WTO
WTO at 25: Semiconductor Industry Association
- Title
- WTO at 25: Semiconductor Industry Association
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- On the occasion of the WTO's 25th anniversary, a number of representatives of the private sector, international organizations and non-governmental organizations have provided video messages where they reflect on what the WTO and the multilateral trading system means to them.
In this video: John Neuffer, President and CEO of the Semiconductor Industry Association, shares his thoughts about the WTO on its 25th anniversary.
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- WTO at 25: Singapore Business Federation
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- On the occasion of the WTO's 25th anniversary, a number of representatives of the private sector, international organizations and non-governmental organizations have provided video messages where they reflect on what the WTO and the multilateral trading system means to them.
In this video: Ho Meng Kit, Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), shares his thoughts about the WTO on its 25th anniversary.
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- WTO at 25: National Foreign Trade Council
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- On the occasion of the WTO's 25th anniversary, a number of representatives of the private sector, international organizations and non-governmental organizations have provided video messages where they reflect on what the WTO and the multilateral trading system means to them.
In this video: Rufus Yerxa, President of the National Foreign Trade Council in the US, shares his thoughts about the WTO on its 25th anniversary.
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- WTO at 25: Information Technology Industry Council (ITI)
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- On the occasion of the WTO's 25th anniversary, a number of representatives of the private sector, international organizations and non-governmental organizations have provided video messages where they reflect on what the WTO and the multilateral trading system means to them.
In this video: Jason Oxman, President of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), shares his thoughts about the WTO on its 25th anniversary.
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- WTO at 25: National Confederation of Industry – Brazil
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- On the occasion of the WTO's 25th anniversary, a number of representatives of the private sector, international organizations and non-governmental organizations have provided video messages where they reflect on what the WTO and the multilateral trading system means to them.
In this video: Robson Braga de Andrade, President of Brazil’s National Confederation of Industry, shares his thoughts about the WTO on its 25th anniversary.
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- WTO Women Pioneers: Maika Oshikawa
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Maika Oshikawa has been the Director of the WTO Accessions Division since 2018 and the first Japanese ever to serve as a WTO Director. Prior to joining the Accessions Division, she worked 22 years in several areas of the WTO, including the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation and the Office of the Director-General.
- Title
- WTO Women Pioneers: Suja Rishikesh
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Suja Rishikesh Mavroidis is the Director of the Market Access Division at the WTO, taking that position in 2015. She has worked for more than thirty years at the GATT and WTO in different capacities, beginning her journey in the Development Division.
- Title
- WTO Women Pioneers: Clarisse Morgan
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Clarisse Morgan has been the Director of the Rules Division since 2018. She has been part of the WTO for its entire 25 years of existence. Clarisse joined the WTO in 1995 as an Economic Affairs Officer in the Rules Division.
- Title
- WTO Women Pioneers: Xiaolin Chai
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Xiaolin Chai has been the Director of the WTO's Trade in Services and Investment Division since 2017. She is the first Chinese national to serve as a Director in the WTO. Before joining the organization, Xiaolin was Minister in charge of Economy and Trade at the Chinese Mission to the European Union in Brussels.
- Title
- WTO Women Pioneers: Bridget Chilala
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Bridget Chilala has been the Director of the WTO Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC) since 2011. She started her career in the Ministry of Trade in Zambia and rose quickly through the ranks, before pursuing an international career in trade. Bridget also served as Zambia's chief negotiator from 1994 to 1998.
- Title
- WTO Women Pioneers: Nthisana Phillips
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Nthisana Phillips has been the Director of the WTO's Administration and General Services Division since 2015. Before joining the WTO, she served as Director of Finance and Corporate Services for the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR). Previously, Nthisana also served as Assistant Secretary General in the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States Secretariat in Brussels.
- Title
- WTO SPS Committee – Chairpersons' reflections on its 25th anniversary 3/6
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the WTO SPS Committee all former Chairpersons were invited to send a short video about their time as Chairs. They reflected on the main challenges they faced, their achievements and personal experience. The WTO Secretariat produced a set of videos with the Chairs' contributions, which was streamed during the SPS@25 event on 2 November 2020. This is the third of the three videos.
- Title
- WTO SPS Committee – Chairpersons' reflections on its 25th anniversary 2/6
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the WTO SPS Committee all former Chairpersons were invited to send a short video about their time as Chairs. They reflected on the main challenges they faced, their achievements and personal experience. The WTO Secretariat produced a set of videos with the Chairs' contributions, which was streamed during the SPS@25 event on 2 November 2020. This is the second of the three videos.
- Title
- WTO SPS Committee – Chairpersons' reflections on its 25th anniversary 1/6
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the WTO SPS Committee all former Chairpersons were invited to send a short video about their time as Chairs. They reflected on the main challenges they faced, their achievements and personal experience. The WTO Secretariat produced a set of videos with the Chairs' contributions, which was streamed during the SPS@25 event on 2 November 2020 and shared on WTO's social media accounts. This is the first of the three videos.
- Title
- WTO Women Pioneers: Roslyn Jackson
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Roslyn Jackson, a US national, was the second woman to become director in the WTO. She took up the position of Director of the former Statistics Division in 1999. She retired in 2004.
- Title
- WTO Women Pioneers: Yuejiao Zhang
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Yueijao Zhang is the first Chinese national to be appointed as a Member of the WTO's Appellate Body. She served two consecutive terms from 2008 to 2016. Prior to her appointment to the AB Yueijao served as the Chief legal counsel for China's WTO accession. She has held several positions in government and academia in China, including as Director-General of Law and Treaties at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation.
- Title
- WTO Women Pioneers: Cecilia Malmström
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Cecilia Malmström served as the European Commissioner for Trade from 2014 to 2019. During her term, Cecilia was a driving force in the expansion of EU's preferential trade agreements, leading to the conclusion of several bilateral agreements with major trading partners, including Canada, Japan, Singapore and Mexico. She led the EU delegation at the Nairobi and Buenos Aires Ministerial conferences.
- Title
- WTO Women Pioneers: Anabel González
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Anabel González was the first woman to serve as Director of the WTO's Agriculture and Commodities Division from 2006 to 2009. She served as Costa Rica's Trade Minister from 2010 to 2014, when she joined the World Bank Group as Senior Director of Global Practice and Competitiveness until 2017. In this capacity, she led a team of 500 people to design and implement the World Bank's Group agenda in the areas of trade, investment climate, competitiveness, innovation and entrepreneurship.
- Title
- WTO Women Pioneers: Sunanta Kangvalkulkij
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Sunanta Kangvalkulkij is the first person from Asian woman to serve as Chair of the WTO General Council, in 2019, after a year of chairing the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body. Currently, she serves as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Thailand to the WTO and WIPO.
- Title
- WTO Women Pioneers: Susan Schwab
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- WTO Women Pioneers: Frances Lisson
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Frances Lisson has been a driving force in the advancement of negotiations in several areas of WTO work, including e-commerce and domestic regulation in services, and in moving issues involving women and trade to the forefront of members' discussions in the WTO. Frances represented Australia in the Uruguay Round and other WTO negotiations. She served as Australia's Ambassador to the WTO from 2017 to 2020.
- Title
- WTO Women Pioneers: Arancha González
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- WTO: signs of rebound in trade
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- World trade shows signs of bouncing back from a deep, COVID-19 induced slump, but World Trade Organization economists caution that any recovery could be disrupted by the ongoing pandemic effects.
The WTO now forecasts a 9.2% decline in the volume of world merchandise trade for 2020, followed by a 7.2% rise in 2021, said Xiaozhun Yi, WTO Deputy Director-General. These estimates are subject to an unusually high degree of uncertainty since they depend on the evolution of the pandemic and government responses to it.
Estimates and additional figures were announced at a press conference in Geneva and online on 6 October 2020.
Full details: https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres20_e/pr862_e.htm
- Title
- WTO trade forecast update (press conference)
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- World trade shows signs of bouncing back from a deep, COVID-19 induced slump, but World Trade Organization economists caution that any recovery could be disrupted by the ongoing pandemic effects.
Learn more: https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres20_e/pr862_e.htm
- Title
- Let's talk Membership
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- The World Trade Organization (WTO) is built on the belief that international rules-based trade is in the long-term interest of trading nations and economies.
The WTO is run by its member governments. Through cooperation under the umbrella of the WTO, they ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.
WTO membership gives access to a level playing field where all play by the same global trade rules. New members join on equal terms. Developing and least-developed countries are accorded special protection (“special and differential treatment”) to help them boost economic growth.
Accession to the WTO is a process of engagement with the world. It signals: we are open for business. WTO members are bound by the global rules of trade and in return, they are also protected by the rules.
Since its establishment in 1995, many developing economies and small nations have joined the WTO, making it a forum where many views a...
- Title
- Let’s Talk Schedules
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Exporters need reliable information about how their goods and services will be treated at the border. They want to know if they will have to pay tariffs and how high they are. This vital information is listed in the “schedules of concessions” of WTO members.
Roy Santana, Counsellor at the WTO Market Access Division, and Roberta Lascari, Economic Affairs Officer at the WTO, take advantage of a visit to a chocolate factory to talk — in the sweetest possible terms — about how schedules make trade more predictable, smooth and transparent.
******
If you want to go deeper on the topic of schedules of concessions, here are a few
additional explanations.
WTO schedules form the backbone of the multilateral trading system. They are an important WTO tool to ensure transparency, stability and predictability of world trade.
Schedules are the result of negotiations among WTO members. Most schedules were established during the U...
- Title
- DG Azevêdo's farewell words to the General Council
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- In his farewell statement to the General Council on 23 July 2020, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo reflects on the achievements secured during his seven years at the helm of the WTO and the challenges facing the organization ahead. “We’ve achieved a lot, but much remains to be done” DG Azevêdo says.
- Title
- Promoting Access to Medical Technologies
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Director-General Roberto Azevêdo joins his counterparts from WIPO and the WHO to launch the second edition of the Trilateral Study on Promoting Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation.
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- Women and trade: a conversation
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Trade can dramatically improve women’s lives, new research confirms. Access the full report here: http://bit.ly/339h2nz
- Title
- World Cotton Day launch at WTO on 7 October 2019
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- World Cotton Day sheds light on the linkages between trade, cotton and development
The World Cotton Day, launched 7 October 2019, sheds light on the linkages between trade, cotton and development communities and the need to achieve greater value addition and value capture in developing countries. It marks the importance of the cotton dossier at the WTO, both on trade and development, especially for developing and least-developed countries.
The partner organizations for World Cotton Day (the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations — FAO; the International Cotton Advisory Committee — ICAC; International Trade Centre — ITC; the United Nations Industrial Development Organization — UNIDO; and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development - UNCTAD) say that the event enables stakeholders along the cotton value chain to build better cooperation, with strong commitments to mobilize funding for future cotton projects.
More ...
- Title
- Press conference by WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Roberto Azevêdo will step down as WTO Director-General on 31st August 2020.
This press conference follows his last General-Council meeting with all WTO members, where he delivered a farewell statement.
- Title
- Press conference by Liam Fox
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Liam Fox has been nominated by the United Kingdom for the post of WTO Director-General.
This press conference follows his meeting with all WTO members to present their vision for the organization.
This process will take place between 15-17 July.
More information about the candidates: https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/dg_e/dgsel20_e/dgsel20_e.htm
- Title
- Press conference by Mohammad Maziad Al-Tuwaijri
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Mohammad Maziad Al-Tuwaijri has been nominated by Saudi Arabia for the post of WTO Director-General.
This press conference follows his meeting with all WTO members to present their vision for the organization.
This process will take place between 15-17 July.
More information about the candidates: https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/dg_e/dgsel20_e/dgsel20_e.htm
- Title
- Press conference by Amina C. Mohamed
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Amina C. Mohamed has been nominated by Kenya for the post of WTO Director-General.
This press conference follows her meeting with all WTO members to present their vision for the organization.
This process will take place between 15-17 July.
More information about the candidates: https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/dg_e/dgsel20_e/dgsel20_e.htm
- Title
- Press conference by Yoo Myung-hee
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Yoo Myung-hee has been nominated by Korea for the post of WTO Director-General.
This press conference follows her meeting with all WTO members to present their vision for the organization.
This process will take place between 15-17 July.
More information about the candidates: https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/dg_e/dgsel20_e/dgsel20_e.htm
- Title
- Press conference by Tudor Ulianovschi
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Tudor Ulianovschi has been nominated by Moldova for the post of WTO Director-General.
This press conference follows his meeting with all WTO members to present their vision for the organization.
This process will take place between 15-17 July.
More information about the candidates: https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/dg_e/dgsel20_e/dgsel20_e.htm
- Title
- Press conference by Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh has been nominated by Egypt for the post of WTO Director-General.
This press conference follows his meeting with all WTO members to present their vision for the organization.
This process will take place between 15-17 July.
More information about the candidates: https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/dg_e/dgsel20_e/dgsel20_e.htm
- Title
- Press conference by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been nominated by Nigeria for the post of WTO Director-General.
This press conference follows her meeting with all WTO members to present their vision for the organization.
This process will take place between 15-17 July.
More information about the candidates: https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/dg_e/dgsel20_e/dgsel20_e.htm
- Title
- Press conference by Jesús Seade Kuri
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Jesús Seade Kuri has been nominated by Mexico for the post of WTO Director-General.
This press conference follows his meeting with all WTO members to present their vision for the organization.
This process will take place between 15-17 July.
More information about the candidates: https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/dg_e/dgsel20_e/dgsel20_e.htm
- Title
- MSME Day 2020
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Addressing a webinar on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) held on 26 June to mark MSMEs Day, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo stressed in a recorded video message the importance of tackling the challenges faced by small businesses.
He said that by looking at how governments have supported small business during the COVID-19 crisis, the webinar would help the global community draw lessons from the crisis and explore how international cooperation can be strengthened to better support MSMEs.
The webinar was organized by the Informal Working Group on MSMEs.
- Title
- WTO trade outlook 2020 (June update)
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- World trade fell sharply in the first half of the year, as the COVID-19 pandemic upended the global economy. WTO economists believe that while trade volumes will register a steep decline in 2020, they are unlikely to reach the worst-case scenario of a 32% contraction projected in April. The volume of merchandise trade shrank by 3% year on year in the first quarter according to WTO statistics. Initial estimates for the second quarter indicate a year on year drop of around 18.5%. As things currently stand, trade would only need to grow by 2.5% per quarter for the remainder of the year to meet the optimistic projection of a 13% contraction in 2020.
Director-General Roberto Azevêdo says this is genuinely positive news but we cannot afford to be complacent. For output and trade to rebound strongly in 2021, fiscal, monetary and trade policies will all need to keep pulling in the same direction, he says.
- Title
- World Environment Day
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Director-General Roberto Azevêdo talks about sustainable trade after COVID-19 in a video message recorded for a 4 June online event organized to mark World Environment Day.
- Title
- WTO negotiations on fisheries subsidies
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Chair of fisheries subsidies talks seeks members’ views on next steps amid COVID-19 crisis
Ambassador Santiago Wills of Colombia, the Chair of the Negotiating Group on Rules which is responsible for the fisheries subsidies negotiations, will consult WTO members on 16-17 April on how best to continue work amid disruptions caused by the COVID-19 crisis. In a video message, the chair thanked members for having kept up the momentum so far and called on their continued support for the fish and the oceans.
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- WTO Annual Trade Statistics and Outlook Report
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Title
- WTO trade outlook 2020
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Message of Director-General Roberto Azevêdo on trade outlook 2020
Director-General Roberto Azevêdo notes that the COVID-19 crisis has caused dramatic supply and demand shocks in the world economy, and that these shocks are inevitably causing major disruptions to trade.
WTO economists project that trade will fall steeply in every region of the world and across all sectors of the economy. In an optimistic scenario, the volumes of global trade in goods volumes could tumble by 13% in 2020. If the pandemic is not brought under control, and governments fail to coordinate policy responses, the decline could be 32%, or more.
Two factors will determine the strength of our recovery. One, how quickly the pandemic is brought under control. And two, the policy choices governments make.
Learn more at : wto.org/english/news_e/press20_e/pr855_e.htm
- Title
- COVID-19 and world trade
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said cross-border trade and investment flows have a role to play in efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, and will be vital for fostering a stronger recovery once the medical emergency subsides.
- Title
- WTO: women in trade
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Women can face additional barriers to international trade in many parts of the world compared to men. Giving women more opportunities improves an economy's competitiveness and productivity.
Alejandra Araya and Sindy Sevilla, two entrepreneurs from Costa Rica, share their experiences and talk about their actions in helping other female business owners.
More about the WTO’s work on women economic empowerment:
www.wto.org/womenandtrade
- Title
- Curaçao and the WTO
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Curaçao is now negotiating membership to the WTO after the General Council accepted their request.
The Caribbean island is covered by WTO agreements as part of Netherlands' membership.
Why change? For better regional integration, says Caryl Monte, Curaçao's WTO chief negotiator.
- Title
- DG Azevêdo on the new STDF Strategy
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) presented its new strategy, covering the next five years, on 30 January 2020 at the WTO headquarters. The strategy aims to build on its strong track record and keep facilitating safe and inclusive trade.
The STDF, a partnership between the WTO and other institutions, supports businesses along the supply chain to help them meet international standards and other requirements for food safety, animal and plant health. It also helps promote sustainable solutions through dialogue, knowledge exchange and projects on the ground.
"The WTO is proud to support this initiative, together with a number of partners," WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said. "I look forward to working with them to ensure that global trade drives growth, development and job creation for people everywhere."
More about the STDF's work:
www.standardsfacility.org
- Title
- The WTO celebrates its 25th anniversary
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- On 15 April 1994, representatives from more than 120 nations gathered in Marrakesh, Morocco, to sign what was described at the time as the “greatest trade agreement in history”. This led to the establishment of the WTO on 1 January 1995 and created a new global framework for liberalizing trade in goods and services, protecting intellectual property rights, and easing trade tensions through a new dispute resolution mechanism.
Over the past 25 years, trade has evolved in many ways, with the WTO playing an important role in this evolution. Today, the organization has 164 members accounting for 98% of world trade.
Learn more at wto.org