Emilie Kerstens & Belén Gracia

In a recent webinar hosted by TradeExperettes, esteemed experts including WTO DDG Johanna Hill, Alice Tipping, Director of Trade and Sustainable Development at the IISD, and Tiffany Smith, Vice President for Global Trade Policy at NFTC, provided their insightful reflections on the outcomes of MC13, shedding light on its accomplishments, failures and perhaps most importantly, the path forward. 

Christine McDaniel

This week, all eyes are on the WTO 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) and its 2022 Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. Further rules proposed for MC13 would help members better target the underlying role of harmful fisheries subsidies that cause overcapacity and overfishing. 

Jane Drake-Brockman & Hildegunn Kyvik Nordås

The internet is a global public good that we can no longer take for granted. Recent years have  witnessed escalating constraints on cross-border  data transfers - undermining the integrity of the internet itself, and threatening the global digital transformation. The WTO has a critical role to play to keep markets open, particularly to the benefit of MSMEs firms in developing countries. MC13 can contribute to this goal.

Cecilia Malmstrom

As the WTO Ministerial starts next week, unfortunately, there is not much we can expect, due to the lack of political will. The world is in acute need of global rules and a functioning multilateral system, but reforming the WTO requires political will and a true global commitment.

Fiama Angeles, Riya Roy, and Yulia Yarina

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has faced severe criticism for its inability to conclude any major negotiations in over two decades. The lack of consensus among its diverse Membership, who differ considerably in terms of their economic, socio-political structures, and interests, has been at the center of this impasse.

Faith Tigere and Kugler Kholofelo

Trade in medical goods has experienced a boom with the outbreak of COVID-19. However, the imposition by governments of trade restrictions on COVID-19 medical products has affected global supply chains, which in turn impact public health interventions.

Maria V. Sokolova, Alisa DiCaprio, and Nicole Bivens Collinson

The nominations process that has been in place up until now for international organizations has yielded limited diversity both with regard to gender and nationality of candidates.

Ingrid Berglund

Currently, the world is facing a crisis unlike anything we have seen before. And without doubt, it is difficult in the middle of a crisis to discuss anything else than acute measures.

Leslie Griffin

With growing dialogue on the future of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and a global focus on the movement of vital supplies across borders in response to COVID-19, it is an opportune time to review progress with the only multilateral pact agreed to by the WTO since its founding, the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).

Gabriela Sánchez Escamilla

We are facing a historic moment. In less than 4 months, COVID-19 has become a pandemic of proportions nobody could have imagined.

Ariane Yvon

As the COVID-19 outbreak rapidly expanded and continues, government officials around the world have adopted a vast number of restrictions on exports and imports of key products needed to address the pandemic.

Emmanuelle Ganne

Some 60 years after the invention of the container, international trade may be undergoing a new revolution.

Namali Mackay

It may come as a surprise in this brave new world of unpredictable international rules - that the World Trade Organization appears to be alive and kicking.

Hanna Norberg, Anna Jerzewska and Elitsa Garnizova

TradeExperettes’ discuss digital trade, gender and trade, good governance, and more inclusive growth at the WTO Public forum.