In late February, 4,000 delegates from 164 countries gathered in Abu Dhabi for the most important decision-making meeting for the World Trade Organization. The international organization faces a long list of thorny issues: some long-lasting, like dispute settlement mechanisms and agriculture subsidies, and some novel, like AI and data governance in global trade.
Ministers met for four days, then gave themselves a two-day extension. There were some meaningful achievements, like an agreement to facilitate foreign direct investment into developing countries. But ministers largely agreed to keep talking, ahead of future meetings. Unfortunately, there was no discussion of AI or how to use data, two of today’s hottest topics.
