WT/MIN(24)/ST/123  
26 February  2024 
(24-1688) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Thirteenth Session  
Abu Dhabi, 26 -29 February 2024  Original: English  
 
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR PIYUSH GOYAL  
MINISTER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY  
INDIA 
On behalf of the Indian Delegation, I extend my deepest gratitude to my dear friend Dr. Thani, host 
and Chair of WTO Thirteenth Ministerial Conference for his and the Government of UAE 's steadfast 
dedication in organizing this Conference. I also extend my warm wishes to Dr. Ngozi for her untiring 
efforts in planning for the success of MC13.  
 
I carry with me the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians who are actively participating in making this 
planet a better place to live, with a motto of one earth, one famil y and one future.  
 
Excellencies, let me emphasize that for India, development stands for fight against hunger and 
undernourishment, upliftment of the poor and distressed masses, ensuring reasonable returns for 
low income and resource poor farmers and fishe rs. 
 
I re-emphasize that the development agenda would remain incomplete without a permanent solution 
on Public Stockholding (PSH) for food security purposes which is directly related to achieving 
Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030.  
 
This h as been and continues to be a long -pending issue since the last few decades and despite 
having a clear mandate agreed by us in the past MCs, finding a permanent solution on PSH remains 
an unaccomplished agenda on which we have to deliver in MC13.  
 
In India  we largely undertake sustenance fishing which addresses hunger, poverty, food and 
nutrition insecurity of millions of traditional fishers. Sustainably harnessing fishing resources is a 
problem of a magnitude that requires a global consensus, taking into a ccount the interests of 
disciplined nations like India.  
 
Fisheries should be shared equitably, considering the past and being mindful of future. I would like 
to reiterate my statement during MC12 "let us not repeat the mistakes of the Uruguay Round in 
Agriculture in Fisheries agreement. " 
 
Any discussion on reforming WTO must incorporate development at its core, to be decided through 
a precise, transparent and inclusive process, upholding the basic principles and objectives of WTO, 
particularly consensus -based decision making and S&DT.  
 
India reaffirms our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi 's call for sustainable living through LiFE i.e. 
Lifestyle for Environment, that seeks to invigorate India 's rich tradition of, 'reduce, reuse and recycle ' 
against the prevalent 'use and dispose ' economy gov erned by mindless and destructive consumption.  
 
India firmly believes that any measures taken to combat climate change, including unilateral ones, 
should not constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination or a disguised restriction 
on inte rnational trade. Further, WTO should not negotiate rules on non -trade related subjects like 
climate change, gender, labor etc. rather they should be addressed in respective intergovernmental 
organizations.  
 WT/MIN(24)/ST/123  
 
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  Finally, I am confident that with the collective efforts of all of us, MC13 will engage constructively to 
give an outcome on long pending mandated issue of permanent solution on PSH for food security 
send a strong message that the world cares for the poor, vulnerable and marginalized people and 
that all of us have come together to give them a better future.  
 
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