France, March 26 -- The WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference, its top decision-making forum, runs from Thursday to Sunday in Yaounde. It is only the second time the meeting has been held in Africa, after Nairobi in 2015.

The talks come at a tense moment for the global economy.

The war in the Middle East has added to uncertainty and geopolitical divisions, while new United States tariffs and a broader return to protectionist policies have put pressure on a multilateral trading system that still governs around 72 percent of world trade.

Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala urged ministers to produce concrete results.

"The WTO has long spoken of unfinished negotiations and long-overdue reform, yet too often our promises have outpaced our re...