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 NEWS ITEM DDG Ellard urges parliamentarians to deepen support for WTO, ratify Fisheries Agreement Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard on 27 April encouraged parliamentarians from around the globe to deepen their support for the WTO, including by ratifying the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. Speaking at an event organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in the European Parliament in Brussels, DDG Ellard also provided an update on negotiations at the WTO in the run-up to the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) to be held in Abu Dhabi in February 2024. The full text of her speech is below. News item ⟶ Dear maria CHADZIDAKIS VAVOURANAKIS, Below are the news items published today on the WTO public website which match with your news preferences.  NEWS ITEM New data reveals regional variations in digitally delivered services trade Trade in digitally delivered services boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic, with global exports growing by 15% on average in 2020-21. Newly released WTO-OECD data show, in particular, a boost in intra-regional trade in these services in Asia, with trade up 25% in 2021, and in North America (+11%). News item ⟶  NEWS ITEM Workshop promotes understanding of quantitative restrictions, notification requirements Geneva and capital-based officials attended on 24 April the Capacity Building Workshop on the Notification of Quantitative Restrictions, organized by the Committee on Market Access and the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC). The activity aimed at improving members’ understanding of quantitative restrictions (QRs) and their notification requirements. News item ⟶  NEWS ITEM DDG González: A stronger WTO is good for people, planet and prosperity “The rules-based trading system offers businesses everywhere the openness, transparency and predictability they need to navigate an increasingly complex and challenging trade policy landscape,” WTO Deputy Director-General Anabel González said on 25 April at the 2023 DHL Forum, an event bringing together leaders from the public and private sectors to discuss how to achieve a resilient future. “I encourage you to invest in strengthening the WTO and work closely with all other stakeholders to build the WTO that people want and need for the 21st century,” she said. News item ⟶  NEWS ITEM El Salvador minister calls on WTO members to take action on promoting gender equality Implementing specific action in a coordinated way to advance women’s economic empowerment is crucial, said María Luisa Hayem Brevé, El Salvador’s Minister of the Economy, at a meeting of the Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender on 21 April. She welcomed WTO members’ work on trade and gender and outlined El Salvador’s projects for promoting gender equality in trade. News item ⟶  NEWS ITEM Canada donates CAD 1.4 million to WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism The government of Canada is providing CAD 1.4 million (approximately CHF 948,073) to the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism to assist developing members and least-developed country members in implementing the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. Ambassador Nadia Theodore presented the contribution to WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on 21 April. Press release ⟶  NEWS ITEM WTO members deepen discussion on e-commerce moratorium WTO members on 20 April shared perspectives on the current practice of not imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions. In the fourth of a series of dedicated discussions held this year under the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce, members highlighted the need for more exchanges on issue of the e-commerce moratorium, focusing in particular on its definition, scope, and implications on developing countries. News item ⟶  NEWS ITEM Trade Policy Review: El Salvador The fifth review of the trade policies and practices of El Salvador takes place on 18 and 20 April 2023. The basis for the review is a report by the WTO Secretariat and a report by the Government of El Salvador. TPR documents ⟶  NEWS ITEM Working group on food security discusses building resilience, financing challenges At a meeting of the WTO’s working group on food security held on 17 April, WTO members stressed the need to enhance agricultural production and productivity in least-developed countries (LDCs) and net food-importing developing countries (NFIDCs) to improve their resilience to the acute food security crisis. Members exchanged insights from the workshop on production resilience that took place on 12 April and continued their discussion on financing challenges. They also reviewed the most recent results from the needs assessment questionnaire. News item ⟶  NEWS ITEM DDG Paugam: Trade is essential in responding to food security crisis In a video message to the 2023 China Agricultural Outlook Conference on 20 April, Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam highlighted the importance of open trade in responding to food market shocks and building long-term resilience to the food crisis. China could play a leading role in revitalizing farm talks at the WTO as members gear up for the 13th Ministerial Conference in February 2024, said DDG Paugam. These talks are key to helping agri-food systems adapt to the new challenges of our time, he added. The full text of his speech is below. News item ⟶  NEWS ITEM DG Okonjo-Iweala: WTO must contribute solutions to economic challenges the world is facing WTO members need to do more to boost global trade growth by investing in multilateral cooperation and contributing solutions to the economic challenges the world is facing, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said on 19 April. 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