New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) India will adopt a constructive, balanced and development-oriented approach at the upcoming WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) -- scheduled to be held from March 26-29 in Yaounde, Cameroon, the government said on Wednesday.

India’s delegation will be led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, along with senior officials, technical experts and representatives from various ministries.

The discussion will focus on WTO reform, the e-commerce work programme and moratorium, investment facilitation for development (IFD), fisheries subsidies, and issues related to agriculture and development.

"India’s engagement at MC14 will remain constructive, balanced, and development-oriented,” the ministry stated.

“India will continue to support meaningful WTO reform aimed at strengthening the multilateral trading system, while keeping development concerns at its core," the ministry added.

The country will highlight the need to protect food security, safeguard the livelihoods of small farmers and fishers, and maintain policy flexibility for developing economies, especially in emerging areas like digital trade.

India has also stressed the importance of a fair, open and inclusive trading system based on non-discrimination principles.

“India has reiterated the principle of non-discrimination as foundational to the WTO framework, as reflected in the Marrakesh Agreement,” the ministry explained.

On fisheries subsidies, India is expected to push for a balanced approach that addresses sustainability while protecting the interests of small fishers.

It has also argued that countries engaged in large-scale distant water fishing should take on greater responsibility.

“With regard to the e-commerce moratorium, India has highlighted the rapidly evolving nature of the digital economy, particularly in the context of emerging technologies, and the need for policy space to enable countries to effectively harness these developments,” it stated.

“India’s FTAs remain aligned with WTO principles and reflect its commitment to a rules-based multilateral trading system. Several FTA negotiations are currently underway with partner countries,” the ministry noted.

--IANS

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