The UAE National Daily website published a professor at Georgen University, a former member of the World Trade Organization Organization Appeals, and former member of the World Trade Organization, and researcher at the Third -generation Environmental Protection Institute in the United Kingdom.Emily Kelsten's article entitled that the World Trade Organization is vital to unite countries, but it needs reform.The full text is as follows:

World Trade Organization and its multilateral protocol framework has long been a pillar of rules -based international trading system.However, the number of bilateral and regional agreements (RTA) in recent years has increased, marking major changes in the global pattern.

RTA rise reflects new reality

As these agreements have become the focus of attention, in a more and more powerful world of geopolitical groups, people have begun to question the role and significance of the WTO.Members of the WTO will gather in Abu Dhabi next week to hold the 13th Ministerial Meeting. At that time, these issues will appear more important.

The surge in RTA can be attributed to several trends.First of all, many countries seek to solve the problem of non -handling of WTO.RTA not only increases in quantity, but also is expanding.Many RTAs include regulations related to gender, environment, and labor issues, and provide deeper integration or focus on specific industry departments.

Secondly, the complexity of the World Trade Organization's negotiations makes it faster and easier to reach a regional or bilateral protocol.The WTO operates on the basis of consistent negotiation and requires the consent of all members.It is rare to negotiate a successful negotiation on the new multilateral protocol. Even if it succeeds, it is a slow and painful process.

The recent fishery subsidy agreement is a historic step towards eliminating harmful subsidies.However, this is only the second agreement reached since the establishment of the WTO, which takes more than 20 years.As the world faces challenges such as climate change and the supply chain is destroyed, countries are often reluctant or unable to wait for so long.It turns out that negotiations with a few countries are often easier to manage, and countries can formulate agreements according to their specific needs and priority matters.

Another key factor in the rise of

RTA is the transformation of national and global politics.The political claims that promoted multilateralism after World War II have been replaced by increasing attention to economic nationalism, security and protectionism.Countries no longer set their sights on the World Trade Organization, but instead look inward and seek alliances with neighboring countries and the most close allies.

Although the rise of RTA reflects a new reality, it also promotes the split of global order into geopolitical groups.This complex network composed of overlapping protocols may cause confusion and low efficiency, leading to unnecessary trade barriers and inhibiting the ability to cope with global challenges.

In addition, because the economic power focuses on realizing the benefits within these groups, they may exacerbate the differences in north and south, reject the interests of developing countries or marginalize them, and hinder them to fully participate in the global economy.In fact, in a recent study, the WTO economist estimates that if the global economy is split into two competing groups, it will reduce the average actual revenue of the world by 5.4%.

Adjust the future

In this context, the WTO is at a critical moment. If it wants to survive, it needs to make adjustments.

The WTO must focus on its best performance and accept the new reality it operates.In the increasingly differentiated world, the WTO will still gather 98%of global trade countries, allowing the smallest economies such as the island countries to sit in front of the same table as the largest economies such as the United States, the European Union and China.

While serving as the venue of negotiations, the advantage of the WTO is to provide a framework for realizing transparency and dialogue.Through the WTO committees, including the Market Access Commission and the Technical Trade Barrier Committee, their members have a forum that expresses concern in non -confrontation.

Although there are relatively few staff members, the Secretariat of the WTO provides rich technical expertise and knowledge.This support plays a vital role in promoting trade and training developing countries to effectively participate in negotiations.

In some critical areas of trading, only multilateral or WTO methods can be effective or efficient.A typical example is digital trade, and its standards need to be formulated globally because regional standards may lead to lack of interoperability between systems that compete with each other.

In addition to the functions that can perform well, the WTO must also handle its functions that have never performed well or no longer perform well.This includes negotiation functions and dispute settlement systems.

In terms of negotiations, it is time to adopt a modern way that is different from negotiation.Responsible negotiation means that each member stops voting as a tool for bargaining, and can exercise veto only when the members have a substantial opposition.In addition, the border methods must be regarded as a tool to establish such responsible consultations.

The preface of the WTO believes that trade should be "aimed at improving living standards", "in accordance with the goal of sustainable development", and is carried out in accordance with the needs and concerns of countries in compliance with different economic development levels.These goals should be the core of the WTO's reform of reform.

The WTO is still vital to play a vital role in the international trade system.Although the necessity of reform is obvious, the contribution of the system is underestimated, even in the crisis.By using these advantages and reiterating its core goals in the process of dealing with these turmoil, the organization can continue to play a meaningful role in the global trading system to promote the inclusive growth and sustainable development of all members.(Compilation/Qing Songzhu)