World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has expressed cautious optimism that more than 100 trade ministers meeting in Geneva would achieve one or two global deals this week, but warned the path there would be bumpy and rocky.
The director-general from Nigeria said the world had changed since the WTO's last ministerial conference nearly five years ago.
"I wish I could say for better. It has certainly become more complex," she told a news conference before the meeting, listing the lingering Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and major food and energy crises as pieces of a "polycrisis".
Ms Okonjo-Iweala urged trade ministers to go the extra mile over the coming days to achieve agreements such as to reduce fishing subsidies, boost access to Covid-19 vaccines, address food security and set a course for reform of the WTO itself.
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Leo Varadkar also spoke at the 12th Ministerial Conference of the WTO today and attended a solidarity event in aid of Ukraine.
"I hope we can reach an agreement on a declaration, agreed by all members on food security," he said.
"Sanctions do not apply to food or medicines and we must work together to ensure that Ukraine can export its grain this year."
"Fisheries subsidies is another area I hope we can make some progress on. We want sustainable fishing, that protects the traditions and jobs of our coastal towns and villages into the long-term."
Ms Okonjo-Iweala said she was "cautiously optimistic" that the meeting would conclude with one or two deals.
"Let me be clear, even landing one or two will not be an easy road. The road will be bumpy and rocky. There may be a landmine along the way," she said.
Ms Okonjo-Iweala also cautioned ministers they should not expect to achieve everything on their countries' wish lists and recognise that compromises are never perfect.
Top of the agenda as the four-day meeting kicks off is the toll Russia's war in Ukraine - traditionally a breadbasket that feeds hundreds of millions of people - is having on food security.
EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said the bloc had been "working hard with all the members to prepare a multilateral food security package," slamming Russia for "using food and grain as a weapon of war."
The WTO is hoping to isolate criticism of Russia's war in Ukraine to the first day of talks, when many of the more than 100 ministers due to attend are expected to issue blistering statements.
However with many flatly refusing to negotiate directly with Russia, there are fears the issue could bleed into the following days, when WTO wants to focus on nailing down long-elusive trade deals.
"There is a real risk that things could go off the rails next week," a Geneva-based diplomatic source said.
The tensions have not curbed Ms Okonjo-Iweala's zeal to press for agreements on a range of issues during the first ministerial gathering on her watch, especially as the global trade body strives to prove its worth after nearly a decade with no new large trade deals.
There is cautious optimism that countries could finally agree on banning subsidies that contribute to illegal and unregulated fishing, after more than 20 years of negotiations.
The WTO says talks have never been this close to the finish line, but diplomats remain cautious.
The negotiations "have made progress recently, but these remain difficult subjects," a diplomatic source in Geneva told AFP.
One of the main sticking points has been so-called special and differential treatment (SDT) for developing countries, like major fishing nation India, which can request exemptions.
A draft text sent to the ministers for review proposes exemptions should not apply to member states accounting for an as yet undefined share of the global volume of fishing.
The duration of exemptions also remains undefined.
Environmental groups say anything beyond ten years would be catastrophic. India has demanded a 25-year exemption.
The ministers are also set to seek a joint WTO response to the pandemic, although significant obstacles remain.
Back in October 2020, India and South Africa called for intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines and other pandemic responses to be suspended in a bid to ensure more equitable access in poorer nations.
After multiple rounds of talks, the European Union, the United States, India and South Africa hammered out a compromise that has become the basis for a draft text sent to ministers.
The text, which would allow most developing countries, although not China, to produce Covid vaccines without authorisation from patent holders, is still facing opposition from both sides.
Britain and Switzerland are reluctant to sign up, arguing along with the pharmaceutical industry that the waiver would undermine investment in innovation.
Mr Varadkar said: "On the proposal around Trade-Related Aspects of International Property Rights and the provision of vaccines globally, especially to developing countries, this is an EU competence but we will support any proposal that results in more vaccines being produced and distributed while protecting research and innovation."
Public interest groups meanwhile say the text falls far short of what is needed by covering only vaccines and not Covid treatments and diagnostics.
"The negotiations are still aeons away from ensuring access to lifesaving Covid medical tools for everyone, everywhere," Doctors Without Borders warned.
