Along with several of my colleagues from the U.S. business community, I am attending the Seventh Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, which takes place from today through Wednesday (December 2). I am attending the Ministerial on behalf of the U.S. Chamber, which has been a stalwart advocate of the rules-based trading system and the on-going Doha Round of WTO negotiations.

The general theme for the Ministerial, which is not a “negotiating” Ministerial, is “The WTO, the Multilateral Trading System and the Current Global Economic Environment.” After the drama of recent Ministerial Conferences, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy, and others, are hoping this one will be low-key and drama free. That is a wise idea given the state of the global economy, the state of the Doha Round and the fresh memories of the collapse of the last Ministerial in July 2008.

Unfortunately, recent Ministerial Conferences have been high on expectations and disappointing on results. Many thought the July 2008 Ministerial had a real chance for success. After a slow start, that Ministerial was building up some momentum before it collapsed altogether over the so-called "special safeguard mechanism (SSM)" for agriculture. It was not a pretty sight including lots of finger pointing. Earlier Ministerials had similar results.  

Fast forward to this week's Ministerial and it definitely has a different feel and different expectations. This is the first WTO Ministerial for a lot of new key players (think USTR Ron Kirk, India's Sharma and EU placeholder) and Doha is not a primary focus whatsoever. After all, it is not a negotiating Ministerial like we have grown so used to in the recent past.

As Trade Ministers gather in Geneva this week, I think back to the U.S. Chamber member companies who have told me over and over again that the WTO is about more than Doha. The focus of this Ministerial proves that point. However, Doha is certainly the elephant sitting in the room this week as the negotiations were launched over 8 years ago this month.