Deputy Director-General Alan Wolff spoke at a virtual event on 4 November for the launch of two new publications from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) focusing on safe trade in animals and animal products and required competences of veterinary services for international trade. The (...)
For the first time in the ILO’s history, an essentially virtual Governing Body meeting is taking place. Involving members from all regions, the 340th session of the Governing Body runs from 2 – 14 November. It is the first to take place this year, due to the COVID-19 (...)
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on health, jobs, businesses & economies. Yet, cooperatives have been lifting up their communities. Small-scale producers and family farmers were able to improve their access to markets and financing. Simel Esim, Head of (...)
A new ILO study shows that most ILO member States made extensive use of "peak-level" social dialogue to shape their emergency measures for mitigating the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a recurring theme at the meeting of the WTO’s Committee on Trade Facilitation on 20-21 October. A number of members highlighted how trade facilitation — and the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in particular — can be used to help authorities ensure that essential (...)
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the world of work. “A recovery from the COVID-19 crisis must be a green recovery, one that builds a better world for people and planet, ensuring a just transition for all, leaving no one behind,” said ILO expert on green jobs Moustapha Kamal Gueye at (...)
At the meeting of the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on 15-16 October 2020, WTO members discussed how best to use the global intellectual property (IP) system to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Members also discussed the extension of the transitional (...)
The Sustainable Development Goals Trade Monitor was launched on 20 October by the WTO, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Trade Centre (ITC). The online portal collates the latest progress in achieving the trade-related Sustainable Development (...)
The WTO Secretariat has circulated a meeting notice and list of items proposed for the next meeting, on 26 October 2020, of the Dispute Settlement Body, which consists of all WTO members and oversees legal disputes among them. The meeting notice is circulated in the form of a document (...)
The WTO launched a new publication to answer commonly raised questions about trade and the environment at a virtual event on 16 October. “Short Answers to Big Questions on the WTO and the Environment” explores trade’s impact on the planet, the policies that governments enact to protect it and the (...)