WTO: Members deepen discussions on trade and environmental sustainability

Members deepen discussions on trade and environmental sustainability WTO members taking part in the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) held the first round of in-depth discussions on 17-18 May on four specific issues under the TESSD heading. Lees verder DDG Paugam highlights public-private sector dialogue in addressing supply chain challenges Improved dialogue between the public and private sectors is indispensable in better understanding the challenges facing global supply chains and raising the level of political attention around this issue, Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam said on 18 May. Lees verder Agriculture negotiators strive for results in final stretch to Ministerial Conference WTO members have intensified work on achieving outcomes in agriculture that would respond to the looming food crisis and advance agriculture reforms, said the chair of the negotiations, Ambassador Gloria Abraham Peralta (Costa Rica), at a meeting on 19 May, three weeks before the WTO's 12th... Lees verder WTO accession for the Comoros moves towards final stages WTO members noted the substantial progress made by the Comoros towards concluding WTO accession negotiations, especially in the bilateral market access pillar, at the seventh meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of the Union of the Comoros on 19 May. The Government of the Comoros stressed... Lees verder Chair of fisheries subsidies negotiations reports on progress made during "Fish Week" The chair of the fisheries subsidies negotiations, Ambassador Santiago Wills of Colombia, on 20 May reported to members on the progress made in intensive negotiations held on 16-20 May. Members have adopted a positive tone and shown some new flexibility in the discussions, paving the way for... Lees verder Members reach consensus on 2022 chairs for subsidiary bodies of Goods Council WTO members reached consensus on 23 May on a slate of names of the chairpersons for the 14 subsidiary bodies that report to the Council for Trade in Goods. The chair of the Goods Council, Mr Etienne Oudot De Dainville (France), thanked members for their constructive spirit and flexibilities in... Lees verder Goods barometer remains flat as Ukraine conflict, COVID-19 weigh on trade The conflict in Ukraine and recent pandemic-related lockdowns in China appear to be dampening global goods trade in the first half of 2022, according to the latest WTO Goods Trade Barometer. The current reading of 99.0 remains slightly below the baseline value of 100 for the index, which is a... Lees verder DG Okonjo-Iweala underlines need to help African small businesses access trade finance Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala underscored the pressing need for trade finance in African countries, especially for small businesses, at a workshop organized jointly by Côte d'Ivoire, the WTO and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) on 23 May. She said the event provided an opportunity... Lees verder New study looks at challenges and opportunities of LDCs' accession to WTO The WTO launched on 24 May a paper that explores the impact of WTO accession on least-developed countries (LDCs) and the best practices established for LDC accessions based on the experience of the nine countries that have joined the WTO as LDCs. The study traces the evolution of the WTO approach... 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 31 May 2022, 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