In a public statement on e-commerce negotiations released on 14 December, the co-convenors of the talks — Australia, Japan and Singapore — said the consolidated negotiating text, shared with participating members on 7 December, captures the encouraging progress achieved so far. They said the (...)
The new “GATT Dispute Settlement Reports” compendium brings together for the first time all dispute settlement reports issued under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1947 and related instruments, including the Tokyo Round plurilateral codes. The six-volume set compiles reports (...)
Three internship programmes for developing countries and least-developed countries (LDCs) concluded at the WTO on 14 December. A total of 41 government officials from across the world took part in the programmes — known as the Netherlands Trainee Programme, the French-Irish Mission Intern (...)
The Informal Working Group on Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) officially adopted at its meeting on 11 December a package of six recommendations and declarations aimed at addressing challenges smaller businesses face when they trade internationally. The package will be (...)
The Director-General’s latest annual overview of trade-related developments shows a marked slowdown in the number of trade-restrictive and trade-facilitating measures adopted by WTO members related to goods trade over the past year. The report, presented at a 11 December meeting of the WTO’s (...)
Speaking at the 9th edition of the China Round Table on WTO Accessions on 11 December, Deputy Director-General Alan Wolff said WTO accession has been key in providing new members with a vehicle to modernize and put their economies on a sustainable path of economic growth. Over the 25-year (...)
Self-employed and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises account for two thirds of jobs worldwide. To ensure that all workers are equally protected, governments are implementing policies that extend the application, compliance, and enforcement of labour law to all enterprises regardless of (...)