World Trade Organization — Latest news
The WTO Secretariat has circulated a meeting notice and list of items proposed for the next meeting, on 28 October 2024, 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”.
28 October 2024
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is contributing USD 180,000 (approximately CHF 156,000) to the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) to help developing economies meet international food safety, animal and plant health standards, and facilitate safe trade. The contribution will help advance STDF work to improve access to global and regional markets for developing economies and least-developed countries (LDCs). FDA has contributed between USD 180,000 and USD 200,000 USD annually, for a total of USD 2,140,000 since 2014, pledging similar support for 2025.
28 October 2024
Speaking at a roundtable with heads of multilateral development banks (MDBs) on the sidelines of World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund annual meetings in Washington D.C. on 25 October, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala highlighted the critical role of supply chain finance in integrating small businesses from developing countries into global trade. She commended the WTO’s and International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) progress in promoting supply chain finance and supported the next steps agreed by MDBs to improve access to finance. IFC Managing Director Makhtar Diop co-hosted the event.
25 October 2024
A total of 27 government officials from developing and least-developed WTO members and observers are taking part in an Advanced Trade Policy Course from 14 October to 6 December in Geneva. The eight-week programme aims to bolster participants’ expertise in international trade and deepen participants’ understanding of WTO agreements and procedures. This is the third course of this type organized by the WTO’s Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation this year.
24 October 2024
Germany is pledging EUR 150,000 (approximately CHF 140,000) in 2024 to the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) to help developing economies and least-developed countries (LDCs) improve their sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) capacity. The objective is to increase their access to global and regional markets and contribute to sustainable economic growth, food security and poverty reduction. Germany’s Ambassador to the WTO, Carmen Heidecke, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on behalf of the German government.
24 October 2024
WTO members shared their national experiences on trade facilitation during thematic discussions and undertook a dedicated session on the technical assistance and capacity building needed to implement the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) at a 22-24 October meeting of the Committee on Trade Facilitation. The meeting was chaired by Ms Chanikarn Dispadung of Thailand.
24 October 2024
Five international organizations released on 23 October a landmark report that outlines pathways for coordinated approaches on climate action, carbon pricing, and the cross-border effects of climate change mitigation policies with a view to achieving global climate goals.
23 October 2024
Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard highlighted the robust collaboration between the WTO and the World Customs Organization (WCO) during the latest session of the WCO’s Permanent Technical Committee on 23 October in Brussels. She emphasized various joint initiatives, including efforts in the WTO’s Committee on Market Access and the Informal Working Group on Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, and outlined plans to further enhance cooperation on issues of mutual interest between the two organizations. The full text of her speech is below.
23 October 2024
The fourth review of the trade policies and practices of the Maldives takes place on 23 and 25 October 2024. The basis for the review is a report by the WTO Secretariat and a report by the Government of the Maldives.
23 October 2024
A WTO Regional Trade Policy Course kicked off on 13 October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the participation of 10 government officials from developing and least-developed WTO members and observers from the Arab and Middle Eastern region. The training programme — the first to be organised in partnership with King Saud University — seeks to enhance participants’ understanding of WTO agreements, rules and procedures, while focusing on trade policy issues relevant to the region. The course will run until 5 December.
22 October 2024