India and Ethiopia Sign Bilateral Accession Protocol for Ethiopia WTO Membership in Geneva

📌 Summary:

• India and Ethiopia signed a bilateral accession protocol for Ethiopia accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 22 May 2026 in Geneva
• Signed by India Permanent Representative to the WTO, Dr. Senthil Pandian C., and Ethiopia Permanent Representative; the protocol and annexes were deposited with the WTO Secretariat
• India has consistently supported WTO accession of developing countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) for their fuller integration into the multilateral trading system and global value chains
• The agreement was fast-tracked under the guidance of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal
• India is Ethiopia second-largest trading partner; bilateral ties were elevated to a Strategic Partnership during PM Modi visit to Ethiopia in December 2025
• Ethiopia WTO Working Party met for the 7th time on 22-23 April 2026; accession requires aligning domestic trade policy with WTO rules and negotiating market-access commitments with existing members

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 International Relations — India South-South cooperation, India-Africa ties, and India role in the multilateral trade architecture (WTO).

📝 Prelims Facts:

• WTO accession requires bilateral market-access negotiations with each interested existing member
• India is Ethiopia second-largest trading partner
• India-Ethiopia relations were elevated to a Strategic Partnership in December 2025

🔑 Key Term: WTO Accession Protocol — the legal instrument recording the market-access and rule commitments on which a country joins the WTO, requiring bilateral agreements with interested members.