For WTO reform to succeed, Mexico has proposed strengthening the organization’s governance first.

Although the WTO is not functioning at full capacity, it is the only organization that governs trade rules among virtually all the nations of the world. Its primary objective is to ensure that multilateral trade flows as smoothly, freely, and predictably as possible through the negotiation of agreements.

WTO Reform

At a meeting of the organization held in Geneva, Switzerland, in mid-December 2025, the Mexican Mission stated that WTO reform must be a central element. Furthermore, this element must guide the rest of the discussions. 

According to the Mexican position, if we want a reform that works, the first step is to strengthen the institutional foundation. This is not due to a lack of ambition, but because the reality is harsh. 

This is the core of the Mexican position: an organization that fails to make decisions, does not fulfill its commitments, and does not inspire confidence cannot help advance any substantive issue. And this reasoning holds true regardless of how legitimate or urgent the issue may be for each individual country. 

In other words, given the rise in trade tensions and the growing fragmentation of the system, strengthening the WTO’s governance and its operational capacity is not an abstract aspiration. On the contrary, it is an urgent necessity. 

Dispute Settlement

Secondly, regarding the dispute settlement system, the Mexican Mission reiterated that having a fully operational and predictable mechanism, accessible to all WTO Members, remains a key priority. 

The current political situation does not, for the time being, allow for the resumption of substantive technical discussions. Under these circumstances, it is essential to preserve the accumulated technical knowledge and clarify the intended objectives. In this way, once the Ministerial Conference (MC14) has concluded, the appropriate timing and format for moving forward can be determined with greater precision. 

USTR Position

For the USTR, the WTO contributed to China’s dominance in global manufacturing. Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative, outlined this position in an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal in early April 2026.

His comments came after returning from MC14, held in Cameroon in late March. 

He downplayed the WTO, saying it “is not a serious forum” and “is heading toward irrelevance.”