ABU DHABI: The Colombian Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Germán Umaña Mendoza, emphasised the importance of prioritising environmental protection in trade discussions, highlighting the urgent nature of the climate crisis.

He called for aligning international trade regulations with Sustainable Development Goals and COP agreements.

In a statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on the sidelines of the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13), the Minister advocated for strengthening multilateralism in global trade and addressing protectionist measures taken by some countries. He expressed hope for adherence to multilateral trade rules and emphasised the value of defending multilateralism in trade.

He highlighted the risk of regressing to a fragmented system that could jeopardise existing agreements and revert to a pre-1945 scenario where countries acted independently. He emphasised the need for a dispute settlement mechanism to resolve trade conflicts. There is anticipation for the upcoming minis
terial meeting with the hope that all countries will uphold multilateral trade rules.

He also emphasised on supporting multilateralism and the importance of maintaining multilateral trade regulations.

The Colombian Minister emphasised the importance of reaching an agreement on agriculture and products to prevent unilateral actions that could lead to market imbalances.

Source: Emirates News Agency