This technical note accompanies
“Explainer: The 18 WTO plurilaterals and ‘joint-statement initiatives’”
“India and South Africa pour cold water on alternative approach to WTO talks”
“‘Plurilateral’ WTO services deal struck after breakthrough text released”
“The WTO is regularly in crisis, but this time could be different”
“NGO letter on COVID-19 and WTO reform — persuasive or to be ignored?”
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By Peter Ungphakorn
POSTED NOVEMBER 24, 2021 | UPDATED APRIL 12, 2024
Plurilaterals in the WTO (work among only some members, not the whole membership) are not easy to follow. Some information is publicly available but a lot is confidential. Some of what is available publicly is incomplete, including the identities of the countries participating in the work.
As this piece was being written, a useful new tool was published, the independent “WTO Plurilaterals” website, created by the Geneva Trade Platform. This technical note has therefore been updated to include the website’s information.
Finding out how many countries are participating in the plurilateral talks is not straightforward. In some cases there are official lists. For others some detective work is needed.
The bottom line: 152 WTO members (93% of the membership) are participating in at least one plurilateral discussion, 12 (7%) are not.
Clearly participation is fluid, and this note has taken some time to compile. It ought to be straightforward, and non-controversial, for lists to be made public and updated routinely. After this page was first created, the WTO website started posting complete lists of participants. That is now the main source of information used, but that was not always the case previously.
The starting point for identifying participants is “joint statements” issued at the 2017 Buenos Aires Ministerial Conference (in the WT/MIN(17)/* series) — which is why these talks are officially called joint-statement initiatives (JSIs). In some cases, new lists are circulated as official documents, although they are not always kept up-to-date.
Then come countries’ announcements that they are joining the talks. Some are public documents, others are secret (“restricted”), and in some cases no official announcement is made at all.
And then there are WTO web pages (now the main source) and website news stories.
The numbers that appear here are the ones that have been confirmed in official WTO lists. Participants that have not been announced publicly may have slipped through the net. (Previously they were supplemented by information on the independent WTO Plurilaterals website, which was needed as a reliable backup.)
Finally, the numbers are further complicated by how the EU and its member states are counted. They are 28 WTO members (the EU plus 27 member states, or 28 up to 2019 before the UK left). But for obscure internal legal reasons, the EU sometimes insists on being counted as 27, the number of its member states. That then raises the question of whether the full WTO membership is 164 or 163.
In this note, the EU is always counted as 28 (or 29 before the UK left). If the EU alone is listed, 27 (or 28 pre-Brexit) is added to the total.
These are the figures for the eight subjects currently being negotiated or discussed as “joint-statement initiatives” (JSIs), the first five launched at the 2017 Buenos Aires Ministerial Conference and the other three launched at the originally scheduled time of the 2021 Geneva Ministerial Conference (November 30 to December 3 2021, now postponed). Sources for the numbers are below:
From 2017 (Buenos Aires)
- E-commerce and digital trade — 90
- Domestic regulation in services — 71
- Investment facilitation for development — 128
- Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) — 99
- Gender equality and women in trade — “128”
From 2021 (Geneva)
- Trade and environmental sustainability structured discussions — 76
- Plastics : informal dialogue on plastic pollution and environmentally sustainable trade — 79
- Fossil fuel subsidies — 48
See also the participants’ list in the multi-party interim appeal arbitration arrangement (MPIA),
not a joint-statement initiative, but a plurilateral agreement for appealing
in dispute settlement when the Appellate Body is not functioning
How many in total? 152
Based on all of these sources, the full list of participants in WTO plurilateral talks is (at least): 152 (93%):
PARTICIPANTS in WTO plurilateral talks
February 26, 2024
Afghanistan; Albania; Angola; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Armenia; Australia; Austria; Bahrain; Barbados; Belgium; Belize; Benin; Bolivia; Botswana; Brazil; Brunei Darussalam; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Canada; Central African Republic; Chad; Chile; China; Colombia; Dem. Rep. Congo; Congo; Costa Rica; Côte d’Ivoire; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Djibouti; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; El Salvador; Estonia; Eswatini; European Union; Fiji; Finland; France; Gabon; Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Grenada; Guatemala; Guinea; Guinea Bissau; Guyana; Haiti; Honduras; Hong Kong, China; Hungary; Iceland; Indonesia; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Rep. Korea; Kuwait; Kyrgyz Republic; Laos; Latvia; Lesotho; Liberia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macao, China; Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; Maldives; Mali; Malta; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mexico; Moldova; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; Netherlands; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Niger; Nigeria; North Macedonia; Norway; Oman; Panama; Papua New Guinea; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Qatar; Romania; Russia; Rwanda; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Samoa; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Slovak Republic; Slovenia; Solomon Islands; Spain; Suriname; Sweden; Switzerland; Chinese Taipei; Tajikistan; Thailand; Togo; Tonga; Trinidad and Tobago; Turkey; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; Uruguay; Vanuatu; Venezuela; Vietnam; Yemen; Zambia; Zimbabwe (152)
Sources are here
Those not participating in plurilaterals: 12 (7%)
NOT PARTICIPATING in WTO plurilateral talks
February 26, 2024
Bangladesh, Cuba, Egypt, Ghana, India, Jordan, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Tunisia (12)
Sources are here
FROM 2017 (Buenos Aires)
E-commerce: 90
Not the EU, but its member states participate
WTO website official page: 90 (accessed October 31, 2023)
2017 ministerial statement: WT/MIN(17)/60 and WT/MIN(17)/60/Add.1 (adding Thailand)
Additional documents on new participants: included in this search result
WTO website news latest: 90 (October 27, 2023)
WTO website news archive
See also this in a nutshell
PARTICIPANTS
E-commerce plurilateral
October 27, 2023
Albania; Argentina; Australia; Austria; Bahrain, Kingdom of; Belgium; Benin; Brazil; Brunei; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Cameroon; Canada; Chile; China; Colombia; Costa Rica; Côte d’Ivoire; Croatia; Cyprus; Czechia; Denmark; Ecuador; El Salvador; Estonia; Finland; France; Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Guatemala; Honduras; Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; Indonesia; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Japan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Rep. Korea; Kuwait; Kyrgyz Republic; Laos; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Malaysia; Malta; Mauritius; Mexico; Moldova; Mongolia; Montenegro; Myanmar; Netherlands; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Nigeria; North Macedonia; Norway; Oman; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Qatar; Romania; Russia; Saudi Arabia; Singapore; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Taiwan; Thailand; Türkiye; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; Uruguay (90)
Sources are here
Domestic regulation in services: 71
Including EU + member states (“The European Union presented one schedule for its member states”)
WTO website main page: 71, including Timor-Leste (accessed February 13, 2024)
List of schedules of 68 commitments INF/SDR/3/Rev.1 (December 2, 2021)
Additional participants (Georgia and UAE) WT/L/1129/Add.1 (June 13, 2022)
WTO website news: 70 (December 20, 2022)
WTO website news archive
See also this in a nutshell, the independent WTO Plurilaterals website’s list
PARTICIPANTS
Domestic regulation in services — plurilateral
February 13, 2024
Albania; Argentina; Australia; Austria; Bahrain; Belgium; Brazil; Bulgaria; Canada; Chile; China; Colombia; Costa Rica; Croatia; Cyprus; Czechia; Denmark; El Salvador; Estonia; European Union; Finland; France; Georgia*; Germany; Greece; Hong Kong, China; Hungary; Iceland; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Japan; Kazakhstan; Rep. Korea; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Malta; Mauritius; Mexico; Moldova; Montenegro; Netherlands; New Zealand; Nigeria; North Macedonia; Norway; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia; Singapore; Slovak Republic; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; Timor-Leste**; Türkiye; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates*; United Kingdom; United States; Uruguay (71)
* Joined June 2022 | **An observer about to join the WTO
Sources are here
Investment facilitation: 128
Not US
WTO page on investment facilitation (accessed March 22, 2024) (127)
2024 Draft Ministerial Declaration (February 25, 2024, revised February 29, 2024) (124), and WTO website news story (March 19, 2024) (125)
Previous official lists (December 10, 2021) WT/L/1130 (111): WT/L/1072/Rev.1 2019
Additional documents on new participants since 2019: INF/IFD/W/36 (Peru, July 2021), INF/IFD/W/20 (Mauritius, June 2020), INF/IFD/W/14 (Philippines, Feb 2020), INF/IFD/W/49 (Oman, April 2023), INF/IFD/W/53 (Armenia, December 2023)
Mali joined in December 2023
WTO news story February 25, 2024 (123, “three quarters of members”)
WTO website news archive
See also this in a nutshell, the independent WTO Plurilaterals website’s list
PARTICIPANTS
Investment facilitation for development
March 22, 2024
Afghanistan; Albania; Angola; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Armenia; Australia; Austria; Bahrain; Barbados; Belgium; Belize; Benin; Bolivia; Brazil; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Canada; Central African Republic; Chad; Chile; China; Colombia; Congo; Costa Rica; Côte d’Ivoire; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Democratic Republic Congo; Djibouti; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; El Salvador; Estonia; European Union; Finland; France; Gabon; Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Grenada; Guatemala; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Honduras; Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; Indonesia; Ireland; Italy; Japan; Kazakhstan; Rep. Korea; Kuwait; Kyrgyz Republic; Laos; Latvia; Liberia; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macao; Malawi; Malaysia; Maldives; Mali; Malta; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mexico; Moldova; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; Mozambique; Myanmar; Netherlands; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Niger; Nigeria; North Macedonia; Norway; Oman; Panama; Papua New Guinea; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Qatar; Romania; Russia; Saudi Arabia; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Slovak Republic; Slovenia; Solomon Islands; Spain; Suriname; Sweden; Switzerland; Taiwan; Tajikistan; Thailand; Togo; Tonga; Uganda; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; Uruguay; Vanuatu; Venezuela; Yemen; Zambia; Zimbabwe (128)
(As listed in the revised draft 2024 Ministerial Declaration and the WTO web page on investment facilitation (accessed March 22, 2024). Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Dem. Rep. Congo, Venezuela and Tonga joined most recently. Colombia and Taiwan were restored to the list. Earlier, Ghana, Pakistan and Türkiye dropped out)
Sources are here
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs): 99
MSME WORKING GROUP (2022), DRAFT STATEMENT (2021)
WTO website main page (accessed February 13, 2024) (citing INF/MSME/2/Rev.11) and news story (March 19, 2024, adding Democratic Republic of Congo)
2021 ministerial statement (draft) WT/MIN(21)/1 (October 27, 2021) (94)
See also: 2017 ministerial statement: WT/MIN(17)/58 and revision WT/MIN(17)/58/Rev.1 (adding Côte d’Ivoire, Guyana and Nigeria), latest update (97)
Latest working group list (January 14, 2022) INF/MSME/2/Rev.6
WTO website MSMEs page
See also this in a nutshell, the independent WTO Plurilaterals website
PARTICIPANTS
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises
March 19, 2024
Afghanistan; Albania; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Armenia; Australia; Bahrain; Barbados; Belize; Brazil; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; China; Colombia; Costa Rica; Côte d’Ivoire; Democratic Republic Congo; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; El Salvador; European Union; The Gambia; Georgia; Grenada; Guatemala; Guyana; Honduras; Hong Kong; Iceland; Israel; Japan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Rep. Korea; Kyrgyz Republic; Laos; Liechtenstein; Macao; Malaysia; Mexico; Moldova, Republic of; Mongolia; Montenegro; Myanmar; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Nigeria; North Macedonia; Norway; Pakistan; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Qatar; Russian Federation; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Saudi Arabia; Singapore; Switzerland; Chinese Taipei; Tajikistan; Türkiye; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; Uruguay; Vietnam (72+27=99)
Sources are here
Gender equality and women in trade: “128”
“128” in May 2023 in the latest material on the WTO website, although a list of participants is not available. 116 in the 2021 declaration, but 119 in 2017. Apparently not the US
WTO website main page
2017 ministerial declaration WTO website news (lists 118 including EU member states but not the EU itself — 119 if both included)
2021 ministerial declaration WT/MIN(21)/4 (lists 89 including the EU but not its member states — 116 if all included)
Dropping out: China, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Panama, Somalia, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tunisia
Joining: Angola, Botswana, Georgia, Maldives, Trinidad and Tobago, UAE.
WTO website news story, June 12, 2022 — on a statement by three co-chairs at the Ministerial Conference — refers to “more than 120 members” participating without listing them
WTO website news archive
See also
• this in a nutshell
• the independent WTO Plurilaterals website’s list, which is not based on the 2021 declaration. It adds six WTO members — Afghanistan, Botswana, China, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and Panama — and seven WTO observers Andorra, Bahamas, Belarus, Ethiopia, Serbia, Somalia, and Sudan
2021 ministerial declaration:
PARTICIPANTS
Gender equality and women in trade
November 10, 2021 (Ministerial Declaration)
(The WTO website says 128 in May 2023 without listing participants)
February 13, 2024
Afghanistan; Albania; Angola; Argentina; Australia; Austria; Barbados; Belgium; Benin; Botswana; Brazil; Bulgaria; Burundi; Cambodia; Canada; Chad; Chile; Colombia; Congo, Dem. Rep; Costa Rica; Côte d’Ivoire; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Dominica; Dominican Rep.; Ecuador; El Salvador; Estonia; Eswatini; European Union; Fiji; Finland; France; Gabon; Gambia; Germany; Georgia; Greece; Grenada; Guatemala; Guinea; Guinea Bissau; Guyana; Haiti; Honduras; Hungary; Iceland; Indonesia; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Kenya; Korea, Rep.; Kyrgyz Rep.; Laos; Latvia; Lesotho; Liberia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; Maldives; Mali; Malta; Mauritius; Mexico; Moldova; Mongolia; Montenegro; Myanmar; Namibia; Netherlands; New Zealand; Niger; Nigeria; North Macedonia; Norway; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russia; Rwanda; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Samoa; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Taiwan; Tajikistan; Togo; Tonga; Trinidad and Tobago; Türkiye; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; Uruguay; Vanuatu; Vietnam; Zambia (116)
Sources are here
ADDED: 2021 (Geneva)
These were launched on December 15. Originally intended for the Geneva Ministerial Conference, scheduled for November 30–December 3 and then postponed. The launch went ahead anyway. (The conference took place on June 12–17, 2022)
Trade and environmental sustainability structured discussions (TESSD): 76
Participants’ list on WTO website TESSD page
2021 ministerial statement WT/MIN(21)/6/Rev.2 (December 14, 2021 — 71 members listed)
WTO news story July 11, 2023
WTO website news archive
WTO website main page
See also this in a nutshell, the independent WTO Plurilaterals website
PARTICIPANTS
Trade and environmental sustainability
January 25, 2024
Albania; Australia; Austria; Bahrain; Barbados; Belgium; Brazil; Bulgaria; Cabo Verde; Canada; Chad; Chile; China; Colombia; Costa Rica; Croatia; Cyprus; Czechia; Denmark; Ecuador; Estonia; European Union; Fiji; Finland; France; Gambia; Germany; Greece; Honduras; Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Japan; Kazakhstan; Rep Korea; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macao; Maldives; Malta; Mexico; Moldova; Montenegro; Netherlands; New Zealand; North Macedonia; Norway; Panama; Peru; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russia; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Singapore; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Suriname; Sweden; Switzerland; Taiwan; Tajikistan; Türkiye; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; Uruguay; Vanuatu (76)
Countries in bold joined after the December 14, 2021 Ministerial joint-statement
Sources are here
Plastics: (Informal) Dialogue on plastic pollution and environmentally sustainable plastics trade: 79
(DDP, previously IDP)
WTO website (accessed April 12, 2024) main page
2021 ministerial statement WT/MIN(21)/8/Rev.2 (December 10, 2021)
WTO news story December 15, 2021
WTO website news archives
WTO documents INF/TE/IDP/*
See also this in a nutshell, the independent WTO Plurilaterals website
PARTICIPANTS
Plastic pollution and sustainable plastics trade
April 12, 2024
Albania, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, European Union, Fiji, Finland, France, Gambia, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Rep. Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia; Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tonga, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vanuatu (79)
Sources are here
Fossil fuel subsidies: 48
WTO website Fossil fuel subsidy reform webpage (accessed July 14, 2023, lists 48 participants)
WTO website news stories
See also this in a nutshell
2021 ministerial statement WT/MIN(21)/9/Rev.1 (December 14, 2021, lists 45 participants)
See also: the independent WTO Plurilaterals website
PARTICIPANTS
Fossil fuel subsidies
July 14, 2023
Albania; Austria; Belgium; Bulgaria; Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; Croatia; Cyprus; Czechia; Denmark; Estonia; European Union; Fiji; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Iceland; Ireland; Italy; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Mali; Moldova; Montenegro; Netherlands; New Zealand; North Macedonia; Norway; Panama; Paraguay; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Samoa; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Tonga; United Kingdom; Uruguay; Vanuatu (48)
Sources are here
Main updates:
February 26–April 12, 2024 — updating participants: investment facilitation; micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs); dialogue on plastic pollution
February 13, 2024 — checking and revising participants lists and numbers
February 9, 2024 — updating participants in environmental sustainability structured discussions (TESSD)
January 3, 2024 — minor corrections and edits
December 14, 2023 — updating participants in investment facilitation
October 31, 2023 — updating participants in e-commerce
October 16, 2023 — updating participants in investment facilitation
September 16–17, 2023 — updating participants in investment facilitation and services domestic regulation, and correcting the list for trade and gender
April 13 to July 14, 2023 — updating participation in investment facilitation, plastics, environmental sustainability and fossil fuel subsidies
October 13, 2022 — updating participation in plastics dialogue
March 24, 2022 — updating and correcting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)
January 3, 2022 — linking to the main blog post on plurilaterals, updating some links
December 15–16, 2021 —adding the three new subjects: trade and environmental sustainability structured discussions (TESSD), plastics, and fossil fuel subsidies
December 13, 2021 — updating investment facilitation
December 2, 2021 — updating services domestic regulation
November 25, 2021 — participating countries re-checked and updated, including references to the independent WTO Plurilaterals website
Image credits:
Main image (beach at sunset) | fotografu, Unsplash licence
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