The Remaking Trade Project at the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization
WTO MC14: What’s at Stake
Top of the agenda for the MC14, which is scheduled to take place from 26 to 29 March 2026, is WTO reform.
While there is little expectation that major decisions will be made in Yaoundé, discussions there will shape the format and shape of the reform conversation over coming years—and will serve as an important indication of whether Members are willing to address deep structural challenges that undermine the body’s effectiveness. Questions around decision making and governance, fairness and development, and how to make the system fit for purpose in a rapidly changing world will take center stage.
The Villars Framework includes a number of policy recommendations relevant to this moment, including:
On the WTO Mandate: WTO Members should declare their support for a people-centered trade system and reaffirm the sustainable development mandate in the 1994 Marrakesh Agreement.
On decision making: Advance a two-track approach to consensus-based decision-making in the WTO based on the dictionary definition of consensus (“most parties mostly agree” – not unanimity) for non-normative activities including naming of committee chairs, budget review and approval, agenda setting, committee work plans, and secretariat research projects – but which keeps the traditional WTO definition (“no party present objects”) for negotiations regarding essential state interests.
On fairness: Champion developing countries’ participation and full integration into the emerging sustainability-oriented economy.
The Remaking Trade Project has a full schedule of events planned in the run-up to and in Yaoundé.
Roundtable: Climate Change, Nature, & WTO Reform: What Is the Sustainability Opportunity? — March 18, Geneva
The Remaking Trade Project and the TESS Forum are holding an invitation-only, informal roundtable in Geneva with around 25 trade and sustainability thought leaders from a range of organizations, IGOs, and academia to explore opportunities for shared engagement and action on a forward-looking agenda for a reconfigured international trade system.
Space is limited, but if you are interested in joining, please reach out to Nicole Itano at nicole.itano@yale.edu.
High-Level Workshop: Africa’s Role in Shaping WTO Reform for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future — March 24-25, Yaoundé
The Remaking Trade Project will be holding a workshop just ahead of the MC14, on the March 24-25 at the Star Land Hotel. The workshop will open with a conversation between Remaking Trade Policy Founder Dan Esty and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and will include sessions on each of the key pillars of the reform agenda, as outlined in the report by the facilitator on WTO reform, Ambassador Petter Ølberg of Norway.
If you will be in Cameroon and would like to participate, please get in touch with Chelceé Braithwaite (chelcee@remakingtradeproject.org) for further details.
IISD Trade + Sustainability Hub 2026: Reimagining Global Trade Governance for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future — March 28, Yaoundé
The Remaking Trade Project will co-host a session at IISD’s Trade + Sustainability Hub 2026 alongside SEATINI and ODI Global on March 28 from 4:00-5:30. The discussion will explore how global trade governance can better support climate action, biodiversity protection, and inclusive development—drawing on perspectives from Africa and the wider Global South and examining issues such as climate-related trade measures, access to green technologies, and pathways for reform in the multilateral trading system.
Professor Dan Esty will speak at Session 9, Driving Decarbonization for Development: The role of industrial policy and regional trade agreements on March 27 at 4:00-5:30.
Registration and more information about the event can be found here.
