

The World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi is an opportunity to uphold the rules-based global order , according to Hadja Lahbib, Belgium’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and the Federal Cultural Institutions.

“Given the geopolitical and geoeconomics challenges we are all facing, it is more important than ever to send out a strong and positive message that a rules-based global order still works,” she told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) in an email interview from Brussels.

MC13 in UAE’s good hands

The UAE will host MC13 from 26th to 29th February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, after successfully organising COP28, the UN Climate Conference in Dubai in December 2023.

Around 164 nations and trading blocs will participate in the Ministerial Conference, the WTO’s top decision-making body, which meets usually every two years.

The Belgian Minister said, “We are looking forward to working together with the UAE Chair during the Conference and believe we are in good hands to deliver ambitious outcomes at the MC13.”

The Conference is, of course, a perfect opportunity to further strengthen Belgium’s ties with the UAE and the region, and work together for a stronger rules-based international trading system, she stressed.