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 of...
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...
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 current...
The Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) has set up a dedicated webpage and will be organizing webinars to examine the trade impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on least developed countries (LDCs).
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 WTO Secretariat has published a new report on the treatment of medical products in regional trade agreements (RTAs) amid current supply shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The report examines the extent medical products are traded among preferential partners and the difference in...
The government of Canada contributed CAD 450,000 (just over CHF 300,000) in 2020 to help developing countries and least-developed countries (LDCs) comply with international food safety, animal and plant health standards, with the aim of increasing their access to agricultural markets.
Food security is increasingly dependent on international trade, making it critical to keep trade in food flowing, WTO Deputy Director-General Alan Wolff noted on 30 April. In remarks delivered on his behalf by WTO Agriculture Division Director Edwini Kessie at the "Trade Dialogues on Food" webinar,...
Canada has contributed over CAD 90,000 (approximately CHF 60,000) in 2020 to enhance the trading capacities of developing countries and least-developed countries (LDCs). This donation to the WTO's DDA Global Trust Fund will finance training workshops and seminars for government officials, with the...
