Investment minister, WTO chief discuss measures to boost Egyptian exports

Mohamed Farid, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, met with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), on the sidelines of the 2026 World Investment Forum in Doha, Qatar. The meeting was attended by Mohamed Awad, CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI).

The discussions focused on developments in the international trading system, the impact of protectionist measures on trade flows, ways to mitigate their effects and priorities for reforming the multilateral trading system. The talks also addressed ways to support Egypt’s efforts to increase exports and expand access to international markets.

Farid said that growing trade restrictions and geopolitical disruptions were affecting global trade flows and limiting export access to several major markets. He stressed the importance of taking the circumstances of emerging economies into account when implementing trade measures.

He explained that some measures designed to address excess production capacity in certain countries could also affect developing economies with relatively small shares of importing markets, despite differences in their production conditions and competitive positions.

Farid stressed the importance of enabling Egyptian farmers, fishers and manufacturers to access international markets by accounting for differences in production conditions when applying trade measures, thereby strengthening their competitiveness abroad.

He noted that producers in several economies faced challenges related to energy and production costs, as well as international competition. This made it necessary to distinguish between countries’ differing circumstances when designing trade measures and avoid imposing additional burdens on emerging industries.

Regarding WTO reform, the minister highlighted the importance of restoring the effectiveness of the trade dispute settlement system and ensuring that clear, enforceable mechanisms are in place to protect member countries’ rights amid the growing use of unilateral trade measures.

The WTO Director-General outlined the options available following the suspension of the Appellate Body, including the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), as well as consultations, mediation and dispute settlement mechanisms within the organisation’s committees. She noted that these channels could be used to address trade disputes.

The meeting also examined the implications of the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) for exports from developing countries. Farid outlined Egypt’s experience in establishing a regulated voluntary carbon market, with rules governing project oversight, the verification of emissions reductions and the issuance of carbon credits in accordance with regulatory and technical requirements.

The minister stressed the importance of taking Egypt’s actual emissions-reduction efforts into account when discussing European carbon rules. He also called for examining ways to assess equivalence between different carbon market systems, allowing national efforts to be recognised while reducing fragmented standards and the regulatory burdens facing exporting companies.

Farid emphasised the importance of ensuring that developing countries continue to participate effectively in ongoing WTO negotiations and reform efforts, so that their development needs are taken into account.

The WTO Director-General also highlighted the challenges that the proliferation of environmental standards poses for businesses and international trade, stressing the importance of exploring common frameworks to improve comparability and interoperability between different systems.

The meeting concluded with both sides underscoring the importance of continued dialogue on priority trade issues, particularly measures affecting exports, reform of the dispute settlement system and the treatment of environmental requirements linked to international trade.