International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo issued a joint call on 24 April for governments to refrain from imposing export and other trade restrictions on key medical supplies and food and to quickly lift those put in place (...)
The importance of ensuring universal access to social protection systems that meet people’s needs. Social protection systems are an indispensable part of a coordinated policy response to the unfolding crisis, ensuring that people can effectively access health care while supporting job and income (...)
Eighty countries and customs territories so far have introduced export prohibitions or restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic according to a new report by the WTO Secretariat. The report, which is based on information from official sources and news outlets, draws attention to the (...)
The inequalities exacerbating COVID-19’s impact on persons with disabilities are not new. The risk in the response to the current crisis is that persons with disabilities will be left behind once again. The good news is that we already know what (...)
At a virtual meeting of G20 agriculture ministers today (21 April), WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo urged them to “act collectively to ensure that our responses to the COVID-19 pandemic do not unintentionally create food shortages”. He welcomed the ministers’ joint declaration, in which they (...)
The WTO has issued a call for candidates for the 2021 Young Professionals Programme (YPP). Candidates up to the age of 32, as of 1 January 2021, from eligible developing and least-developed countries are invited to submit their application by 29 May 2020. The selected candidates will work at (...)
WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo and World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued a joint statement on 20 April underlining their support for efforts to ensure the normal cross-border flow of vital medical supplies and other goods and services. “Protecting (...)
In virtual remarks delivered to a 20 April webinar on the role of the WTO in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, hosted by the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing, Deputy Director-General Alan Wolff underlined the importance of global policy coordination to ensure an adequate supply (...)
At a virtual meeting of all WTO members on 17 April, over 50 delegation heads took the floor to exchange views on the use of online discussions and written procedures to continue WTO work and decision-making during the COVID-19 lockdown. Director-General Roberto Azevêdo also used the informal (...)