Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoWTO / MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE OPENING
Download
There is no media available to download.
Share
STORY: WTO / MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE OPENING
TRT: 04:46
SOURCE: WTO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: DATELINE: 26 MARCH 2025, YAOUNDÉ, CAMEROON
1. Wide shot, exterior, Palais des Congrès de Yaoundé
2. Wide shot, exterior, Palais des Congrès de Yaoundé
3. Tilt down, exterior, Palais des Congrès de Yaoundé
4. Med shot, exterior, Palais des Congrès de Yaoundé, cultural artistic performance
5. Med shot, exterior, Palais des Congrès de Yaoundé, arrival of delegates
6. Tilt up, exterior, Palais des Congrès de Yaoundé, arrival of delegates on the red carpet
7. Tilt up, exterior, Palais des Congrès de Yaoundé, arrival of delegates on the red carpet
8. Tilt up, exterior, arrival of Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, Cameroon's Minister of Trade and Chair of MC14 on the red carpet
9. Med shot, interior, delegate outside the Palais des congrès de Yaoundé
10. Pan right, Joseph Dion Ngute, Prime Minister of Cameroon arriving at the Palais des congrès de Yaoundé
11. Pan right, Ömer Bolat, Minister of Trade of Türkiye, arriving at the Palais des congrès de Yaoundé
12. Wide shot, WTO Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala poses for a photo alongside senior officials including Joseph Dion Ngute, Prime Minister of Cameroon and Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, Cameroon's Minister of Trade
13. Wide shot, delegates in conference room
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organisation:
"We cannot deny the scale of the problems confronting the world today. Even before the conflict in the Gulf destabilized trade in energy, fertilizer and food, national governments and international institutions alike had been struggling to navigate rising geopolitical tensions, intensifying climate pressures, and rapid technological change. Accompanying these shifts has been an increasingly loud questioning of multilateralism.”
15. Wide shot, delegates in the room
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organisation:
“It's no secret that the world trading system is experiencing the worst disruptions in the past 80 years. But these disruptions are a symptom of the wider disruptions shaking the international order created after the Second World War to prevent a repeat of the horrors of the first half of the 20th century.”
17. Wide shot, senior officials at the dais
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organisation:
We must look to the future. That means figuring out what worked well in the old order so we can keep it and build on it. It means figuring out what did not work well so we can repair it. And it also means identifying the gaps in the renewed order we are shaping, so we can close them.
19. Wide shot, delegates in the room
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organisation:
“It's time to tackle the problems that beset the organization and detract from its performance. Only your political will, ministers, and your political push can help unblock pathways to delivering solutions."
21. Wide shot, delegates in conference room clapping
22. SOUNDBITE, (English) Ömer Bolat, Minister of Trade, Türkiye:
"I declare that Türkiye hereby lifts its objection to the current decision on incorporation of Investment Facilitation for Development."
23. Med shot, delegates in the room
24. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph Dion Ngute, Prime Minister, Cameroon:
"In a world that appears increasingly fragmented, it is our responsibility to build a strong and lasting consensus on the rules and mechanisms governing international trade. Let us therefore join together in the hope that Yaoundé will mark the beginning of a new chapter, that of a renewed and strengthened multilateralism in trade, that of the triumph of dialogue over confrontation, that of the collective commitment to a fairer, more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable trading system."
25. Med shot, delegates in the room
26. Wide shot, delegates in conference room clapping
27. Zoom in, delegates in the room
28. Zoom in, trade ministers pose for a family photo at the end of the session
28. Wide shot, musical artistic performance
The WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, opened today (26 Mar)amid concerns about geopolitical strife and the future of the organization.
Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said she was hopeful the gathering of trade ministers would find the political will to overcome differences and advance work on important topics on the MC14 agenda.
SOUNDBITE (English) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organisation:
“It's no secret that the world trading system is experiencing the worst disruptions in the past 80 years. But these disruptions are a symptom of the wider disruptions shaking the international order created after the Second World War to prevent a repeat of the horrors of the first half of the 20th century.”
SOUNDBITE (English) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organisation:
We must look to the future. That means figuring out what worked well in the old order so we can keep it and build on it. It means figuring out what did not work well so we can repair it. And it also means identifying the gaps in the renewed order we are shaping, so we can close them.
SOUNDBITE (English) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organisation:
“It's time to tackle the problems that beset the organization and detract from its performance. Only your political will, ministers, and your political push can help unblock pathways to delivering solutions."
Cameroon’s Prime Minister called for a new chapter built on consensus.
Joseph Dion Ngute, Prime Minister, Cameroon:
"In a world that appears increasingly fragmented, it is our responsibility to build a strong and lasting consensus on the rules and mechanisms governing international trade. Let us therefore join together in the hope that Yaoundé will mark the beginning of a new chapter, that of a renewed and strengthened multilateralism in trade, that of the triumph of dialogue over confrontation, that of the collective commitment to a fairer, more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable trading system."
The WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference takes place from 26 to 29 March 2026. The Conference is chaired by Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, Cameroon’s Minister of Trade.
