Saudi Arabia proposes to host WTO meeting in 2028

Saudi Arabia has proposed to host a major meeting of the World Trade Organization in 2028, a WTO document showed.

The request was on the agenda of a WTO meeting being held in Geneva on December 16-17, and 22 countries welcomed the proposal, but a final decision was not yet made, a WTO spokesperson said on Thursday.

Bangladesh, Kuwait, Russia, Cameroon and Thailand were among the countries that supported the proposal to host the meeting in Riyadh, which would coincide with the 20th anniversary of Saudi Arabia’s accession to the WTO.

Saudi commerce minister Majid bin Abdullah al-Qasabi first raised the idea in October.

“Hosting MC15 represents a strategic opportunity to demonstrate our deep commitment to the principles and objectives of the WTO and the Multilateral Trading System,” he said at the time.

Saudi Arabia is regularly a host of financial conferences and has in recent years also made a massive push into sports and entertainment in an effort to boost its international image and will host the 2034 soccer World Cup.

MC14 will be hosted in Yaounde, Cameroon in March 2026, where ministers will discuss potential reforms to the world trade watchdog.

Further reading:

• Gulf states walk tightrope between WTO and US
• Beijing’s Gulf trade charm offensive meets familiar resistance
• China seeks Emirati and Saudi help to close Gulf trade deal