WTO Director General to Visit PNG

The Director General of the World Trade Organization [WTO], Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, will be visiting Papua New Guinea [PNG] in May 2026 at the invitation of the Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru.

Minister Maru extended the invitation to Dr. Okonjo-Iweala during their bilateral meeting today on the margins of the APEC Ministerial Meeting [AMM] in Gyeongju, South Korea.

“Dr. Okonjo-Iweala will come to open a national workshop on enhancing trade using Artificial Intelligence [AI] Technology called “Trading with Intelligence” that will be jointly organized by the Department of International Trade and Investment and the WTO,” said Minister Maru.

Dr. Okonjo-Iweala thanked the Marape-Rosso Government for opening PNG’s Embassy in Geneva, Switzerland, and for the appointment of the Ambassador, who will be based in Geneva.

She said she looked forward to more involvement and very active participation from PNG as a Member of the WTO.

The Director General also strongly stressed PNG’s attendance and representation at the forthcoming 14th WTO Ministerial Conference in Cameroon next year.

"This Ministerial Conference is extremely important as critical reforms of the WTO will be discussed. The very existence of the WTO will be tested, and it is important that PNG, as the Leader of the Pacific, gives a strong and clear voice to represent the smaller Island States,” she said.

Minister Maru reiterated PNG’s support of the multilateral trading system in ensuring and maintaining a predictable trading environment whilst also acknowledging the need for reform in WTO so the organization can address the challenges of today and remain relevant.