India, June 27 -- The G20 New Delhi Leaders Declaration of September 2023 reaffirmed the indispensability of "a rules-based, non-discriminatory, fair, open, inclusive, equitable, sustainable and transparent multilateral trading system, with WTO at its core". This was reiterated in 2024 during Brazil's G20 presidency.

The 14th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference is scheduled for March 2026 at Yaounde, Cameroon. As a precursor, the WTO director-general met with ministers and high-level officials from nearly 30 WTO members, including India, the US, Australia, China, the EU and Brazil, earlier this month in Paris. The inconclusive end to this meeting foretells further undermining of a beleaguered WTO.

The US's disregard fo...