The European Union has requested WTO consultations with China concerning certain Chinese measures which the EU alleges are inconsistent with China’s obligations under the WTO’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs). The request was circulated to WTO members on (...)
In the three years since the International Labour Conference adopted Recommendation 204 on the transition from the informal to the formal economy, a global campaign to address the informal economy has gathered momentum. One of the best practices has emerged in the Central Asian Republic of (...)
On the occasion of World Environment Day on 5 June, WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo highlighted the important role of trade in fostering a sustainable world economy. An open and transparent trading system aligned with sound environmental policies acts as a catalyst for enhancing the (...)
At the meeting of the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on 5-6 June, WTO members discussed intellectual property (IP) from two perspectives: the societal value of IP in the new economy and its role in improving lives, as part of a recurrent item on IP and (...)
In 1998, 7 million people marched across five continents to demand for the ILO Convention 182 against the worst forms of child labour. As we celebrate the World Day Against Child Labour and the 20 years of the Global March today at the 107th Session of the International Labour Conference, we (...)
The deadline for submitting proposals for this year’s Public Forum — entitled “Trade 2030” — has been extended to 15 June 2018. Individuals interested in organizing sessions at the Forum, to be held on 2-4 October, are invited to complete an application (...)
Speaking at a meeting of the Committee on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs) on 1 June, Russia informed WTO members that it will terminate its WTO-inconsistent auto investment programmes as of 1 July 2018, a deadline stipulated by its WTO accession protocols. These investment programmes (...)
The WTO’s Annual Report, published today (31 May), provides a comprehensive account of the organization’s activities in 2017 and early 2018. The Report opens with a message from Director-General Roberto Azevêdo and a brief overview of the year. This is followed by more in-depth accounts of the (...)
Speaking at an OECD Ministerial Council meeting on 31 May, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said the multilateral trading system provides a stable and predictable business environment that helps to drive economic growth. He underlined the need to defend this stability but also to strengthen and (...)
Speaking at an informal ministerial meeting on 31 May in the margins of the OECD meetings in Paris, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo argued that the WTO is essential in resolving growing trade tensions, as it has done on previous occasions, but that this requires members’ active support for the (...)