World Trade Organization

Today’s supply chain disruptions reaffirm the importance of a multilateral trading system based on WTO rules

Speaking at a Trade Dialogues on Food virtual event on 1 June devoted to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said that the issue of food security remains a major concern despite an easing of the food price spike triggered by the war in Ukraine. Trade has an “absolutely central” role to play in ensuring predictable, stable and fair trade in food, she noted.

Proposals for this year’s Public Forum — entitled “It is Time for Action” — must be submitted by 15 June 2023. Individuals interested in organizing sessions at the Forum, to be held on 12-15 September, are invited to complete an online application form.

A new Global Trade Data Portal now available on the WTO website provides access to real-time data on trade, allowing users to monitor supply chain activities and providing advance warning of potential disruptions. This information can be helpful in determining appropriate policy action. The Portal was launched by the WTO on 31 May with the release, among other things, of new dashboards on seaborne trade in wheat and other grains and oil seeds aimed at improving market transparency at a time of food insecurity.

WTO members discussed initiatives aimed at strengthening the economic output of the world’s poorest countries at a meeting of the Sub-Committee on Least-Developed Countries (LDCs) on 31 May. Angola, Rwanda and international organizations shared their experiences in improving LDCs’ economic capacity.

Global goods trade remained depressed in the first quarter of 2023, but forward-looking indicators point to a possible turnaround in the second quarter according to the latest WTO Goods Trade Barometer issued on 31 May.

French-speaking government officials are invited to participate in an in-person training course on trade and gender at the WTO from 17 to 20 July 2023. The course is intended to help participants develop trade policies aimed at promoting gender equality and taking account of gender issues. The activity will complement the work of the Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender on increasing women’s participation in global trade. The deadline to submit applications is 12 June 2023.

At the request of Indonesia, WTO members agreed at a meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body on 30 May to establish a dispute panel to review anti-dumping measures imposed by the European Union on imports of stainless steel cold-rolled flat products from Indonesia. Members also received an update on the state of play in the informal discussions on dispute settlement reform.

The recently published 2022 report on WTO technical assistance outlines how the WTO Secretariat has responded to the training needs of WTO members and observer governments since the ending of COVID-19 restrictions. In the foreword to the report, Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang says: “The WTO Secretariat has continued to adapt technical assistance activities and keep them relevant in a fast-changing world.”

Participants in the negotiations on e-commerce discussed key issues such as data flow, data localisation and development at their 22-25 May meetings. The co-convenors (Australia, Japan and Singapore) urged members to step up the work of the small groups between now and the summer break in order to achieve as much convergence as possible.