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.
After careful consideration of COVID-19 related uncertainties and health concerns, the WTO has decided to cancel this year’s WTO Public Forum, scheduled for 29 September to 2 October. This decision responds to the complexities around planning to host thousands of people from around the world for (...)
The WTO’s Annual Report, published today (28 May), provides a comprehensive account of the organization’s activities in 2019 and early 2020. The Report opens with a message from Director-General Roberto Azevêdo and a brief overview of the year. This is followed by in-depth accounts of the WTO’s (...)
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the urgent need to examine the underlying principles and values of the WTO and whether the organization needs change, Deputy Director-General Alan Wolff said on 27 May. Speaking at a webinar hosted by the Korean International Trade (...)
On 26 May, WTO members assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the trading capacity of developing countries in a virtual meeting of the Committee on Trade and Development. The new chair, Afghanistan’s WTO Ambassador, Mohammad Qurban Haqjo, said: “Trade must form part of the solution in (...)