WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION's update

 

01 Feb 2022 Latest news

Dear maria CHADZIDAKIS VAVOURANAKIS, Below are the news items published today on the WTO public website

NEWS ITEM High shipping rates and digital services sustain services trade recovery in Q3 of 2021 Global services trade posted a 25% year-on-year increase in the third quarter of 2021. Digitally deliverable services such as computer, financial and business services were the main drivers of trade growth as well as transport, which was boosted by surging shipping rates. The rise, however, has yet to represent a full recovery from pre-pandemic levels, as services trade remains 5% below levels recorded in the third quarter of 2019. Unequal distribution of vaccines, the emergence of new variants, and border restrictions continue to weigh on international travel. News item   ⟶

NEWS ITEM DDG González: “Trade facilitation and economic resilience are two sides of the same coin” Throughout the pandemic, trade facilitation has played a life-saving role in keeping trade in food and other essential supplies flowing, Deputy Director-General Anabel González said in a keynote speech on 1 February. Speaking at the Global Forum 2022 for National Trade Facilitation Committees, she noted the sizeable contribution that trade facilitation reform could make to help countries seize the opportunities of digital trade and adapt to a rapidly changing trade landscape. News item   ⟶