Trade ministers from across the Commonwealth today made a
commitment to resist all forms of protectionism.
They will also work urgently together towards reforming the World
Trade Organisation, which sets the global rules for international
trade.
Following a meeting in London, ministers from the 53 Commonwealth
member countries declared their collective support for free trade
in a transparent, inclusive, fair and open multilateral trading
system, with the WTO as its core institution.
They agreed that any WTO reform should take into account the
views of all members, underlining the special circumstances of
the developing and the least developed countries, as well as
small and vulnerable economies, including Small Island Developing
States (SIDS).
Ministers also endorsed an action plan designed to boost trade
among their countries to at least $2 trillion by 2030, through
the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda. Intra-Commonwealth trade is
projected to reach $700 billion by next year.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said:
The multilateral trading system is the only way for our
countries, as diverse as they are, to trade in a predictable,
stable, transparent and fair environment. While the global
trading system may be far from perfect, it is the surest
pathway towards eradicating poverty.
Building on this, the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda will
help businesses, including micro, small and medium sized
enterprises, to plug into global trade networks and benefit
from world trade. In this way, intra-Commonwealth trade offers
immense opportunities to contribute to reducing poverty and
achieving sustainable development.
The Chair of the meeting, UK Secretary of State for International
Trade and President of the Board of Trade said:
The UK along with its Commonwealth partners has today clearly
set out its commitment to fight against protectionism. We must
work together to promote free trade and reform the multilateral
system to make sure it works for every nation, small or large.
Trade has the power to drive growth, jobs and opportunities -
it is an essential tool in the fight against extreme poverty
and insecurity.
By sharing experience across the diverse Commonwealth
community, we can help to break down existing barriers to trade
which currently prevent businesses in all our countries from
trading successfully.
Ministers called for an end to the impasse regarding the WTO’s
Appellate Body – a key panel of judges, whose rulings help
resolve the trade disputes.
They highlighted the need to update WTO rules to address new
challenges and opportunities, including e-commerce. They pledged
support for a global agreement that would prohibit certain forms
of fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and
overfishing, and eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal,
unreported and unregulated fishing by the end of 2019.
In their communiqué issued from the meeting, ministers also
welcomed progress made under the Commonwealth Connectivity
Agenda, including the work of active country-led ‘clusters’
focused on five areas: digital, physical, regulatory, supply side
and business-to-business connectivity.
The outcomes of the meeting will inform leaders’ discussions at
the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in
Kigali, Rwanda in June 2020.
About the Connectivity Agenda
The Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda on Trade and Investment was
adopted by the Commonwealth Heads of Government in April 2018. It
aims to support global growth, job creation, the sharing of best
practices and learning and sustainable development among members.
Work under the Connectivity Agenda is carried out through
country-led thematic working groups, or ‘clusters’, in the
following areas: physical (led by The Gambia), digital (UK and
South Africa), regulatory (Barbados), supply side (Vanuatu) and
business-to-business (Bangladesh) connectivity.
