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Source: WTO 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’…

Source: WTO 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…

Source: WTO The Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade made substantial progress at a meeting on 25 May, introducing the coordinators’ draft vision on the way forward and elements for a potential outcome at the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) to be held in…

Private Sector Consultative Group meets during WCO's Permanent Technical Committee week The Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG) of the World Customs Organization (WCO) held a meeting on 24 April 2023 to discuss various issues related to the activities of the WCO. The meeting was chaired by the…

Source: WTO The World Trade Organization, the World Bank Group and the World Economic Forum on 20 April launched “Action on Climate and Trade” (ACT), a new initiative that aims to help participating developing economies, including least-developed countries, use trade to meet their climate change…

Source: WTO There has been a clear downward trend in tariffs since the WTO was established in 1995. Since 1996, global trade in goods has more than quadrupled, reaching a total of US$ 18.6 trillion for imports in 2021, compared to US$ 4.4 trillion in 1996. Over the same period, available data…

The first week of April of 2023 is a special moment among the three Abrahamic faith traditions–Christianity, Judaism and Islam–as major annual observances will overlap this year. This overlap is quite rare, occurring three times in a century. Muslims will be midway through their month-long…

Source: WTO Trade growth to slow to 1.7% in 2023 following 2.7% expansion in 2022 Global trade growth in 2023 is still expected to be subpar despite a slight upgrade to GDP projections since last fall, WTO economists said in a new forecast on 5 April. Weighed down by the effects of the war in…

Source: WTO The WTO’s annual Public Forum, to be held from 12 to 15 September 2023, will focus this year on how trade can contribute to a greener, more sustainable future. The Forum will examine in particular how the services sector, digitalisation and inclusive trade policies can support global…