DG Azevêdo: A healthy trading system requires progress and engagement at all levels

Speaking at the annual meeting of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 14 April, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo maintained that the proliferation of regional trade agreements (RTAs) in recent years has helped to expand world trade. But he also highlighted that some trade issues can only be solved globally and “it is at the global level that we need to take a considered view of the evolution of RTAs and of the trade negotiating agenda” to achieve a balanced, harmonious and inclusive framework. 

This has been excerpted from a 14 April 2016 speech by World Trade Organization DG Roberto Azevêdo and is available in its entirety at:
https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/spra_e/spra119_e.htm