DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL COMMUNICATION
Mexico, DF, to December 13, 2015
Press 136/15
The Secretary of Economy, Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, accompanied by the Undersecretary of Foreign Trade, Francisco de Rosenzweig, began a tour of work in Nairobi, Kenya, to participate in the Tenth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which will be held from 15 to 18 December 2015.
The Ministerial Conference is the highest decision-making body of the WTO, composed of the ministers of all member countries of the Organization (currently 162) and must meet once every two years. To date there have been nine ministerial conferences. The last meeting took place in Bali, Indonesia, from 3 to 7 December 2013.
The meeting in Kenya is significant for being the first time that the Ministerial Conference takes its session in Africa, also the scenario of the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the creation of the WTO.
Among the issues Ministers will discuss highlights the work that the WTO is making on its regular work as well as on issues of negotiation that are part of the Doha Agenda for the Development. Also, Ministers are expected to take decisions including those relating to the accession of Afghanistan and Liberia as 163 and 164 members of the WTO.
During the meeting, the Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal will participate in plenary together with the other Trade Ministers of the WTO member countries and he will hold bilateral and multilateral meetings with the aim of promoting the agenda of the organization.