WTO: E-commerce negotiations: Members finalise “clean text” on unsolicited commercial messages

E-commerce negotiations: Members finalise "clean text" on unsolicited commercial messages At the first meeting of the year on e-commerce negotiations, held on 5 February, co-convenor Ambassador George Mina (Australia) commended WTO members for finalizing a clean negotiating text on the issue of unsolicited commercial messages, otherwise known as spam. Ambassador Mina said that 2021 is a... Lees verder WTO negotiators undertake intensive preparatory work as agriculture talks resume At a meeting of the Committee on Agriculture in Special Session on 5 February, WTO members discussed the latest reports from "facilitators" covering seven topics: domestic support, market access, export competition, export restrictions, cotton, public stockholding and the special safeguard... Lees verder Chair calls dedicated meetings to solve impasse on special treatment for developing countries At a meeting on 8 February, the Chair of the trade and development negotiations, Ambassador Kadra Ahmed Hassan of Dijbouti, encouraged WTO members to find common ground on strengthening special treatment for developing countries. The Chair called on delegations to "show flexibility" and "find a new... Lees verder Trade Policy Review: Myanmar The second review of the trade policies and practices of Myanmar takes place on 15 and 17 February 2021. The basis for the review is a report by the WTO Secretariat and a report by the Government of Myanmar that were distributed to members on 21 December 2020. Lees verder History is made: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala chosen as Director-General WTO members made history today (15 February) when the General Council agreed by consensus to select Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria as the organization's seventh Director-General. Lees verder Statement by the Chair of the General Council Appointment of the next Director-General Lees verder Goods Barometer signals strong trade rebound but momentum may be short lived World merchandise trade volume growth remained strong in the fourth quarter of 2020 after trade rebounded in the third quarter from a deep COVID-19 induced slump; however, the pace of expansion in the fourth quarter is unlikely to be sustained in the first half of 2021 since key leading indicators... Lees verder Working group on small business reflects on topics for 2021 workplan At the first meeting of the year for the Informal Working Group on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), held on 18 February, WTO members reflected on how to implement the package of declarations and recommendations agreed in December 2020 and what new issues the group would like to tackle in... Lees verder Items proposed for consideration at the next meeting of Dispute Settlement Body The WTO Secretariat has circulated a meeting notice and list of items proposed for the next meeting, on 22 February 2021, of the Dispute Settlement Body, which consists of all WTO members and oversees legal disputes among them. The meeting notice is circulated in the form of a document officially... Lees verder Pakistan appeals panel report regarding duties on BOPP film from the UAE Pakistan notified the Dispute Settlement Body on 22 February of its decision to appeal the panel report in the case brought by the United Arab Emirates in "Pakistan — Anti-Dumping Measures on Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene Film from the United Arab Emirates" (DS538). The panel report was... Lees verder