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Doha dead and buried in Nairobi: lessons for the WTO

Antoine Martin (Faculty of Law, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China)
Bryan Mercurio (Faculty of Law, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China)

Journal of International Trade Law and Policy

ISSN: 1477-0024

Article publication date: 20 March 2017

971

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to reflect on the outcomes of the Nairobi Ministerial Conference of 2015, which, for all intents and purposes, put the Doha Round to rest and analyses the policy implications and lessons for policymaking at the World Trade Organization (WTO), most importantly the abandonment of the “single undertaking” and return to plurilateral agreements.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper approaches the issue of WTO policymaking by analysing the various outputs produced both before and because of the Ministerial Conference.

Findings

The paper suggests that the Nairobi Ministerial has finally put an end to the Doha Round and comes to the conclusion that policymaking at the multilateral level (i.e. through the single undertaking) will change significantly in the future because the WTO Members are incapable of reaching a comprehensive agreement at this time. Instead, the current trend towards trade policymaking via FTA is likely to continue while the WTO focuses on plurilateral negotiations on narrow and discreet issues.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the literature on the analysis of global regulatory fragmentation and on trade policymaking. It draws attention, in particular, to the consequences of the last Ministerial Conference and highlights prospects for the future of global trade regulation.

Keywords

Citation

Martin, A. and Mercurio, B. (2017), "Doha dead and buried in Nairobi: lessons for the WTO", Journal of International Trade Law and Policy, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 49-66. https://doi.org/10.1108/JITLP-01-2017-0001

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

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