WTO: Symposium celebrates 25 years of Information Technology Agreement

Symposium celebrates 25 years of Information Technology Agreement Participants in the WTO's Information Technology Agreement (ITA) looked back at trade opening under the ITA over the past 25 years at a symposium on 16-17 September. The event discussed the role of information and communication technology (ICT) products in combatting COVID-19. It also looked at the... Lees verder Trade thoughts, from Geneva by DDG Anabel Gonzalez Lees verder DG Okonjo-Iweala: Leverage trade to build sustainable food systems In a video message to the United Nations' Food Systems Summit on 23 September, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala underscored the importance of international trade in building sustainable food systems. Noting the opportunity provided by the 12th Ministerial Conference in late November to make... Lees verder Access to COVID-19 vaccine, ministerial outcomes key to driving development in LLDCs Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang called on the global community to increase the access of landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) to the COVID-19 vaccine and to achieve outcomes at the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference that will support sustainable development. DDG Zhang was speaking at the... Lees verder DG Okonjo-Iweala: Vaccine policy key to sustainable economic and trade recovery Speaking at the virtual White House Global COVID-19 Summit on 22 September, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said sustainable economic and trade recovery can only be achieved with a policy that ensures rapid global access to vaccines. "We have a choice," she said. "Either we converge downwards... Lees verder Participants in domestic regulation talks conclude text negotiations, on track for MC12 deal Participants in the negotiations on services domestic regulation concluded text-based discussions at their 27 September meeting, paving the way for conclusion of the negotiations by the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) at the end of November. This agreement represents a breakthrough for the... Lees verder Working group on small business finalises MC12 draft declaration Members of the Informal Working Group on Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) announced on 24 September that the Group has finalized a draft ministerial declaration for the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in late November. Lees verder WTO members mark 20th anniversary of the Advisory Centre on WTO Law WTO members marked the 20th anniversary of the Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL) at the meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) on 27 September, with many lauding the assistance the independent organization has extended to developing and least-developed countries (LDCs) in dispute proceedings... Lees verder DG Okonjo-Iweala encouraged by support voiced for WTO during US visit WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala concluded a whirlwind four-day official visit to the United States on 23 September, meeting with heads of state, senior US officials, members of Congress and representatives from US business and labour groups during her stops in New York City and Washington... Lees verder Lithuania gives EUR 30,000 to strengthen developing countries' negotiating capacities Lithuania has given EUR 30,000 (close to CHF 32,000) in 2021 to finance training and other capacity-building activities for government officials from developing countries and least-developed countries (LDCs). Lithuania's Permanent Representative to the WTO, Donatas Tamulaitis, confirmed the... Lees verder