2024

Over two hundred parliamentarians from all over the world restated the importance of including a parliamentary dimension on global trade, considering the essential role it plays in development, people's livelihoods and consumers worldwide.

In their outcome document, the legislators emphasized the importance of the World Trade Organization (WTO) as a key institution for improving people's lives, negotiating trade rules, settling disputes, "none of which can be achieved without parliamentary engagement".

They also called for effective reform of the WTO to better equip the organization for dispute settlement and future challenges, taking into account climate change and digital transformation.

The Parliamentary Conference was organised on the same site as the Ministerial Conference, bringing legislators directly in contact with trade ministers and WTO officials, and underlining the critical role that parliaments play in legislating on trade issues and monitoring the impact of international trade agreements on local communities.

The outcome from the Parliamentary Conference was formally delivered to Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Trade Minister and Chairperson of the MC13, ahead of the 13th Ministerial Conference which took place from 26 February to 2 March.

Amongst the more than two hundred parliamentarians, there were nine Members of the European Parliament. The delegation was led by Bernd Lange (S&D, DE) and also included Jörgen Warborn (EPP, SE), Daniel Caspary (EPP, DE), Kathleen Van Brempt (S&D, BE), Javier Moreno Sánchez (S&D, ES), Samira Rafaela (Renew, NL), Marco Campomenosi (ID, IT), Emmanuel Maurel (The Left, FR), and Helmut Scholz (The Left, DE).