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WTO: Investment facilitation negotiations end productive year, aim at conclusion by end 2022

Investment facilitation negotiations end productive year, aim at conclusion by end 2022
WTO members taking part in the negotiations for an agreement on investment facilitation for development (IFD) held on 24 November their last meeting before the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12), wrapping up "a very productive year" and setting the target of concluding text negotiations by...
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Turkmenistan formally applies for WTO membership
Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala received on 24 November Turkmenistan's official application to join the WTO under Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization. It has requested that the application be placed before the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference,...
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DG Okonjo-Iweala briefs members on work to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines
Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala hosted on 25 November an information session on the work done by the WTO Secretariat to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. A total of 146 representatives from 62 members and observers participated in the briefing session.
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Draft agreement on fisheries subsidies submitted for ministers' attention ahead of MC12
The chair of the fisheries subsidies negotiations, Ambassador Santiago Wills of Colombia, on 25 November submitted a draft agreement to ministers ahead of the upcoming 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12). The draft is based on the collective efforts of WTO members who have intensively worked on the...
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DDG Ellard stresses WTO's commitment to support AfCFTA implementation
In a video address to the 6th Annual Meeting of the Africa Economic Zones Organization on 25 November, Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard highlighted potential benefits from the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). She also noted the WTO's commitment to...
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Members conclude milestone review of Trade Facilitation Agreement
WTO members completed the first-ever review of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) on 26 November, four years since the landmark deal entered into force in 2017. Their report took stock of members' progress in implementing the Agreement as well as implementation challenges encountered by members.
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General Council decides to postpone MC12 indefinitely
The General Council agreed late Friday (26 November) to postpone the imminent Ministerial Conference after an outbreak of a particularly transmissible strain of the COVID-19 virus led several governments to impose travel restrictions that would have prevented many ministers from reaching Geneva.
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OECD, WTO issue joint study on economic benefits of new services domestic regulation deal
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the WTO released on 26 November a trade policy brief highlighting the economic benefits that would result from a new deal on services domestic regulation being finalised by a group of 67 WTO members. The study finds that annual...
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Czech Republic gives CZK 550,000 to help developing countries implement TFA
The Czech Republic has committed CZK 550,000 (approximately CHF 22,000) in 2021 to help developing countries and least-developed countries (LDCs) implement the WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and to support the objective of achieving full implementation of the Agreement by all WTO members.
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WTO, IFC heads agree to enhance cooperation on trade finance
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and International Finance Corporation (IFC) Managing Director Makhtar Diop agreed on 29 November to enhance cooperation between the two organizations in order to explore ways to improve the availability of trade financing for regions in need.
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