GENEVA: Comoros joined the WTO on 21 August as its 165th member, after 17 years of negotiating its accession terms with WTO members. It is the 10th least-developed country (LDC) to accede to the WTO through negotiations.

Comoros also announced its formal acceptance of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. Adopted by consensus at the WTO’s 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12), held in Geneva on 12-17 June 2022, the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies sets new binding, multilateral rules to curb harmful subsidies, which are a key factor in the widespread depletion of the world’s fish stocks.

The 30-day countdown to Comoros’s WTO membership was activated when Ambassador Sultan Chouzour handed Comoros’s instrument of acceptance of the Protocol of Accession to WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at a meeting of the General Council.

Comoros submitted its instrument of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies at the same time, bringing the total number of acceptances of the Agreement to 82.

‘I
am particularly proud to welcome Comoros as the newest member of the WTO. Comoros can use WTO accession as a vehicle for modernization, economic transformation and a complement to the country’s regional integration agenda on the African continent,’ Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said. ‘Comoros’s membership will add a valuable voice to the multilateral trading system as it has shown commitment to the values of the WTO and has clearly demonstrated willingness to adapt to its rules and principles.’

WTO members officially approved the WTO accession of Comoros during a special ceremony at the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi on 26th February.

Twenty-two governments, including eight African countries, are still negotiating their WTO accession.

Source: Emirates News Agency