16 Oct 2023
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
Negotiators advance discussion on IFD Agreement integration into WTO legal structure
WTO members taking part in the negotiations on investment facilitation for development (IFD) have reached consensus on pursuing the plurilateral avenue for the incorporation of the IFD Agreement into the WTO legal architecture. Following the last round of talks on 11-13 October, members agreed to continue ongoing technical work — notably completing the final provisions of the Agreement — based on that option. The co-coordinators of the talks announced that three new participants have joined the initiative since the last plenary meeting in September: Bolivia, Niger and Tonga.
News item ⟶ NEWS ITEM
DG Okonjo-Iweala calls for enhanced efforts to boost access to trade finance
Speaking at the annual meeting of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 13 October, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala highlighted the importance of increasing access to trade finance for small businesses to assist their integration into global supply chains. She emphasized that trade finance plays a vital role in supporting inclusive participation in world trade and urged multilateral development banks to intensify their efforts to reduce the finance gap between demand and supply. The event was co-hosted by International Finance Corporation (IFC) Managing Director Makhtar Diop.
News item ⟶NEWS ITEM
Members complete sixth Fish Week this year of fisheries subsidies negotiations
At the close of the sixth Fish Week of the year held on 9-13 October, the chair of the fisheries subsidies negotiations, Ambassador Einar Gunnarsson of Iceland, lauded members’ efforts in completing the first line-by-line reading of the draft text on disciplines to curb fisheries subsidies contributing to overcapacity and overfishing. The chair said that the resulting compilation of members’ suggested adjustments to the draft text should help members to analyse the remaining divergences and identify possible landing zones.
News item ⟶NEWS ITEM
Aid-for-Trade monitoring and evaluation exercise gets under way