On 11 July, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala received the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s instrument of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies from the Minister for International Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya. Just seven more acceptances are needed for the Agreement to enter into force.

11 July 2025

WTO members addressed 36 trade concerns as well as current trade tensions at a meeting of the Council for Trade in Goods (CTG) on 7-8 July. Members also discussed a report from the CTG Chair on improving the functioning of the Council, considered a waiver request by the United States concerning the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act and adopted a decision to record the resolution of trade concerns.

8 July 2025

The WTO published on 7 July the 2025 edition of World Tariff Profiles, which provides comprehensive data on the tariffs and non-tariff measures imposed by over 170 economies. It is a joint publication of the WTO, the International Trade Centre (ITC) and UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

7 July 2025

The sixth edition of WTO Trade and Environment Week (30 June to 4 July) concluded with members reiterating their strong engagement to exploring the relationship between trade and the environment during the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) meeting that closed the event. In a positive spirit, the CTE discussed concrete ways to advance its work through thematic sessions, particularly on trade-related climate measures, technology transfer and sustainable agriculture. Members also reviewed new submissions and received updates on member-led environmental initiatives and technical assistance activities.

4 July 2025

The WTO has announced the candidates selected for the 2025 Young Trade Leaders Programme, an initiative launched last year to foster a better understanding of the WTO’s work and international trade among young people. Seven individuals from five continents have been selected to form the second cohort, who will begin immediately for a period of one year.

3 July 2025

A sharp rise in new tariffs and the share of world trade covered by them between October 2024 and May 2025 have contributed to a volatile and unpredictable global trade landscape, the WTO Secretariat’s latest Trade Monitoring Update finds. At the same time, despite the backdrop of trade policy uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and regional conflicts, it sees intensifying engagement in pursuit of negotiated solutions to trade-related differences.

3 July 2025

At a meeting of the Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender on 3 July, members discussed the 2025-2026 Work Plan, a strategic roadmap to translate members’ engagement on women’s economic empowerment through trade into concrete outcomes, including deliverables for the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Cameroon in March 2026. Members also noted the second edition of the International Prize for Gender Equality in Trade and reflected on the WTO symposium “Growing economies through trade — empowering women”, held on 2 July.

3 July 2025

The World Health Organization (WHO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the WTO co-hosted a technical webinar on 3 July, discussing the role of public procurement, including pooled procurement, in promoting global, equitable and timely access to health technologies. The webinar underscored that effective public procurement procedures depend on access to quality and up-to-date information on health product markets, a clear understanding of needs, and the ability of suppliers to deliver required quality products at affordable prices.

3 July 2025

On 2 July, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala received Ghana’s instrument of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies from Ghana’s Ambassador Emmanuel Kwame Asiedu Antwi. Just eight more acceptances are needed for the Agreement to enter into force.

2 July 2025

The WTO Chairs Programme (WCP) kick-started its three-day Annual Conference on 2 July with an eye to the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14), which is scheduled for March next year. The event is bringing together a global network of academic institutions to discuss their research work on trade-related issues and explore how international and regional collaboration can support multilateral work in preparation for MC14 and beyond.

2 July 2025