The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is participating in the Fourteenth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (MC14), held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, from 26 to 29 March 2026. The Kingdom’s delegation is headed by H.E. Mr. Fareed bin Saeed Al-Asaly, Deputy Governor of the General Authority for Foreign Trade for International Organizations and Agreements, on behalf of H.E. Dr. Majed bin Abdullah Al-Kassabi, Minister of Commerce and Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The Fourteenth edition of the conference aims to reaffirm the importance of the World Trade Organization within the global trading system and to emphasize the need for its reform.

The conference will address several key agenda items, most notably WTO reform, development and issues related to Least Developed Countries (LDCs), the e-commerce work program, and the incorporation of the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement and E-commerce Agreement into the WTO legal framework.

In preparation for its participation, the Kingdom hosted earlier this month the Arab Trade Ministers’ preparatory meeting for MC14, as part of its role as Coordinator of the Arab Group at the WTO for eight terms since 2011.

The ministerial meeting of Arab trade ministers aims to coordinate the negotiating positions of Arab countries and define their priorities at WTO, thereby enhancing their ability to contribute effectively to the MC14 discussions and achieve balanced outcomes that reflect their interests and priorities.

The Arab Trade Ministers’ statement reaffirmed the commitment of Arab countries to play an active and constructive role in MC14, supporting efforts to ensure successful outcomes that address the needs and priorities of developing and Least Developed Countries, including Arab countries.

The statement also stressed the critical importance of ensuring the availability of food and agricultural inputs worldwide, avoiding export restrictions and unjustified trade barriers, and empowering developing countries to increase their share in global trade.

Saudi Arabia’s trade volume with WTO member countries reached approximately USD 537 billion, while its exports totaled nearly USD 305 billion in 2024.