The WTO Secretariat has circulated a meeting notice and list of items proposed for the next meeting, on 24 February 2025, 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 called an “airgram”.

24 February 2025

Government officials from WTO members and observers eligible to benefit from technical assistance activities are invited to submit applications to take part in the 2025 Advanced Global Workshop on the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) 2012 to be held from 28 April to 2 May 2025. Officials can submit applications until 3 March 2025.

21 February 2025

Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard, speaking at the 54th session of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade in Brussels on 20 February, urged parliamentarians to rally behind the multilateral trading system amid mounting geopolitical challenges. In her address, she outlined the organization’s negotiating priorities ahead of the WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference in March 2026 and emphasized the need for stronger global cooperation to navigate current geopolitical tensions. Her full speech is below.

20 February 2025

The need to deepen discussions on WTO reform and to consider fundamental changes to how the organization functions in the light of current challenges was highlighted during a meeting of the WTO’s General Council on 18-19 February. The reform discussions were formally launched at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in 2022.

19 February 2025

Chinese Taipei deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on 18 February, advancing the tally of formal acceptances to 90. Dr Chang-Fa Lo presented Chinese Taipei’s instrument of acceptance to Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

18 February 2025

The WTO General Council, on 18 February 2025, noted consensus on a slate of names of chairpersons for WTO bodies.

18 February 2025

Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala urged WTO members on 18 February to use the WTO as a platform for dialogue and to engage on the issues that are contributing to current global trade tensions. The Director-General was speaking at the first 2025 meeting of the WTO’s General Council.

18 February 2025

New data on bilateral trade in services covering over 200 economies from 2005 to 2023 was released by the WTO and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on 17 February. The Balanced Trade in Services (BaTIS) dataset, available on the WTO Global Services Trade Data Hub, provides insights into trade in 26 services sectors, covering digitally deliverable services , total commercial services and other breakdowns. Interactive data visualizations allow users to customize the information provided.

17 February 2025

At a meeting on the Work Programme on E-commerce on 17 February 2025, WTO members shared experiences on legal and regulatory frameworks for e-commerce, with a special focus on consumer protection, privacy and data protection, and cyber security. Members also reflected on the role of the WTO in fostering regulatory frameworks that facilitate e-commerce.

17 February 2025

WTO members voiced their support for Somalia’s bid to become a member of the organization and praised the commitment by its government to advancing the accession process. At the first meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of Somalia on 17 February, the Somalian delegation emphasized that joining the WTO will be fundamental to boosting economic growth and enhancing living standards.

17 February 2025