 | 03 Aug 2023 | Latest news
| | WTO members facilitate imports, reduce trade restrictions, but food export curbs persist |
| The Director-General’s mid-year report on trade-related developments shows that WTO members continued to facilitate imports and generally exercise restraint in the use of trade-restrictive measures from mid-October 2022 to mid-May 2023. However, while the number of export restrictions on food, feed and fertilizers has come down substantially, many such measures remained in place, contributing to supply uncertainty and price volatility. Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala urged members to work together to deliver results at the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) that strengthen the WTO and ensure trade continues to foster growth, resilience and prosperity. |
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| | Sweden donates SEK 5 million to WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism |
| The government of Sweden is contributing SEK 5 million (approximately CHF 500,000) to the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism to assist developing members and least-developed country members in implementing the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. Ambassador Mikael Anzén presented the contribution to WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on 27 July. |
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| | Panel issues report in dispute between Dominican Republic and Costa Rica on steel duties |
| On 27 July, the WTO circulated the panel report in the case brought by Costa Rica in “Dominican Republic — Anti-dumping measures on corrugated steel bars” (DS605). |
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| | Dear maria CHADZIDAKIS VAVOURANAKIS,
Below are the news items published today on the WTO public website which match with your news preferences. |
| | New publication sets out common framework for measuring digital trade |
| A new edition of the Handbook on Measuring Digital Trade issued today (28 July) provides a framework and practical guidance on how to measure digital trade. Building upon the first edition issued in 2019, the Handbook aims to address the challenges inherent in measuring digital trade and to establish consistent practices that will allow for comparable data across countries. The publication is jointly authored by the WTO, the International Monetary Fund, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. |
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| | Members agree trade policy review enhancement, delivering WTO reform proposal for MC13 |
| Members successfully concluded on 26 July the 7th Appraisal of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM), delivering the first potential outcome on WTO reform for consideration at the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) to be held in Abu Dhabi in late February 2024. At a meeting of the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB), members agreed on a set of pragmatic, common-sense and forward-looking measures that will significantly strengthen the TPRM as a transparency tool, while making Trade Policy Reviews (TPRs) more efficient and less burdensome to WTO members. |
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| | The WTO and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie launch a call for submissions on digital trade |
| The Secretariats of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) have launched a joint call for contributions for research papers on regulatory aspects of digital trade, and inclusive and sustainable development dynamics, particularly with regard to French-speaking developing and least-developed countries (LDCs). The deadline for submissions is 30 October 2023. |
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