WTO
Tackling plastics pollution
- Title
- Tackling plastics pollution
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Speakers in this video:
Ambassador Chad Blackman, Barbados
Ambassador George Mina, Australia
Ambassador José Valencia, Ecuador
Learn more at: https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news21_e/envir_15dec21_e.htm
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- Australia: New initiatives seek to put environment at heart of trade discussions
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Message by Hon. Dan Tehan, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Australia, on the Plastic Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (IDP).
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- UNEP: New initiatives seek to put environment at heart of trade discussions
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Message by Inger Andersen, Executive Director UN Environmental Programme (UNEP), co-sponsor of three new environmental initiatives to put environmental concerns at the heart of future trade discussions.
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- China: New initiatives seek to put environment at heart of trade discussions
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Message by Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen (China) on the Informal Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (IDP).
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- New Zealand: New initiatives seek to put environment at heart of trade discussions
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Message by Trade Minister Damien O'Connor (New Zealand) on Fossil Fuel Reform (FFSR)
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- European Union: New initiatives seek to put environment at heart of trade discussions
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Message by Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade (European Union) on the Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform ( FFSR).
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- Costa Rica: New initiatives seek to put environment at heart of trade discussions
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Message by Ambassador Gloria Abraham Peralta (Costa Rica), and chair of WTO's agriculture negotiations, on the Trade and Environmental Sustainability (TESSD).
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- Strong progress in e-commerce negotiations
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- The co-convenors of WTO negotiations on e-commerce – Australia, Japan and Singapore – welcome the substantial progress made in the initiative. In a statement issued on 14 December, they express confidence that the participating members will achieve convergence on the majority of issues by the end of 2022.
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala emphasised that the pandemic has highlighted the importance of e-commerce. She encourages the initiative to continue to keep its doors open for other members of the WTO to join.
- Title
- China in the WTO: 20 years of history
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Twenty years ago, China joined the World Trade Organization. Looking back at the accession process, DDG Zhang reflects on China´s historical decision to join the global trading system and highlights the impact of this decision on China and the world.
- Title
- Services domestic regulation: a successful WTO outcome
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- Heads of Geneva delegations from the 67 WTO members participating in the Joint Initiative on Services Domestic Regulation announced on 2 December the successful conclusion of negotiations aimed at slashing administrative costs and creating a more transparent operating environment for service providers hoping to do business in foreign markets.
The finalization of the negotiations was gavelled by the WTO ambassadors of Costa Rica (Gloria Abraham Peralta), Australia (George Mina) and the European Union (João Aguiar Machado).
- Title
- Lao PDR joins information technology agreements
- Date posted
- 2 years ago
- Description
- At a press conference on 2 December, Lao PDR announced it had finalised the domestic legislative procedures necessary to implement tariff reduction commitments for IT products covered by the agreements, starting from 1 January 2022.
Deputy Director-General Anabel Gonzalez, Ambassador Chenggang Li of China and Mr Hiddo Houben, Deputy Permanent Representative of the EU mission, also participated in the press conference.
- Title
- Fisheries subsidies negotiations chair submits draft agreement to ministers
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- The chair of the fisheries subsidies negotiations, Ambassador Santiago Wills of Colombia, on 25 November submitted a draft agreement to ministers ahead of the upcoming 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12). “The current draft reflects an honest attempt to find a balance in members’ positions and I think it is the most likely way we can build consensus, without undermining our sustainability objective, and successfully conclude more than 20 years of negotiations,” the chair said.
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- Global Race to Vaccinate
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Vaccines against COVID-19 are being produced in ever greater numbers. And they are perishable. Many times, they must cross borders to the people who need them. And there are many trade-related obstacles that can slow the vaccines down.
In this video, WTO staff play the role of vaccines and face obstacles in this race against the clock.
How much faster could trade run in the global race to vaccinate?
The WTO thanks Ville de Genève and the Centre Sportif du Bout du Monde for welcoming our film shoot.
More information:
https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news21_e/covid_08oct21_e.htm
Presented by Michael Roberts
The runners: Marisol Dar Ali Rothschuh, Monika Shifotoka, Simon Neumueller
The judge: Fanan Biem
- Title
- Let’s Talk Rules-based Trade
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Trade rules tend to be taken for granted. They run in the background. Take them away and trading nations could do whatever they want. Without rules there would be mayhem.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) deals with the global rules of trade between nations. At the heart of the organization are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the great majority of the world’s trading nations. Trade within the framework of the WTO agreements is described as “rules-based”.
WTO's Bernard Kuiten and Sainabou Taal explain how a trading system that is based on rules helps to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.
Learn more:
www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/inbrief_e/inbr_e.htm#global_trade_rules
- Title
- World Trade Report 2021
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- How can trade help countries to be more economically resilient to shocks? What can be done to make the system better prepared and more resilient in the future? The World Trade Report, launched on 16 November, notes the need to address these issues in light of the prospect of increasingly frequent and more intense natural and man-made disasters.
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- Launch of the World Trade Report 2021
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- The COVID-19 pandemic and the prospect of increasingly frequent and more intense natural and man-made disasters raise important questions about the resilience of the global economy to such shocks. The World Trade Report 2021 (WTR21) explores the role of trade, trade policy and international cooperation in building and supporting economic resilience.
Please join us on Tuesday 16 November at the online launch of the WTR21, where the WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala will introduce the publication followed by the presentation of the main findings of the report by the coordinators of the WTR21. They will be joined by expert panellists for a discussion moderated by Robert Koopman, WTO Chief Economist.
- Title
- WTO Celebrates World Cotton Day
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- On 7 October 2021, the WTO celebrated World Cotton Day, reiterating the importance of achieving concrete results on cotton-related issues and the needs of least developed members.
Learn more at https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/agric_e/cotton_e.htm
- Title
- Revised Trade Forecast — Oct 2021
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- The resurgence of global economic activity in the first half of 2021 lifted merchandise trade above its pre-pandemic peak, leading WTO economists to upgrade their forecasts for trade in 2021 and 2022.
Learn more: https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres21_e/pr889_e.htm
- Title
- Hosting the WTO Public Forum 2021: Listening to the people
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala talks about the WTO Public Forum 2021: “Trade Beyond COVID-19: Building Resilience”, and the importance of engaging with civil society.
More information:
https://www.wto.org/english/forums_e/public_forum21_e/public_forum21_e.htm
- Title
- A Global Language for Recycling
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Siddharth Hande of Kabadiwalla Connect explains how his company deals with language differences for plastic as part of wider efforts to map and scale up urban recycling in this three-part WTO Public Forum series focusing on young environmental entrepreneurs.
- Title
- Helping People and Planet
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Prince Kwame Agbata of Coliba Recycling talks about how his company helps women workers and the environment in this three-part WTO Public Forum series focusing on young environmental entrepreneurs. Prince also shares insights on how trade policy can be improved to support green businesses.
- Title
- Empowering Workers and Consumers
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Edda Hamar of Undress Runways explains how any person, as a consumer or an employee, can have an influence on making businesses more sustainable in this three-part WTO Public Forum series focusing on young environmental entrepreneurs.
- Title
- Trade Beyond COVID-19: Public Forum 2021
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Highlights from the opening session of this year’s WTO Public Forum, under the theme: Trade Beyond COVID-19 – Building resilience. Panelists discussed means for trade to support a way out from the pandemic, after a keynote address by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and opening remarks by
Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
More information:
https://www.wto.org/english/forums_e/public_forum21_e/public_forum21_e.htm
- Title
- A WTO for the 21st century: Public Forum 2021
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- What WTO for the 21st century? Representatives from civil society, governments and civil society outline their expectations for WTO reform during sessions of the WTO Public Forum 2021.
More information:
https://www.wto.org/english/forums_e/public_forum21_e/public_forum21_e.htm
- Title
- Public Forum 2021 - MSMEs and COVID: Enhancing Resilience
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on business, particularly on small and medium-sized enterprises. As economies recover, it is important to find innovative ways to become more resilient and build back better. In this session, small business representatives will share their experiences on how the pandemic impacted their businesses, how they managed the risks and the lessons learnt for building resilience against future crises. Experts including senior government officials, will speak about measures which can mitigate pandemic related challenges and what role trade can play in better integrating small businesses into the global economy.
- Title
- Remarks by SoS Trevelyan, United Kingdom
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Remarks in the context of the WTO Public Forum high-level session "Strengthening the Multilateral Trading System"
Watch the session here:
https://youtu.be/2wiA-BrgRAo
- Title
- Public Forum 2021 - Strengthening the Multilateral Trading System
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- In a world largely characterised by rapid technological change, knowledge-driven economies, global environmental issues and growing consumer influence on the production of goods and services, it is important to strengthen the multilateral trading system in order to tackle issues of the 21st century.
This session will bring together a panel of Ministers and experts to discuss a reform agenda that will equip countries with the necessary tools to deal with COVID related challenges and rebuild confidence in the multilateral trading system. Panellists will consider how to make the multilateral trading system more inclusive by integrating women, youth and small businesses into the global economy. In addition, they will discuss how WTO strengthened rules can deliver positive results for developing and least-developed countries including through raising living standards and reducing poverty.
- Title
- Public Forum 2021 - Trade Beyond COVID-19: Building Resilience
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching socio-economic effects. Not only has it increased poverty and deepened inequality across the world, it has also had a severe impact on global trade.
This session will bring together a panel of experts to discuss the effects of the pandemic on trade and how the multilateral trading system can help countries build resilience to COVID-19 and promote inclusive recovery from this and future crises. The panellists will discuss how trade can contribute to keeping supply chains operational to ensure equitable and affordable global access to medical supplies and equipment. They will reflect on how the WTO should collaborate with different stakeholders to scale up and scale out vaccine production, particularly in developing countries. The session will also consider how governments, multilateral institutions, the private sector and civil society can work together to promote sustainable trade and support the protection of the environment.
- Title
- Trade and people: voices from around the world
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Trade is not about containers and packages; trade is about people because it connects them, because it affects every person in the world, because it builds bridges across borders. In this video, a sentence often used by Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala – "trade is about people" - is confirmed by small business owners around the world.
This video was shown during the Opening Session of the WTO Public Forum 2021.
More information:
https://www.wto.org/english/forums_e/public_forum21_e/public_forum21_e.htm
- Title
- Marrakesh: When there are no tourists
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- As the world has faced an unprecedented global health and economic crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism has been one of the most affected sectors. Marrakesh has been particularly hard hit.
- Title
- Okonjo-Iweala's message to the UNFSS
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- In this video message to the United Nations' Food Systems Summit on 23 September, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala underscored the importance of international trade in building sustainable food systems. Noting the opportunity provided by the 12th Ministerial Conference in late November to make progress on critical agricultural issues, she called on world leaders to support and reinvigorate the trading system to ensure greater sustainability.
- Title
- EU’s Executive Vice-President visit to WTO
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Valdis Dombrovskis, EU’s Executive Vice-President, visited Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO Director-General, in Geneva.
They discussed a range of trade initiatives, including health, environment, fisheries, agriculture and services, and the need to advance work ahead of the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12).
- Title
- Update on Agriculture negotiations
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- A significant step forward on Agriculture negotiations at the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference "is critical to rebuilding trust, laying out a path forward, and help ensure the WTO effectively contributes to the COVID-19 recovery", says Ambassador Gloria Peralta of Costa Rica, who chairs the talks. She gives an update on the state of play of Ag negotiations in a video message.
More information:
https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/agric_e/negoti_e.htm
- Title
- Let’s Talk Product Quality
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- The Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement aims to ensure that regulations, standards, testing and certification procedures do not create unnecessary obstacles to trade. At the same time, the Agreement recognises the right of WTO members to implement measures to achieve legitimate policy objectives, such as the protection of human health and safety, or the protection of the environment.
Erik Wijkström and Úna Flanagan from the Trade and Environment Division of the WTO explain how the TBT Agreement is applied to address trade-related issues early on and ease tensions before they develop into full-blown trade conflicts.
- Title
- Message by DG Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala about the STDF
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- “Trade is about people — about making their lives better. As this new 2020 Annual Report makes clear, STDF continued to facilitate safe and inclusive trade during a year in which the global pandemic wreaked havoc with many people’s lives and livelihoods,” says Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala about the STDF Annual Report 2020.
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- WTO members edge closer to fisheries subsidies agreement
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- WTO members edged closer to an agreement which would set new rules for the global fisheries industry and limit government subsidies contributing to unsustainable fishing and the depletion of global fish stocks.
During an all-day meeting with 104 ministers and heads of delegation, WTO members pledged to conclude the negotiations soon and certainly before the WTO’s Ministerial Conference in early December, and to empower their Geneva-based delegations to do so. Members also confirmed that the negotiating text currently before them can be used as the basis for the talks to strike the final deal.
After the meeting, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Amb. Santiago Wills of Colombia, who chairs the Rules Negotiating Group overseeing the fisheries subsidies negotiations, held a press conference.
Learn more at https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news21_e/fish_15jul21_e.htm
- Title
- Press Conference: WTO Fisheries Subsidies Ministerial Meeting
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Title
- Fisheries subsidies negotiations: draft text
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- After two decades of fisheries subsidies negotiations at the World Trade Organization, and marathon discussions this year, the chair of the negotiations Ambassador Santiago Wills has issued a revised draft text of an agreement that would put into action the global ambition to end harmful subsidies for fishing. Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Amb. Wills talk about the current draft text ahead of a meeting at ministerial level to move negotiations forward on 15 July.
More information: https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/rulesneg_e/fish_e/fish_e.htm
- Title
- Trade Dialogues with Business 2021
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Business leaders from around the world met at a virtual Trade Dialogues session on 23 June to discuss pressing issues to be taken up at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) and shared ideas and recommendations on what topics the organization should tackle in the future. Among the issues under discussion were challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Business leaders also expressed strong support for a conclusion of the various negotiations underway.
Learn more:
https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news21_e/trdia_23jun21_e.htm
- Title
- 100th session of the CRTA: Message from Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- "There has always been a close relationship between RTAs and the multilateral trading system. The work done by the Committee helps us understand how this relationship is evolving, and is a regular reminder of how important it is for RTAs and the multilateral trading system to work towards the same goals," says Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on the occasion of the 100th session of the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (CRTA).
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- 100th session of the CRTA: Message from Ambassador Guillermo Valles Galmés (Uruguay)
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- “Through the work of the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements, we have done much to sustain the multilateral trading system. Let us continue that work, let us further that work. Let us perhaps improve our rules,” says Ambassador Guillermo Valles Galmés (Uruguay), former chair of the Negotiating Group on Rules, on the occasion of the 100th session of the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (CRTA).
Learn more at wto.org
- Title
- World Ocean Day 2021
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Marking World Ocean Day on 8 June, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, and Ambassador Santiago Wills of Colombia, chair of the fisheries subsidies negotiations, called on WTO members to deliver a long-awaited agreement to curb funding for harmful fishing. The opportunity to find compromise solutions at the 15th July ministerial meeting must not be squandered, they said.
"Two decades is too long for ending subsidies that finance the relentless overexploitation of our ocean. Governments need to deliver a WTO fisheries subsidies agreement now," DG Okonjo-Iweala said. "Members have made real progress but we're not there yet. Next month, trade ministers from around the world will meet virtually to look at these negotiations. We must seize this opportunity to narrow the remaining gaps," she said.
- Title
- Estonia and Tunisia: visits to the WTO
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala welcomed Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid to the WTO on 7 June. On 9 June, Dr Okonjo Iweala received the visit of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, of Tunisia. The discussions touched on the state of play of trade negotiations at the WTO, and WTO's contribution in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing production in developing countries such as Tunisia.
- Title
- Dr Ngozi on World Environment Day
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Trade cooperation at the WTO must be harnessed sustainably to protect the environment and ensure inclusiveness and prosperity for the world's people, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, said on World Environment Day on 5 June. Ongoing discussions for trade and environment outcomes at the upcoming 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) are highly encouraging, she said.
"The well-being of people is dependent upon the well-being of our planet, and trade can play an important role here," DG Okonjo-Iweala said.
- Title
- Let's Talk Food Safety
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- The WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the "SPS Agreement") allows governments to define product requirements for imported food to protect the health of consumers. To avoid that food safety issues are being used as a pretext to shield producers from foreign competition, governments are encouraged to base their trade-restrictive measures on science and to follow internationally recognized food safety standards.
Christiane Wolff and Arti Gobind Daswani from the Agriculture and Commodities Division of the WTO explain how the SPS Agreement is applied to address trade-related issues early on and ease tensions before they develop into full-blown trade conflicts.
Learn more:
https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/sps_e/sps_e.htm
If you want to go deeper on this topic, here are a few additional explanations and reading suggestions:
A little jargon busting first: SPS is short for “sanitary and phy...
- Title
- WTO Joint Initiative on Investment Facilitation for Development
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Ambassador Mathias Francke of Chile, coordinator of the negotiations for an agreement on investment facilitation for development, provides an udpate of the discussions on this matter ahead of a new round of meetings. Launched in December 2017 at the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires, this joint initiative aims at facilitating greater participation of developing and least-developed members in global investment flows. More than one hundred WTO members participate in the negotiations, and some more attend the meetings as observers.
- Title
- WTO Young Professionals Programme (YPP)
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Every year, the WTO opens its doors to a group of qualified young professionals from developing and least-developed country members of the WTO that are under-represented in the Secretariat.
The Young Professionals Programme (YPP) is a unique opportunity for young people to work with WTO officials and gain hands-on experience which can lead to future professional opportunities in the field of multilateral diplomacy and global trade.
In 2021, 14 young professionals were selected from more than 2,400 candidates following a competitive selection process. Since its inauguration in 2017, nearly 60 professionals have participated in the programme.
Young professionals in this video:
Monika Shifotoka (Namibia)
Carmina Baez (Dominican Republic)
Oscar Fernando (Indonesia)
Olaronke Famuyiwa (Nigeria)
Olabanji Ogunjobi (Belize)
Marisol Dar Ali (Nicaragua)
Sergio Martinez Cotto (Guatemala)
Ting-Wei Chiang (...
- Title
- Aid for Trade Stocktaking Event: High-level panel
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- “If we want to recover from this pandemic and we want a robust economic recovery, there must be access to vaccines for all,” stressed Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at a virtual session with heads of the IMF, OECD, UNCTAD, World Bank and WHO during the Aid for Trade Stocktaking Event in March 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the world and could reverse hard-won development gains, speakers said. It is a demonstration that health and the economy are interdependent. Programmes like Aid for Trade are essential to build back better and make sure that trade has a positive impact on the daily lives of people, particularly in developing and least-developed countries.
Speakers in this video:
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, WTO
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO
Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, IMF
David Malpass, President, World Bank Group
Angel Gurría, Secretary-General, OECD
Isabelle D...
- Title
- WTO trade forecast 2021-2022
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description
- Prospects for a quick recovery in world trade have improved as merchandise trade expanded more rapidly than expected in the second half of last year. According to new estimates from the WTO, the volume of world merchandise trade is expected to increase by 8.0% in 2021 after having fallen 5.3% in 2020, continuing its rebound from the pandemic-induced collapse that bottomed out in the second quarter of last year. Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and WTO economists detailed the figures at a press event on 31 March 2021.
More information:
https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres21_e/pr876_e.htm
- Title
- WTO Trade Forecast 2021-22
- Date posted
- 3 years ago
- Description