The government has formed 15 working groups to participate in different meetings of the 5th WTO ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico, scheduled to be held this month.

Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury will head a 17-member Bangladesh delegation in the conference while Commerce Secretary Suhel Ahmed will act as alternative head, sources said.

The Ministry of Commerce at a meeting with the delegation members yesterday formed the working groups and finalised the subject specific responsibilities of the delegates. The commerce minister chaired the meeting.

The groups will deal with various issues including non-agricultural market access, agriculture, special and differential treatment, services, dispute settlement, trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS), trade-related capacity building, TRIPS and public health rules, implementation issues, Singapore issues, trade and environment, e-commerce, Doha issues and support services.

The members of different working groups are: Professor M Ali Taslim, Mostafa Abid Khan, Taufiqur Rahman, Nasiruddin Ahmed, Mahbubur Rahman, Quazi Moniruzzaman, A Matin Chowdhury, AM Badrul Hassan, ASM Quashem, Md Abu Yousuf Miah and Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir.