Saudi Arabia has proposed hosting a key meeting of the World Trade Organisation in Riyadh in 2028, as the kingdom seeks to elevate its international profile.
The proposal to host the 15th Ministerial Conference, the biennial gathering of the world's ministers representing the WTO’s highest decision-making body, was listed on the agenda of a WTO general council meeting held in Geneva on December 16-17.
Saudi Arabia’s Commerce Minister Majid Al Qassabi had first raised the idea on October 22.
“Hosting MC15 represents a strategic opportunity to demonstrate our deep commitment to the principles and objectives of the WTO and the multilateral trading system,” he said.
Joost Pauwelyn, professor of international law at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, said this move could be big, especially if a “genuine reform process is kicked off” in Cameroon next March.
“Real results may then be harvested in Riyadh. It would demonstrate Saudi Arabia’s commitment to rules-based trade at a time that others, especially the US, have given up on the WTO playing a central role,” he said.
“There is also a risk: hosting an organisation that is losing centrality, with meagre results that come out.”
The WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference will be hosted in Cameroon's capital Yaounde from March 26 to 29 in 2026. A final decision on the host for MC15 will likely be taken by consensus ahead of that gathering.
The 13th Ministerial Conference of the trade body was held in Abu Dhabi last year.
Hosting two consecutive WTO ministerial meetings in the Gulf signals that the region is no longer just an energy supplier but a rising hub for global trade diplomacy, according to Nicolas Michelon, managing partner at Dubai-based corporate geopolitics consultancy Alagan Partners.
For Saudi Arabia, it would align with other major hosting duties, such as the 2030 World Expo and the 2034 FIFA World Cup, supporting its goal to position the kingdom as a global gateway, he said.
Saudi Arabia has been a member of WTO since December 11, 2005, becoming the trade body’s 149th member. The country currently holds the presidency of the WTO’s general council.
The kingdom is seeking to advance its strategy to be seen as a hub for major international economic events − including real estate conference Cityscape and the Future Investments Initiative. These efforts are designed to promote sectors of interest to the kingdom’s economic diversification efforts under Vision 2030.
"The timing is deeply symbolic. 2028 falls just two years before the 2030 deadline of the kingdom’s transformative masterplan. Hosting the MC15 serves as a high-stakes progress report to the world, showcasing Riyadh as a modernised, diversified global hub," Mr Michelon said.
"It also marks the 20th anniversary of Saudi Arabia’s accession to the WTO, effectively coming full circle from a new member to a leading host."
Saudi Arabia is opening up to the world. The country wishes to attract visitors and expand their economy by way of new opportunities, hence they wish to host the new WTO ministerial, said Pradeep Mehta, secretary general of Geneva-based pro-trade non-profit Cuts International.
Ministerial conferences usually take place every other year, with the general council deciding on the venue based on offers received from members, according to the WTO. The general council convenes quarterly at the WTO’s headquarters in Geneva, with member states rotating the council’s presidency.
Ministerial conferences are where major decisions on issues such as dispute settlement, trade facilitation, e-commerce, agriculture, fisheries subsidies, and the broader WTO reform agenda, are negotiated.
Changes to WTO rules require consensus, which has limited its ability to reach global deals because one country alone can block an agreement.
managing partner, Alagan Partners
Twenty-two countries welcomed Saudi Arabia’s proposal, but a final decision was not yet made, Reuters quoted a WTO spokesperson on Thursday. Bangladesh, Kuwait, Russia, Cameroon and Thailand were among the countries that supported the proposal to host the meeting in Riyadh.
"This suggests that the kingdom is positioning itself as a bridge between developed economies and the Global South. As the WTO faces pressure to reform its dispute settlement mechanisms and address the needs of developing nations, Riyadh offers a neutral, high-capacity venue for these critical negotiations," Mr Michelon said.
Challenges
Hosting a ministerial conference involves welcoming delegations from every member state, some of whom have complex or strained bilateral relations with the kingdom. Any perception of "selective hosting" would undermine the bid’s credibility as a neutral facilitator of global trade, he said.
There is also a growing concern among trade experts regarding the WTO’s effectiveness, particularly with the long-standing deadlock in the dispute settlement body.
"There is a risk in hosting an organisation that some perceive as losing its centrality. If the MC14 in Cameroon fails to produce a genuine reform process, Riyadh could inherit a fractured agenda in 2028. This would risk turning MC15 into a talk shop with no new trade rules, Mr Michelon added.
