WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION's update

 

19 Jul 2024 Latest news

Dear maria CHADZIDAKIS VAVOURANAKIS, Below are the news items published today on the WTO public website which match with your news preferences.

NEWS ITEM Benin and Sierra Leone formally accept Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, bringing tally to 80 Benin and Sierra Leone deposited their instruments of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on 19 July, advancing the tally of formal acceptances to 80. Ambassador Corinne Brunet of Benin and Ambassador Lansana Gberie of Sierra Leone presented the instruments of acceptance to Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. News item   ⟶ NEWS ITEM DG Okonjo-Iweala calls on members to “walk the talk” and engage in genuine negotiation Reporting in her capacity as Chair of the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) on 15 July, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala urged WTO members to adopt a spirit of compromise and engage in genuine negotiation in order to overcome differences and reach agreements on several key issues at a General Council meeting scheduled for 22-23 July. News item ⟶ NEWS ITEM Members discuss TRIPS review, pandemic preparedness and impact of new WIPO Treaty At a meeting of the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on 10 July, WTO members discussed arrangements for reviewing implementation of the TRIPS Agreement, mandated to take place every two years. They also advanced work on pandemic preparedness, as requested by the Abu Dhabi Ministerial Declaration, and considered the implications of the newly concluded WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge, examining how it affects the TRIPS Council’s work in this area. News item ⟶   NEWS ITEM Trade Policy Review: China The ninth review of the trade policies and practices of China takes place on 17 and 19 July 2024. The basis for the review is a report by the WTO Secretariat and a report by the Government of China. TPR documents   ⟶

NEWS ITEM Members discuss range of topics related to developing economies’ participation in trade At its meeting on 16 July, the WTO’s Committee on Trade and Development heard from the Chair, Ambassador Ram Prasad Subedi (Nepal), on his efforts to streamline the work of the Committee. It also reviewed a number of submissions from members on various aspects of the nexus between trade and development, examining issues for possible consideration in the Committee’s future work. Members were also briefed on work related to technical assistance for developing economies and least developed countries (LDCs). News item   ⟶

NEWS ITEM Digitalization, transit issues of landlocked states in focus at trade facilitation meeting At the 10-11 July meeting of the Committee on Trade Facilitation, WTO members shared national experiences of digitalizing documentation and other procedures to ensure smooth cross-border trade flows. Members also separately discussed transit issues facing landlocked countries. News item   ⟶

NEWS ITEM Call for papers deadline extended for World Trade Congress on Gender 2025 The deadline for submitting research paper proposals for the second World Trade Congress on Gender has been extended to 16 August 2024. The next edition of the Congress, themed “Gender Equality and Innovation, the Keys to Sustainable Trade,” will take place at the WTO headquarters in Geneva from 24 to 27 June 2025. Organized jointly by the WTO, UN Women and the WTO Gender Research Hub, the event aims to explore the intersection of gender equality, innovation and trade. News item   ⟶

 

NEWS ITEM WTO members explore ways of boosting LDCs’ capacity to participate in services trade Finding ways to boost least-developed countries’ (LDCs) services trade was the topic of a session held on 11 July under the WTO’s Sub-Committee on LDCs. The event brought together trade experts, international organizations and other stakeholders to share their experiences. News item   ⟶