Last week (19–20 June), the Commonwealth Trade Ministers gathered in Windhoek, Namibia, for the 2025 Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting (CTMM). The CEO of Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, Distaquaine Tuihalamaka, attended this significant event to represent Tonga in discussions on strengthening the Multilateral Trading System (MTS) among the 56 Commonwealth member countries.

The MTS enables smaller nations like Tonga to actively participate and have a voice in global trade negotiations, providing transparency, predictability, and legal protection. The discussions emphasized critical issues for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Concerns were raised over increasing restrictive trade measures, which threaten global trade stability and affect vulnerable economies. Ministers reaffirmed the importance of fair, inclusive, and rules-based global trade, advocating for Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) to support trade capacity building for countries like Tonga.

The meeting highlighted the necessity of WTO reforms to enhance its dispute settlement mechanism and urged members to ratify the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement swiftly. It also underscored the need to leverage digital trade, facilitate the sustainable energy transition, and foster resilient trade infrastructure to mitigate climate-related vulnerabilities.

The outcomes from this summit, including the endorsed Commonwealth Statement on the MTS, will inform and guide discussions at the upcoming 14th WTO Ministerial Conference scheduled for March 2026 in Cameroon.