Discuss the significance of the WTO's Trade Policy Review Mechanism for members' trade governance, with reference to India's 8th review (2026).

Q. Discuss the significance of the WTO's Trade Policy Review Mechanism for members' trade governance, with reference to India's 8th review (2026). (15 marks, 250-350 words)

The Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM), institutionalised under the Marrakesh Agreement (1994), subjects every WTO member's trade policies to periodic collective scrutiny by the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). India's 8th Review, held in Geneva on 21 and 23 July 2026 covering 2021–2025, illustrates how this peer-review instrument shapes trade governance without coercion [1][2].

Transparency and predictability - Each review rests on two documents — a WTO Secretariat report and the member's own policy statement — forcing governments to compile and publicly defend their tariff, subsidy and regulatory regimes [3]. - India's review was preceded by written questions from members and answered across two sessions, converting scattered domestic measures into a single verifiable record for traders and investors [1].

Peer accountability without adjudication - The TPRM is surveillance, not dispute settlement: it cannot enforce compliance or impose obligations, but reputational pressure from peers nudges members toward WTO-consistent policy [3]. - More than sixty members intervened in India's review, signalling the diagnostic value of collective questioning [1].

Domestic policy stocktaking - Reviews compel inter-ministerial coordination — India's exercise was led by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry under Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal — and become an occasion to showcase structural reform [1]. - India cited GST, digital public infrastructure and Aatmanirbhar Bharat alongside record merchandise-plus-services exports of USD 863.1 billion [1].

Systemic signalling - In an era of unilateral tariffs and fragmentation, India used the platform to reaffirm a "transparent, rules-based, inclusive and development-oriented" trading system, strengthening the multilateral order's legitimacy [1].

The TPRM's strength lies precisely in its non-adversarial design: it builds trust through information rather than sanction. Going forward, shorter review cycles for major traders and better follow-up on members' recommendations would sharpen its bite. For India, engaging such surveillance mechanisms confidently is integral to its ambition of shaping, not merely accepting, the rules of global trade.

(~320 words)

Sources: 1. India Reaffirms Commitment to Rules-Based Multilateral Trading System at WTO Trade Policy Review in Geneva, PIB (2026) — review dates, delegation lead, members' interventions, USD 863.1 bn exports, reforms cited, India's stance 2. WTO — Trade policy review: India 2026 — eighth review held 21 and 23 July 2026; review period 3. WTO — The Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM) — TPRM mandate, two-report basis, surveillance and non-enforcement character