WT/L/1057  
 
25 January 2019  
(19-0425) Page: 1/1 
  Original: English/French  
 
JOINT COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE OTTAWA GROUP ON WTO REFORM  
COMMUNICATION FROM C ANADA  
The following communication, dated 25 January 2019, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Canada.  
 
_______________  
 
 
We, Ministers and Heads of Delegation representing a group of like -minded World Trade Organization 
(WTO) Members, met in Davos, 24 January, chaired by the Honourable Jim Carr, Canada 's Minister 
of International Trade Diversification, to continue our discus sion of ways to strengthen and 
modernize the WTO to enable it to continue performing its critical role in promoting global trade.  
 
As outlined when we last met in Ottawa, 24 -25 October 2018, we share a common resolve for rapid 
and concerted action to addre ss the unprecedented challenges facing the multilateral trading system 
and to restore confidence in it.  We identified the need for action to safeguard and strengthen the 
WTO dispute settlement mechanism, to reinvigorate the negotiating function of the WTO , and to 
strengthen the monitoring and transparency function of the WTO.  We also agreed that we must 
explore how the development dimension, including special and differential treatment, can be best 
pursued in rule -making efforts.  
 
We are concerned that t hese challenges have only become more urgent since our last meeting. We 
note with concern the sharp rise in trade restrictive measures over the past year and encourage all 
Members to exercise restraint. Building on the recent statement by the leaders of th e G20 on the 
need for WTO reform, we count on constructive engagement by their representatives to improve the 
functioning of the WTO and look forward to significant progress ahead of the G20 Ministerial and 
Leaders ' meetings in June under the Japanese Pres idency.  
 
All Members have a duty to safeguard the WTO dispute settlement system. In this context, we refer 
to the recent proposals from several of us to strengthen the dispute settlement mechanism and 
support the process initiated by the General Council Ch air to hold solution -oriented discussions with 
a view to restoring a fully operational Appellate Body without delay. We will also intensify our 
engagement in the ongoing examination of the proposal to enhance transparency and strengthen 
notification requir ements under WTO Agreements.   
 
To improve the WTO 's deliberative and monitoring functions and ability to solve trade concerns 
without litigation, our officials will begin open -ended consultations with all interested Members to 
develop collective proposals on a cross -cutting and committee -by-committee basis .1 
 
We urge all Members to constructively engage in negotiations over the coming months to achieve a 
comprehensive and effective agreement on fisheries subsidies in 2019. To further reinvigorate the 
negoti ating function, we also urge all Members to work towards addressing pending and unfinished 
business, including market distortions caused by subsidies and other instruments.  
 
We look forward to reviewing progress when we meet again in May 2019.  
 
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1 The initial focus will be on the work in four WTO bodies - Rules of Origin, Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
Measures, Council for Trade in Services, and Technical Barriers to Trade.