World Trade Organization Press Releases - EIN Presswire - Press Release Distribution Service

Published on March 10, 2026 - 00:00 GMT

Director-General updates members on final preparations for "turning point" ministerial

"MC14 will be consequential for the organization," DG Okonjo-Iweala told delegations. "It is what I call a 'Turning Point Ministerial', one in which we can show that the organization is up to the job of taking criticism seriously and …

Distribution channels: Banking, Finance & Investment Industry

Published on March 9, 2026 - 00:00 GMT

Uzbekistan commits to maintaining "strong momentum" to accede to WTO in 2026

The high-level delegation from Tashkent comprised 20 senior government officials, including Azizbek Urunov, Representative of the President of Uzbekistan on the WTO and Chief Negotiator, Akhadbek Khaydarov, Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, and …

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Published on March 9, 2026 - 00:00 GMT

The value of the WTO: An economics viewpoint in six instalments

By Robert Staiger Why do economies negotiate trade agreements? If unilateral free trade can benefit an economy, why do governments devote so much effort to negotiating reciprocal tariff reductions and detailed trade rules with their partners? The answer …

Distribution channels: Banking, Finance & Investment Industry

Published on March 9, 2026 - 00:00 GMT

From field to factory, football and fashion: MC14 high-level event to spotlight cotton

The WTO Secretariat in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Trade Centre (ITC), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and FIFA will bring together ministers, stakeholders, development …

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Published on March 6, 2026 - 00:00 GMT

Coordinators of Plastics Dialogue ready ministerial statement and other outcomes for MC14

The meeting was chaired by the Ambassadors and Deputy permanent representatives of Barbados, China, Ecuador, Morocco, Australia and Fiji - the co-coordinators of the DPP. Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam attended the meeting. The coordinators …

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Published on March 5, 2026 - 00:00 GMT

EU contributes EUR 1 million to strengthen trade capacity in developing economies, LDCs

This contribution to the WTO's Global Trust Fund (GTF) will help finance the implementation of the WTO's technical assistance plan through targeted capacity-building initiatives. These programmes enable government officials from developing …

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Published on March 5, 2026 - 00:00 GMT

WTO members conclude month-long reform discussions in Geneva

During a transparency session with all the membership on 5 March, Ambassador Ølberg said that he will submit the most recent revised draft ministerial statement and work plan to the General Council for ministers' consideration at MC14. The General …

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Published on March 4, 2026 - 00:00 GMT

Heads of WTO, EIB sign landmark agreement to boost trade and investment

The MoU was signed by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and EIB Group President Nadia Calviño on the sidelines of the EIB Group Forum, held from 3 to 5 March in Luxembourg. A central element of the agreement is the EIB-WTO Trade and Investment …

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Published on March 4, 2026 - 00:00 GMT

Government Procurement Committee discusses GPA implementation, progress in accessions

Regulatory developments in Canada The United States, echoed by the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, raised concerns with new federal-level Canadian policies that entered into force in December 2025 and grant …

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Published on March 3, 2026 - 00:00 GMT

WTO members consider new e-commerce proposal and previous submissions ahead of MC14

Switzerland, on behalf of co-sponsors, presented the proposal for the Ministerial Conference to mandate the establishment of a Committee on Digital Trade that would build on the work done under the Work Programme and provide a stable forum for digital …

Distribution channels: Banking, Finance & Investment Industry

Published on February 27, 2026 - 22:35 GMT

WTO members consider enhanced transparency on trade and climate measures

Chair's stocktake on the way forward At the informal and formal CTE meetings held on 26 February, members discussed the Chair's stocktake of CTE work and possible next steps for 2026. The Chair, Ambassador Erwin Bollinger of Switzerland, at his …

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Published on February 27, 2026 - 00:00 GMT

Agriculture talks Chair circulates draft text ahead of MC14 building on member submissions

Discussion of submissions and WTO members' views on the way forward The new submission by Argentina aimed at fostering convergence around political guidance and called on members to "relaunch agriculture negotiations reaffirming their commitment …

Distribution channels: Banking, Finance & Investment Industry

Published on February 26, 2026 - 00:35 GMT

Rewiring global value chains in a changing global environment

By Victor Stolzenburg Global value chains are the backbone of the world economy, even at a time when they are undergoing structural and policy-driven changes in the face of a rapidly changing global environment. Over the past two decades, international …

Distribution channels: Banking, Finance & Investment Industry

Published on February 25, 2026 - 00:16 GMT

Panel to review Indian measures on batteries, e-vehicles; US appeals tax credits report

DS642: India - Measures Concerning Trade in the Automotive and Renewable Energy Technology Sectors China submitted its second request for the establishment of a dispute panel to rule on Indian measures in the automotive and renewable energy sectors which …

Distribution channels: Banking, Finance & Investment Industry

Published on February 25, 2026 - 00:00 GMT

Members advance work on 2026 review of Trade Facilitation Agreement

The TFA - aimed at expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit - is the first WTO agreement in which developing and least-developed country (LDC) members determined their own implementation schedules in accordance …

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Published on February 20, 2026 - 00:00 GMT

Trade and gender group kickstarts thematic discussions for 2026

The co-Chairs, Ambassador James Baxter of Australia, Ambassador Clara Delgado of Cabo Verde and Ambassador Patricia Benedetti of El Salvador, explained that adopting a thematic focus for each meeting helps maintain closer links to the Work Plan. " …

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Published on February 19, 2026 - 15:02 GMT

Women's access to international markets to be spotlighted at MC14 high-level event

WTO members of the Informal Working Group on Trade and Gender (IWG) will take stock of the Group's efforts on gender-responsive trade policy and launch a new compendium compiling its technical work since 2020. The session will also kick off a second …

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Published on February 18, 2026 - 09:20 GMT

Members endorse draft MC14 decision on boosting small economies' participation in trade

Submitted by the WTO's Group of Small, Vulnerable Economies (SVEs), the draft decision calls for WTO members to address how to integrate small economies more effectively into the digital trade economy, and into the multilateral trading system more …

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Published on February 18, 2026 - 00:00 GMT

Services meetings focus on LDCs, remittance costs and environmental services classification

Follow-up to MC13 mandates Members continued discussing how to reinvigorate the Council's work on trade in services through more in-depth information-sharing on important topics, in line with the guidance of the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13). …

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Published on February 16, 2026 - 00:00 GMT

Members discuss new approaches, share experiences on reforming fossil fuel subsidies

New Zealand, the coordinator of the FFSR initiative, took stock of the progress made over the past two years across the three pillars of the FFSR work programme identified at the last Ministerial Conference (MC13) in 2024. These include enhancing …

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