From March 26 to 29, 2026, Yaoundé will host the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference.
The goal: to rebuild the rules of international trade in a world in crisis. Amid geopolitical tensions, an oil crisis, and internal divisions, the 4,000 delegates present have four days to avoid failure. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala delivered an unequivocal message at the summit's opening: the world order as we knew it has changed. We will not return to it. A new system must now be built, preserving what worked, correcting what didn't, and filling the gaps. Tensions between the United States, Iran, and Israel threaten to trigger a global oil crisis, with immediate repercussions for supply chains.
The WTO is weakened by deep disagreements between developed and developing countries, particularly on agricultural subsidies and the regulation of digital trade. Following the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, international trade is under unprecedented pressure. The stakes at the Yaoundé summit are high, including modernizing the founding documents, which are considered outdated in the face of current challenges (climate change, digitalization, inequality).
