Kathmandu, Jan. 12
Ram
Prasad Subedi, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United
Nations Office and other International Organisations in Geneva has been elected
unanimously as the Chairperson of the Committee on Trade and Development (CTD)
of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
He
is elected to the post for a one-year term, informed the Permanent Mission of
Nepal in Geneva in a statement on Friday.
In the General Council meeting,
Chairperson Ambassador Athaliah Lesiba Molokomme proposed Subedi's name
to elect to the post of Chairperson of the CTD together with the names of the
candidates for the other WTO bodies where WTO Members unanimously supported her
proposal this morning.
According
to Nepal's Mission, Nepal has been elected for the position of Chairperson of
any Tier-one level body in the WTO for the first time since the country's
accession to the WTO in 2004.
Furthermore,
Subedi's appointment to the post is a matter of pride for Nepal as it happens
to be the 20th anniversary of its accession to the WTO, read the
statement.
Ambassador
Subedi will take up his new role as the Chairperson of the Committee from the
regular second meeting of the year 2024 to the regular first meeting of the
year 2025.
Primarily
a rule-making organisation, the WTO deliberations are more focused on trade and
development matters in recent years. Ambassador Subedi will have the
opportunity to coordinate WTO Members and bring them together to harness the
trade and development opportunities within the framework of the Marrakesh
Agreement.
The
Mission said in the statement that the appointment of Ambassador Subedi as the
Chairperson of the Committee offers an opportunity for Nepal not only to
facilitate deliberation on trade and development among the WTO Members but also
to engage in dialogue with other larger stakeholders of the trade and
investment field including development partners.
In
addition, this role becomes instrumental in coordinating all stakeholders in
line with Doha Action Plan, in mobilising and mainstreaming the aid for trade
for the benefit of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), facilitating the
discussions on the LDCs’ matters in other WTO bodies, create a conducive
environment for those LDCs on the path to graduate.
This
role is timely and befitting as Nepal prepares to graduate from the LDC
category in the year 2026, read the statement.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 13 January 2024.
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