WTO

Happening now: The General Council, chaired by Ambassador @CKellyNZ, is meeting to discuss a range of issues, among them: ▶️ Development, with a focus on LDCs ▶️ WTO reform ▶️ E-commerce ▶️ Agriculture More about GC: bit.ly/2PJjkCj

Meeting with accession candidate Curaçao and potential accession Lebanon. Great to receive H. E. Mr. Caryl Monte, Curaçao’s Chief Negotiator who brought the national decree formalizing the basis for accession negotiations and renominating him as Chief Negotiator. Curaçao looks set for hard work following the re-initiation of their process. Many thanks to Working Party Chair, H.E. Amb Matthew Wilson @Matthewbarbados of Barbados for his recent visit to Curaçao. Also exchanging views with H.E. Amb Caroline Ziadeh of Lebanon and the newly named DPR, Mr. Kamel CheikhAli, on Lebanon’s present situation and the government’s push for reforms even in the midst of conflict. Thank you for your interest in engaging with the multilateral trading system.

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the accession of Liberia to the WTO. On 14 July 2016, Liberia became the 163rd member of the World Trade Organization 👉 bit.ly/4wBHLUg

Unlock services trade opportunities for developing economies. Learn how the WTO-@WorldBank Trade in Services for Development (TS4D) toolkit equips governments to strengthen their competitiveness and reap greater benefits from global services trade. 🔗bit.ly/4dBJC4M

WTO members explore path forward on agricultural negotiations #WTOAg dlvr.it/TTWGCV

From its origins as a house of labour to its role today as the home of the WTO, the Centre William Rappard has brought people together for 100 years. On 1 July, the WTO and the @ilo marked the building’s centenary, celebrating its legacy of dialogue and multilateralism.

Introducing the new Chair of the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements, Ambassador Clara Manuela da Luz Delgado Jesus of Cabo Verde. Learn more about CRTA: bit.ly/3OrlqDk

#ICYMI On 9 July, DG @NOIweala welcomed President Mikheil Kavelashvili (@GeoPresident_) to the WTO. They talked about Georgia's economic performance, the country's support for the multilateral trading system, and developments in global trade.

Congratulations to the Kingdom of Bhutan and to the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Employment H.E. Mr. Namgyal Dorji and his delegation including H.E Amb Tshering Lhadn and the agile and energetic Chief Negotiator H.E. Ms. Tashi Wangmo and her team, on resuming its WTO accession process after an 18-year hiatus. Well done on a good Working Party Meeting, many thanks to our Working Party Chair H.E Ambassador Alexander Kmentt of Austria and our Members who have also worked hard to make this a success. Many thanks to the WTO team and to our partners. The journey is restarting, good accomplishments thus far but a lot more to be done. Look forward to an exciting endpoint.

A very joyful meeting with the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy of Nigeria, H.E. Ms. Hannatu Musa Musawa @hanneymusawa, and her delegation, including H.E. Amb Innocent Iwejuo, Chargé d'Affaires a.i., Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN and other IOs in Geneva; DG National Council for Arts and Culture, Mr. @obiasika; Special Assistant to the President on Creativity, Mr. @BabaAgba_; and the one and only @LadiPoe. So proud of what Nigeria‘s creative industry is doing, including its significant contribution to economic growth, jobs, and incomes - particularly for our young people. We discussed the fact that segments of the creative industry are included in digitally delivered services trade, which, growing at 6% per year, is the fastest-growing segment of global trade. The key issue is how to support and enhance the industry so it can increase its footprint in this aspect of global trade. A lovely surprise to have @LadiPoe do one of his numbers, click on the video to see the performance.

A good, substantive meeting with the @_AfricanUnion Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, H.E. Ms. Lerato Mataboge @LDMataboge. Focused on how to prioritize trade-related infrastructure in Africa in order to spur further trade within the African Continental Free Trade Area (@AfCFTA) but also external trade. This includes digital infrastructure in recognition of the advent of AI and the fact that digitally delivered services trade is now the fastest growing segment of trade at 6% per year.

Happy to convene the first meeting of Heads of the 16 public and private organizations who make up the PPC Partenariat pour le Coton (PPC Cotton Partnership). This partnership, coordinated by the @wto and by @UNIDO, seeks to develop the cotton textile garment value chain in Africa, but particularly focused on the Cotton-4+ countries of West Africa. The Steering Committee Meeting got off to a brilliant start with full support for the 2026-2028 work plan and an agreement to launch operational aspects as quickly as possible.

A useful introductory meeting with the African Organization for Intellectual Property (Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle, @OAPI_TWIT) led by their DG Mr. Denis Bohoussou. Focused on how Africa can make better global use of its Intellectual Property. We also discussed challenges confronting the pharmaceutical industry with respect to manufacturing of vaccines and the use of the WTO‘s TRIPS Waiver. In addition, also a good discussion on potential benefits for OAPI from the joint @wto-@WHO-@WIPO work on assisting developing countries to evaluate and build appropriate regulatory frameworks for vaccine and other manufacturing of pharmaceutical products, that will help deal with the challenges discussed.

Important meeting with my colleagues, the Heads of the @IEA, Fatih Birol @fbirol, @IMFNews, Kristalina Georgieva @KGeorgieva, and @WorldBankGroup, Ajay Banga, in the context of the high-level coordination group established in April to maximize our institutions’ response to the energy, trade, and economic impact of the war in the Middle East. At our meeting, we took stock of the current situation including in particular the impact on vulnerable countries, and explored how to further coordinate our support to those in need. Please click on the link to read our Joint Statement. wto.org/english/news_e…

Great meeting with Prof. Dr. Fritzi Köhler-Geib, Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Bundesbank. Focused on global geopolitics and trade, and what it will take to capitalize on Europe’s and Germany‘s innovation ecosystem to spur economic growth.

LDC trade, partnerships, trade for development initiatives explored in Development Week #LDC dlvr.it/TTS5hl

From its origins as a house of labour to its role today as the home of the WTO, the Centre William Rappard has brought people together for 100 years. On 1 July, the WTO and the @ilo marked the building’s centenary, celebrating its legacy of dialogue and multilateralism.

Fertilizer trade impacted by Strait of Hormuz conflict dlvr.it/TTRxZL

On 7 July, 48 WTO members in the Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform initiative reviewed #WTOMC14 outcomes, including newly adopted guidelines to ensure energy crisis support measures are transparent, targeted, and temporary. More: dlvr.it/TTRpYV