GENEVA — Ambassador Marcel Tibaleka, Permanent Representative of Uganda to the United Nations in Geneva has on Thursday July 7 2022 presented his credentials to Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The ceremony took place at WTO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Ambassador Tibaleka appreciated the Uganda-WTO Technical Cooperation and pledged to broaden Uganda’s participation in the Multilateral Trading System.
He further congratulated the Director-General on the successful conclusion of the recent Twelfth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC 12) which among other actions, committed WTO’s increased response to emergencies including the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics.
An agreement on fisheries subsidies was also reached at the Conference.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala agreed with Ambassador Tibaleka on the need to broaden and strengthen cooperation between Uganda and WTO.
She further expressed her gratitude to Uganda for its contribution as the Vice-Chair of the MC 12.
The WTO is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that govern international trade.
It officially commenced operations on 1 January 1995, pursuant to the 1994 Marrakesh Agreement, thus replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that had been established in 1948.
The WTO is the world’s largest international economic organization, with 164 member states representing over 98% of global trade and global GDP.
The WTO facilitates trade in goods, services and intellectual property among participating countries by providing a framework for negotiating trade agreements, which usually aim to reduce or eliminate tariffs, quotas, and other restrictions; these agreements are signed by representatives of member governments: fol.9–10 and ratified by their legislatures.
The WTO also administers independent dispute resolution for enforcing participants’ adherence to trade agreements and resolving trade-related disputes.
The organization prohibits discrimination between trading partners, but provides exceptions for environmental protection, national security, and other important goals.
