On 8 June 2020, Turkey notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards that it initiated on 30 May 2020 a safeguard investigation on staple fibres of polyesters.
Mexico, on 8 June 2020, nominated Mr Jesús Seade Kuri for the post of WTO Director-General to succeed the current Director-General, Mr Roberto Azevêdo, who has announced he will step down on 31 August 2020.
In remarks delivered to a virtual meeting of the UK House of Commons’ International Trade Committee on 5 June, Deputy-Director General Alan Wolff said the WTO continues to play an important role in global trade but now is the time to consider improvements to the organization. “Were the WTO in the (...)
As governments respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the multiple links between human health, the environment and employment have become evident. With more and better jobs, healthy and resilient societies, the future of work can meet the needs of the future (...)
World Environment Day 2020 falls in the midst of the worst human crisis of modern times. It reminds us that even as we work to get past COVID-19, we cannot delay action on Climate Change and environmental sustainability. Building back better means building back (...)
Trade and the WTO have an important role to play in steering global recovery towards a sustainable course for the well-being of the world’s population and the planet in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, speakers said at a 4 June webinar organized to mark World Environment Day. The aftermath of (...)
The WTO has published a new webpage on trade and natural disasters to provide access to research papers and WTO-organized symposia dealing with this topic. The webpage collates research on the impact of natural disasters on countries’ trading capacity and how the multilateral trading system can (...)
The WTO Secretariat has published an information note looking at how micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It notes the impact of supply chain disruptions on MSMEs and the extent to which smaller businesses are represented in the economic (...)
At a virtual meeting of the General Council on 29 May, WTO members discussed Kazakhstan’s offer to host the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in Nur-Sultan in June 2021.
A new information note published by the WTO Secretariat looks at how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected trade in services, from tourism and transport to retail and health services.