Context: For the first time in its 25-year history, the World Trade Organization (WTO) will be led by a woman, as both the contending candidates for the Director-General (D-G) post are women, from Nigeria and South Korea respectively. 

• The next D-G will have to grapple with the global economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and work towards carrying out WTO reforms for reviving the world economy. 

Key issues for WTO

• Doha Development Agenda: It is the core issue within the WTO. Salvaging the ‘development’-centric agenda is critical for a large number of developing countries as they essentially see trade as a catalyst of development. 
• Restoring the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, especially the revival of its Appellate body, is also crucial for the organisation’s efficient functioning.
• Change in the definition of “developing country” under the principle of special and differential treatment (S&DT) is aimed at upgrading certain developing countries. 
• US  President  Donald  Trump  has  recently  questioned  the  developing  country  status  of  China  and India.
• The “developing country” status allows a member of the WTO to seek  temporary exception from the commitments under various multilateral trade agreements ratified by the organization.
• These exemptions are called special and differential treatment.
• The way out for India could be to negotiate a longer phase-out period, or an acceptable formula based on development indices, etc.

Fisheries subsidies negotiations

• WTO members are seeking to reach an agreement on prohibiting ‘harmful’ fisheries subsidies estimated at $14 billion-$20.5 billion annually that lead to overfishing and depletion of fish stocks worldwide.

Special and differential treatment (S&DT) concessions

• India, some other developing nations insist on S&DT to protect poor fishers while many developed countries want full commitments for all
• India can urge others to settle for the lowest common denominator, while seeking permanent protection for traditional and artisanal farmers who are at the subsistence level of survival. 

Concern: Larger concessions which, if universally applicable to all, could result in developed countries extracting precious fisheries resources in international waters.
Tackling Covid-19
Protecting global trade: The D-G can help mitigate the effects of the pandemic by 

• giving clear directions on ensuring that supply chains remain free and open, 
• recommending a standard harmonised system with classification for vaccines, and 
• by the removal of import/export restrictions.

Vaccine distribution: There is a fear of vaccine nationalism with several countries seeking to secure future supply of leading COVID-19 vaccines. 

• Voluntary sharing and pooling of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) is required for any global effort to tackle the pandemic.
• It will require the D-G to secure a legal framework within the WTO TRIPS Agreement, by lending salience to the effective interpretation of Articles 8 and 31 of the Agreement. 
• These articles allow compulsory licensing and agreement of a patent without the authorisation of its owner under certain conditions.

Building trust: The next D-G will need to build trust among its members that the WTO needs greater engagement by all countries, to stitch fair rules in the larger interest of all nations and thwart unfair trade practices of a few.

• The consensus-based decision-making in the WTO, which makes dissension by even one member stop the process in its track, gives developing countries some influence at par with developed countries.
• The WTO can follow the successful implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement in 2017, which allowed member countries to take commitments in a phased manner in accordance with their domestic preparedness.

Doha Development Agenda

• The Doha round of trade talks for the period of 2001-2006 was an attempt at a multilateral trade agreement.
• The talks were finally suspended in June 2006, because the United States and the European Union refused to reduce agricultural subsidies.
• The agreement's purpose was to boost the economic growth of developing countries. 
• It centered on reducing subsidies for the developed nation's agricultural industries, allowing them to export food to developing countries. 
• In return, the developing countries would open up their market to services from developed countries, particularly banking. 
• This would have provided new markets for the developed countries’ service industries and modernized existing emerging markets.