00:00The global system as we once knew it has changed, and the time has come to move forward, to reform,
00:06and above all, to rethink the founding rules of the World Trade Organization.
00:10In essence, this is the objective of the WTO's four days of meetings and inter-ministerial sessions
00:16taking place in Cameroon's capital, Yaoundé, since Thursday.
00:20Whichever school of thought you subscribe to, three things are clear.
00:25First, the world order and the multilateral system we used to know has irrevocably changed.
00:33Second, we will not get it back.
00:36And third, we must look to the future.
00:39That means figuring out what worked well in the old order so we can keep it and build on it.
00:45It means figuring out what did not work well so we can repair it.
00:49And it also means identifying the gaps in the renewed order we are shaping so we can close them.
00:56In the face of the current crisis in the Gulf, notably involving the United States, Iran and Israel,
01:02which has triggered a major global oil crisis whose impact is already being felt,
01:07and with the World Trade Organization already weakened by internal divisions,
01:13its Nigerian Director General says decisive action is needed.
01:16Over the next few days, the 4,000 delegates at the 14th Ministerial Conference in Yaoundé
01:24will be discussing the organization's future, an uncertain future at a time when the world trading system
01:32faces significant uncertainty due to the conflict and tariffs imposed on countries by the United States.
01:38Depuis Yaoundé pour Africa News, I'm Jolod Rekwam.
Comments