WT/GC/W/827  
 
27 July 2021  
(21-5825) Page: 1/2 
General Council  Original: English  
 
JOINT COMMUNICATION ON SYSTEMIC ISSUES  FROM ALBANIA; AUSTRALIA;  CANADA; 
CHILE; COLOMBIA; COSTA RICA; HONG KONG, CHINA; ICELAND;  ISRAEL; JAPAN; 
KAZAKHSTAN; KENYA; REPUBLIC OF KOREA;  LIECHTENSTEIN; MALAYSIA;  
MEXICO; REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA ; NEW ZEALAND; NIGERIA; NORWAY;  
PARAGUAY; PERU;  RUSSIA N FEDERATION ; SINGAPORE; SWITZERLAND;  
THE SEPARATE CUSTOMS TERRITORY OF TAIWAN, PENGHU,  
KINMEN AND MATSU; THAILAND; TURKEY  AND URUGUAY  
The following joint communication, dated  27 July 2021, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Switzerland.  
 
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We, a group of 29 developing and developed Members that is strongly supportive of the Multilateral 
Trading System, seek to protect and strengthen the Wor ld Trade Organization (WTO) to address 
current and future challenges.  
 
We confirm our commitment to a successful 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12) in Geneva. We 
urge Members to engage constructively and to work towards pragmatic and tangible outcomes.  It 
will be important that Ministers provide political guidance on outcomes for MC12, including on the 
WTO's future work.  
 
We herewith share our contribution to the systemic part of a Ministerial outcome document for the 
12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC 12). 
 
1. Reaffirm relevance of and support for the rules -based multilateral trading system 
(MTS) 
We greatly value the WTO and reaffirm the principles and objectives set out in the Marrakesh 
Agreement Establishing the WTO and the centrality of the rules-based multilateral trading system.  
 
We note the major role trade can play in the promotion of sustainable development and the 
alleviation of poverty, as recognized in the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable 
Development.  
 
We recognize the WTO as the preeminent global forum for trade rules setting and governance, which 
contributes to fostering international trade and development, including through facilitating the 
peaceful settlement of trade disputes, and containing protectionism.  
 
We call on Members to safeguard the integrity of the open, non -discriminatory and rules -based 
Multilateral Trading System embodied in the WTO and to work together to ensure its sound 
functioning. We reaffirm the central importance of development in the WTO. The WT O continues to 
be an essential tool for Members to achieve inclusive and sustainable global growth and 
development, including through the further integration of developing countries and LDCs into world 
trade.  
2. Importance and relevance of the MTS in the c ontext of the global health crisis  
The global health crisis has severely affected all our lives and economies. Devising an effective and 
lasting response to this crisis remains a priority of our respective governments. International 
cooperation and coordin ation is needed more than ever to fight the pandemic and make the system WT/GC/W/827  
 
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  more resilient for the future. The WTO has an important role to play in maintaining well -functioning 
supply chains.  
 
A predictable, transparent, non -discriminatory and open global tra ding system is crucial for broad -
based, sustainable and inclusive economic recovery.  
3. Need for WTO Reform  
Since the establishment of the WTO over 25 years ago, the international trading environment has 
changed considerably and new challenges have emerge d. It is critical that the WTO responds in an 
effective way, which calls for new and updated global trade rules.  
 
We also recognize the need to reform the system in order to address the current and future 
challenges facing the organization and to ensure it s sound functioning. We will therefore support 
continued and renewed efforts to reform the WTO.  
 
We consider a productive negotiating function  to be essential for the WTO to deliver meaningful 
outcomes for Members at all levels of development, reflecting c urrent and emerging trade realities. 
We strive to make further progress in an open and inclusive manner on issues of interest to Members 
and to seek high quality outcomes. In this regard, we recognize that a range of approaches, including 
plurilateral nego tiations such as the Joint Statement Initiatives, can ultimately support and 
contribute to the shared objectives.  
 
We remain committed to fully participating in the important ongoing, regular work of the WTO . We 
underline the essential role of regular WTO  bodies in ensuring oversight of the implementation of 
WTO agreements, and the importance of Members' compliance with notification requirements. We 
recognize that the WTO's trade monitoring work contributes to the effective functioning of the 
multilateral trading system, by enhancing transparency of trade policies and practices of Members. 
In this regard, we call on Members to fully comply with their notification obligations.  
 
We reaffirm our commitment to abide by the WTO's rules in the conduct of our trad e relations. The 
WTO's two -tier dispute settlement system  and its binding nature is a central element in providing 
security and predictability to the multilateral trading system. We therefore recall our strong resolve 
to restore its effective functioning, including through necessary reforms, and call on all Members to 
constructively engage in finding solutions to identified concerns.  
 
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