Dhaka, March 27 -- Commerce; Industries; Textiles and Jute Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir has called for a cautious approach to reforming the World Trade Organization (WTO), stressing that any changes must not undermine the organisation's fundamental principles.

Speaking at a session titled 'WTO Reform: Fundamental Issues' during the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) held in Yaounde, Cameroon on Thursday, the minister said reforms are necessary in the current global context but should be carefully designed to preserve the integrity of the multilateral trading system.

The minister noted that the WTO's core objective is to promote trade-driven development among member states, adding that its consensus-based, rules-based framework grou...