New Issues' in WTO. Why in discussion?

'New Issues' in WTO

 Why in discussion?

 India is demanding a comprehensive rethink by opposing efforts by the rich nations to take up new issues like 'labor and environment' with the WTO.

 These new issues relate to labor work, environmental standards, global value chains (GVCs) and incentives to the supply chain, e-commerce, competition and investment provisions, environmental and sustainable goods using clean and green energy.  Transparency in production, government procurement, is from state-owned enterprises and designated monopolies.

 India wants to discuss these non-trade issues with the World Trade Organization only after resolving the remaining issues related to the Doha cycle.  Some other developing countries are also supporting this demand of India.

 India has taken this stance because the announcement of these non-trade issues led to the end of the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in Nairobi in 2015 and the Doha cycle talks were not reaffirmed while the Doha negotiations  The aim was to 'open the way for global trade'.

 Due to conflict

 India believes that the raising of new issues in Doha negotiations can have an adverse effect on the developmental agenda.  India feels that issues such as environment and labor should be kept out of the WTO area or resolved through global bodies, such as the UNFCCC (UNFCCC) and the International Labor Organization (ILO).

 Developing countries like India are facing development challenges in most sectors, such as labor (child labor, bonded labor and cheap workers, etc.) and the environment (high levels of pollution and poor standards of waste management).

 Since rich nations have better standards related to these issues, they can challenge developing nations by acting as non-tariff barriers.  Thus exports from developing nations to developed nations are affected.

 Most multinational firms in developed nations use the global value chain for their production networks in the world through contract manufacturers, suppliers and logistics providers.

 India's concern for investment has become a part of the WTO agenda.  This concern of India relates to the definition of 'investment' and the investor dispute settlement mechanism.

 In addition, before considering new issues, the 'Bali Ministerial Declaration' of the year 2013 left such as 'Special Security Mechanism' to protect the interests of poor farmers living in developing countries and permanent solution of 'Public Storage' for food security.  It is necessary to address the issues.

 Special safeguard mechanism

 It is a trade-related measure under which developing nations can temporarily increase the rate of duty on imported agricultural products to oppose them due to sudden increase in imports and fall in prices.  Thus it protects the interests of poor farmers.

 Road ahead

 India wants development issues to be included in the new issues.  This includes discussions on the smooth movement of human beings (such as skilled professionals) and actions that are inimical to the interests of the rich nations and also involve the loss of employment in the local people.

 India wants that countries should be pressured to present 'non-issues' to the World Trade Organization in order to achieve the following two criteria.

 To establish the relevance of issues in the context of business.

 Ensuring consensus among all the 164 members of the World Trade Organization for the implementation of the agenda.

 But India also cannot ignore new issues.  If India wants its national interest, it should express its consent to negotiate new issues.

 India can succeed in ending efforts to put new issues before the WTO if it builds a strong coalition of developing and poor states and effectively represents the WTO  Give them adequate training through trade law experts at the WTO's dispute settlement machanism.

 For this, India needs to increase its diplomatic capacity.  It was seen in the meeting of Nairobi that the developed nations were united in terms of ideas but the developing nations differed.

 Joint efforts will be required to unify the developing nations of all continents.  The United States has been working on this strategy for many years and that is why it is the most positive and complex force in the world from all perspectives.