Over the past 25 years fair, uniform and neutral customs valuation processes have been key to maintaining international trade flows and market access opportunities, Deputy Director-General Yi Xiaozhun said on 12 October in remarks delivered to the 50th Session of the Technical Committee on Customs...
The WTO Secretariat has published a new information note about how the global intellectual property (IP) system relates to the COVID-19 pandemic and potential contributions it could make to efforts to address it. The note provides an overview of IP-related measures taken by WTO members and other...
WTO members participating in the negotiations on services domestic regulation met on 15 October to advance work on streamlining procedures required for foreign services suppliers to operate and to remove red tape that may hinder trading opportunities. Participants aim to finalize these negotiations...
The WTO launched a new publication to answer commonly raised questions about trade and the environment at a virtual event on 16 October. "Short Answers to Big Questions on the WTO and the Environment" explores trade's impact on the planet, the policies that governments enact to protect it and the...
The Sustainable Development Goals Trade Monitor was launched on 20 October by the WTO, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Trade Centre (ITC). The online portal collates the latest progress in achieving the trade-related Sustainable Development...
At the meeting of the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on 15-16 October 2020, WTO members discussed how best to use the global intellectual property (IP) system to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Members also discussed the extension of the transitional period...
The COVID-19 pandemic was a recurring theme at the meeting of the WTO's Committee on Trade Facilitation on 20-21 October. A number of members highlighted how trade facilitation — and the WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in particular — can be used to help authorities ensure that essential...
WTO members debated market access issues related to agricultural and environmental services at an informal meeting of the Special Session of the Council for Trade in Services on 21 October. The discussion stemmed from two communications that underscored the role of services trade in environmental...
Global trade in services in the second quarter of 2020 plunged by a record 30% year-on-year, with the travel sector particularly hard hit by COVID-19 and associated restrictions. Declines in services trade were recorded across all regions and most services sectors except for computer services,...
