WTO: WTO concludes online Regional Trade Policy Course for Arab and Middle Eastern region

WTO concludes online Regional Trade Policy Course for Arab and Middle Eastern region The WTO's second online Regional Trade Policy Course concluded on 25 March, with 16 government officials from nine Arab and Middle Eastern countries completing the training activity which began on 7 December 2020. The course covered the WTO agreements, trade rules and procedures, and regional trade... Lees verder WTO launches Trade for Peace Network in support of fragile and conflict-affected states On 25 March, the Trade for Peace Network was launched at a meeting attended by ambassadors from WTO members and observers, heads of international organisations and experts involved in the WTO Trade for Peace initiative. The network will allow policymakers and experts to exchange ideas and identify... Lees verder Members discuss SPS Ministerial Declaration, address large number of trade concerns At a meeting of the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures on 25-26 March, WTO members discussed a possible SPS Declaration for the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) to be held in Geneva at the end of the year. Members also addressed a large number of specific trade concerns... Lees verder DG Okonjo-Iweala: Action on trade can help alleviate debt pressures for poorest countries Speaking at a High-Level Meeting with Heads of State and Government on the International Debt Architecture and Liquidity on 29 March, Director-General Okonjo-Iweala said that by closing off export opportunities and lowering commodity prices, COVID-19 has worsened debt dynamics for many developing... Lees verder 2021 Public Forum theme to be "Trade beyond COVID-19: Building Resilience" The WTO's 2021 Public Forum, to be held from 28 to 30 September, will look at the effects of COVID-19 on trade and how the multilateral trading system can help build resilience to the pandemic and future crises. Under the main theme, "Trade beyond COVID-19: Building Resilience", the Public Forum's... Lees verder Informal Dialogue on Plastics Pollution kicks off again The Informal Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade took place on 29 March 2021 and focused on enhancing transparency and international cooperation. The aim was to establish a solid factual basis to support WTO members' efforts to reduce plastics pollution and... Lees verder Global Trade and Blockchain Forum 2021 Remarks by DDG Yi Lees verder Director-General urges WTO members to deliver concrete results this year WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala called on members to deliver concrete results that promote the WTO's founding objectives: using trade to improve the living standards of ordinary people, creating better jobs, and contributing to sustainable development. She was speaking at an informal... Lees verder Blockchain forum looks at how to accelerate digitalization to facilitate trade The 2021 Global Trade and Blockchain Forum held on 30 March brought together policy-makers, trade officials and business representatives to discuss how to leverage blockchain technology to enhance the transparency and efficiency of supply chains and trade processes. It also looked into the role of... Lees verder World trade primed for strong but uneven recovery after COVID-19 pandemic shock Prospects for a quick recovery in world trade have improved as merchandise trade expanded more rapidly than expected in the second half of last year. According to new estimates from the WTO, the volume of world merchandise trade is expected to increase by 8.0% in 2021 after having fallen 5.3% in... Lees verder