The Department of Trade (DoTr), Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment (MoICE) successfully conducted a five-day WTO National Consultation Workshop from 4-8 May 2026 with two key World Trade Organization (WTO) experts, Ms. Maika Oshiwakawa, Director, Accession Division and Ms. Rohini Archarya, Counsellor, Accession Division, Bhutan’s WTO Negotiating Team, and members of the Technical Working Groups. The workshop served as an important platform to brief participants on recent developments in Bhutan’s WTO accession process and to strengthen inter-agency coordination and collaboration on accession-related matters.

The discussions focused on enhancing the technical understanding of WTO principles, obligations, and ongoing negotiation processes among the concerned agencies. The primary objective of the workshop was to provide feedback on Bhutan’s WTO accession-related documents (17 documents) prior to its circulation to WTO members and enhance awareness and capacity of Bhutan’s technical negotiating team. With the support of the WTO experts, all 17 accession-related documents were thoroughly reviewed, updated, and finalized for circulation to the members.

The workshop also provided valuable technical guidance and clarifications to Bhutan’s Negotiating Team and Technical Working Group members on accession procedures, protocols, and documentation requirements including post accession related works. The consultation further strengthened Bhutan’s institutional preparedness and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to advancing Bhutan’s WTO accession process in a coordinated and timely manner.