From February 26 to 29, 2024, the 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization is taking place in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates. The Conference, chaired by H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade of the UAE, brings together member states to review the functioning of the multilateral trading system and take action on the future work of the WTO.
During his speeches, the head of the Cuban delegation, Norberto Carlos Escalona Carrillo, Ambassador of Cuba to the UAE, emphasized that any negotiation must be based on the principles of consensus, realism, inclusion, transparency and effective participation of all member states. It has also denounced that globalization and the unjust international order have not proven to be an effective way to realize the right to development. The Cuban diplomat has also advocated the importance of achieving significant results in agriculture, which preserves special and differential treatment for developing and least-developed members.
The island's representation is also made up of Carlos Fidel Martín Rodríguez, director of International Economic Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment of Cuba; Madelyn Rodríguez Lara, commercial counselor of the Cuban Mission in Geneva; and Ailyn Martínez Sarduy, second secretary of the Embassy of Cuba in the UAE.