Professor Sharma to Coordinate Two Discussions at World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference

Professor Bhagwati Prakash Sharma, the Group President of Pacific University and the 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), has been approved to coordinate the collaboration of two discussions as a representative of optional organizations. The conference is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from February 26th to 29th, 2024.

In this biennial ministerial conference of the WTO, Professor Sharma has been appointed as the representative of optional organizations for the activities of two discussions on February 27th and 28th. Both discussions will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, where the biennial ministerial conference of commerce ministers from 164 member countries of the WTO is taking place. Professor Sharma has been allocated a conference hall for both days.

Apart from the commerce ministers of the advanced 164 member countries of the WTO, representatives from 25 additional countries' governments have also been invited to serve as observers in this conference.

On February 27th, Professor Sharma will coordinate a discussion on "Compulsory Licensing on Self-Evident Intellectual Property Rights." The provision of compulsory licensing can be an effective solution in controlling the prices of patented medicines. On the second day, February 28th, he will organize a discussion on "Possibilities of Necessary Review in Various Multilateral Trade Agreements for Resolution of Disputes Arising from Multilateral Trade Agreements." This could help in balancing the trade agreements of the WTO.

Professor Sharma has been participating in the biennial ministerial conferences of the WTO since the 2003 conference in Cancun, Mexico.