Throughout the pandemic, trade facilitation has played a life-saving role in keeping trade in food and other essential supplies flowing, Deputy Director-General Anabel González said in a keynote speech on 1 February. Speaking at the Global Forum 2022 for National Trade Facilitation Committees, (...)
Global services trade posted a 25% year-on-year increase in the third quarter of 2021. Digitally deliverable services such as computer, financial and business services were the main drivers of trade growth as well as transport, which was boosted by surging shipping rates. The rise, however, has (...)
The Directors-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the WTO met on 1 February to chart future directions for trilateral cooperation in support of an effective global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A joint news item is (...)
The European Union has requested WTO dispute consultations with China concerning alleged Chinese restrictions on the import and export of goods, and the supply of services, to and from Lithuania or with a link to Lithuania. The request was circulated to WTO members on 31 (...)
Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard participated on 31 January in an armchair discussion with Ambassador Rufus Yerxa, former WTO Deputy Director-General, at the 2022 Washington International Trade Conference, where she discussed current WTO negotiations and the future reform (...)
Trade and trade policy can help achieve global sustainability goals more effectively and efficiently, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said in a keynote speech to the 28 January conference titled “For a more sustainable and responsible trade” organized by French trade minister Franck Riester (...)
With the objectives of supporting ongoing discussions and improving understanding of the practical aspects of COVID-19 vaccine research and development (R&D), manufacturing and distribution, the WTO Secretariat is organizing a technical workshop on 11 February (...)
In a video message delivered on 28 January 2022 at the 14th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture, Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam said degradation of farmland is posing severe challenges to global food security. He stressed the important role of trade in ensuring efficient (...)
At the information session organized by the Committee on Market Access on 28 January, WTO members were updated on the work undertaken by the WTO Secretariat in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, including a number of reports and new tools which are particularly relevant to the work of the (...)