India suggests having a meeting at WTO on role of e-commerce during Covid-19

India proposed to convene a meeting with the support of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to discuss the role of e-commerce during the COVID 19 pandemic.

According to the Ambassador of India, Brajendra Navnit, many members have spoken about how e-commerce helped their economies during the covid-19 pandemic. 

He further said that the General Council, the WTO's highest decision-making body after the ministerial conference (MC), should begin convening meetings of the work program to ensure that its original mission is respected.

Member states take into account work programs for almost all MCs. They also agreed not to impose tariffs on e-commerce until the next ministerial meeting, but India has repeatedly called for a review of the issues surrounding the moratorium on e-commerce tariffs. Since 1998, the moratorium has been repeatedly extended for two years.

India also called for the Council for Trade in Goods, Council for Trade in Services, Council for TRIPS and Committee for Trade and Development, according to their respective missions initially set.

The WTO is a 164 multilateral body that develops rules governing global imports and exports and determines trade disputes between two or more countries.