Brazil alarmed by rising global trade protectionism, Foreign Minister declares

Foreign Affairs Minister, Mauro Vieira, expressed Brazil’s apprehensions about the increasing trend of protectionist measures in international trade during a speech in Paris on Thursday, June 8.

He called for the World Trade Organization (WTO) to assume a more significant role in mitigating this trend.

“Brazil is deeply concerned about the global rise of protectionism and the misuse of sustainability concerns as a pretext for implementing protectionist policies,” Vieira stated at the Ottawa Group meeting.

Established in 2018, the Ottawa Group is a coalition of countries advocating for the WTO’s modernization.

It comprises Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the European Union, South Korea, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, and Switzerland.

Vieira highlighted the significance of the dispute settlement system as one of the WTO’s three main pillars.

“Brazil advocates for a system yielding genuinely binding resolutions, established by an impartial and professional group of judges within a two-tier structure,” the Foreign Minister added.

WTO Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was also present at the meeting.

Brazil underscored the immediate need to reactivate the WTO Dispute Settlement Body, which has been stagnant since 2019.

The discussions within the Ottawa Group are held in preparation for the forthcoming WTO Ministerial Meeting (MC13), scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates in February 2024.

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