Casablanca Hosts Regional Preparatory Workshop for the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference

Held as part of the continuity of previous initiatives, including the last workshop organized in Tunisia in 2024, this meeting aims to strengthen coordination and cooperation among OIC member states on strategic issues ahead of MC14, scheduled to take place in Yaounde.

The main objective of this two-day workshop is to enable OIC member countries to better prepare for their participation in MC14, through an in-depth review of the outcomes of the 13th Ministerial Conference, an update on the progress of ongoing discussions, as well as improved understanding of the agenda and logistical aspects related to this multilateral deadline.

Speaking on this occasion, the Director General of the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT), Latifa El Bouabdallaoui, stated that this conference, scheduled from March 26 to 29, 2026 in Yaounde, comes at a time marked by the fragmentation of global value chains, rising geopolitical tensions, and the return of protectionist practices, placing severe strain on the credibility and legitimacy of the multilateral trading system.

She affirmed that the conference must represent a decisive step toward restoring confidence in trade multilateralism, preserving the principle of inclusive multilateralism, and reaffirming the central role of the World Trade Organization as the framework for regulating global trade.

In light of these challenges, the ICDT Director General stressed the need for OIC countries to strengthen their political coordination in order to exert more effective influence on international trade negotiations and to defend a multilateralism based on inclusivity and consideration of the interests of developing countries.

Ms. El Bouabdallaoui noted that the priorities on the MC14 agenda directly concern the strategic interests of these countries, citing in particular the reform and revitalization of the WTO, agriculture and food security, special and differential treatment, as well as new issues related to digital trade, the ecological transition, and the integration of developing economies into global value chains.

In the same vein, she recalled that these issues constitute genuine choices of economic sovereignty for OIC member states.

For his part, Eric Ambassa, WTO focal point for Cameroon, pointed out that Cameroon’s hosting of the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization represents a major opportunity for OIC countries to refine and consolidate their common positions ahead of this multilateral event.

He specified that the primary objective of this preparatory meeting is to allow OIC member states to strengthen the convergence of their positions in order to speak with one voice during MC14, recalling that negotiations at the WTO are mainly conducted within constituted groups.

In this regard, Mr. Ambassa considered that enhanced coordination among OIC countries ahead of the Yaounde Ministerial Conference is essential to coherently defend their shared interests and contribute to the consolidation of a more inclusive and balanced multilateral trading system.

Organized by the ICDT, in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the workshop brings together representatives of the ministries in charge of trade of OIC member states, the WTO, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the International Trade Centre, the League of Arab States, the Commission of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, as well as other regional and international organizations.

Editorial team/le7tv