Middle East War, Global Tensions Pushing Trade System to Brink – WTO DG

By PressNGR News Desk
The Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has raised fresh concerns over the state of global commerce, warning that the international trading system is currently undergoing its most severe disruption in nearly 80 years.
Speaking on Thursday at the opening of the WTO Ministerial Conference in Yaoundé, Yaoundé, Okonjo-Iweala said the world is facing a major shift in the global order, driven by conflict, economic instability, climate pressures, and rising geopolitical tensions.
According to her, the multilateral system that once shaped global trade relations after the Second World War is now under unprecedented strain.
“The world order and the multilateral system we used to know has irrevocably changed,” she said.
“We cannot deny the scale of the problems confronting the world today.”
WTO Members Meet Amid Global Uncertainty
The WTO conference, which brings together representatives from the organisation’s 166 member states, comes at a time of growing division among major economies and increasing uncertainty in global markets.
Trade ministers are meeting in the Cameroonian capital for four days in an effort to revive confidence in the WTO, an institution many observers say has been weakened by prolonged diplomatic deadlock, stalled negotiations, and the steady rise of protectionist trade policies.
The gathering is also taking place against the backdrop of escalating instability in the Middle East, a development analysts say could further disrupt already fragile global supply chains.
Middle East Conflict Deepening Economic Pressures
Okonjo-Iweala noted that even before the latest escalation in the Gulf region, international trade had already been under pressure from multiple shocks affecting critical sectors such as energy, fertiliser, and food supplies.
She said governments and international institutions have been finding it increasingly difficult to respond effectively to overlapping global crises.
“National governments and international institutions alike have been struggling to navigate rising geopolitical tensions, intensifying climate pressures, and rapid technological change,” she said.
She also pointed to a growing loss of confidence in multilateral cooperation, warning that the principles that once held the global trading system together are now being openly challenged.
A Fragile Global Order
The WTO chief stressed that the current disruptions in trade are not isolated problems, but part of a broader breakdown in the international order established after World War II to prevent future global catastrophes.
She said the current moment reflects a world increasingly shaped by armed conflict, economic fragmentation, and uncertainty.
Referring to ongoing wars and humanitarian crises in several parts of the world, Okonjo-Iweala said the conference’s location in Africa makes the discussions even more symbolic.
“It feels appropriate that at the moment when the world is in turmoil with conflict in the Middle East, Sudan, Ukraine, and elsewhere, at this time of great disruption and uncertainty, we have gathered in Africa to discuss the road ahead for the global trading system,” she said.
Why This Matters
The WTO conference is expected to focus on ways to strengthen international trade cooperation and prevent further breakdowns in global supply systems.
However, with member nations deeply divided and many economies prioritising national interests over collective solutions, expectations for a major breakthrough remain uncertain.
For developing countries, especially in Africa, prolonged disruption in global trade could worsen inflation, food insecurity, energy costs, and broader economic instability.