Since MC14 will likely be the last WTO Ministerial Conference of the WTO before Bangladesh graduates out of the LDC group, it will need to be proactively involved in all concerned discussions in the WTO on WTO reforms, including MFN principle, single undertaking and level playing field, to secure and safeguard the country’s interests as a graduating LDC. Plurilateralisation the WTO will not be in Bangladesh’s interest, and Bangladesh should vigorously pursue the cause of single undertaking (nothing is agreed unless everything is agreed), and uphold the interests of a rules-based multilateral trading system, with embedded special and differential treatment for developing countries and LDCs. In view of the increasing weaponisation of global trade, Bangladesh should put renewed emphasis on deepening trade and economic cooperation with countries in the region and, more broadly, with those in the global south.
Authors: Mustafizur Rahman and Tanbin Alam Chowdhury
Publication Period: March 2026
