Recent World Trade Organization Notices
The World Trade Organization recently posted the following notices:​
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- Qatar seeks WTO panel review of UAE measures on goods, services, IPR. At a meeting of the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) on Oct. 23, Qatar requested the establishment of a dispute panel concerning measures imposed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Qatar affecting trade in goods and services and the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR). The DSB deferred the establishment of the panel following the objection of the UAE (here).
- Afghanistan, Brazil welcomed as observers to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement. The WTO Committee on Government Procurement agreed on Oct. 18 to grant observer status to Afghanistan and Brazil. Members welcomed Afghanistan’s commitment to seek eventual accession to the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). Some also expressed hopes that Brazil might, in the future, consider acceding to the Agreement (here).
- WTO members urged to step up efforts to secure farm trade deal in Buenos Aires. With less than seven weeks until the opening of the WTO’s 11th Ministerial Conference (MC11) in Buenos Aires, members were encouraged to step up efforts to find a deal on agriculture for the Dec. 10-13 meeting. The focus should be on submitting a limited number of issues to trade ministers for their consideration at MC11, the chair of the farm trade talks, Kenyan Ambassador Stephen Karau, said on Oct. 19 (here).
- Ukraine files WTO complaint over Russian import, transit restrictions. Ukraine has requested WTO consultations with Russia regarding Russian measures affecting trade in certain products such as juice, alcoholic beverages, confectionery and wallpaper from Ukraine. The request was circulated to WTO members on Oct. 19 (here).
- Malcorra tells WTO members “there is life after Buenos Aires.” The Chair of the WTO’s 11th Ministerial Conference (MC11) told the organization’s members on Oct. 19 they need to decide very soon which issues can be resolved at the conference and which require further work (here).
- Members advance discussions on IP, inclusive innovation and the public interest. WTO members advanced discussions on the role intellectual property (IP) plays in promoting more inclusive innovation and greater participation of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in local and global trade, and on the relationship between IP and the public interest. At the meeting of the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on Oct. 19-20, members agreed to grant the two regional African intellectual property organisations -- ARIPO and OAPI -- permanent observer status (here).
- EU submits revised schedule implementing commitment on farm export subsidies. On Oct. 17, the EU submitted, as part of the draft goods schedule for its 28 member states, a change of commitments incorporating the implementation of the landmark 2015 decision by WTO members to eliminate farm export subsidies. The new EU28 schedule was circulated just before the meeting of the WTO’s Committee on Agriculture (here).
- WTO issues compliance panel reports on revised US “dolphin-safe” tuna labelling measure. On Oct. 26, the WTO issued the panel reports in the cases brought by the United States and Mexico in “United States – Measures Concerning the Importation, Marketing and Sale of Tuna and Tuna Products – Recourse to Article 21.5 of the DSU by the United States” and “United States – Measures Concerning the Importation, Marketing and Sale of Tuna and Tuna Products – Second Recourse to Article 21.5 of the DSU by Mexico” (DS381) (here).
- WTO issues panel report regarding Indonesian restrictions on chicken imports. On Oct. 17, the WTO issued the panel report in the case brought by Brazil in “Indonesia – Measures Concerning the Importation of Chicken Meat And Chicken Products” (WT/DS484) (here).
- U.S. donates $600,000 to enhance negotiating skills of developing countries. The United States Government is contributing $600,000 to help developing and least-developed countries (LDCs) participate effectively in global trade negotiations. This donation to the WTO’s Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund will finance training workshops for officials in Geneva and in the regions to help them better understand and implement WTO agreements. Since the creation of the fund in 2001, over 2,500 workshops have been organized (here).
- Republic of Korea gives $350,000 to help developing countries participate in trade talks. The Republic of Korea is contributing $350,000 to help developing countries and least-developed countries (LDCs) enhance their trade negotiating skills and participate more effectively in global trade negotiations (here).
- Liechtenstein donates $40,000 to enhance negotiating skill-set of developing countries. The government of Liechtenstein is contributing $40,000 to help developing countries and least-developed countries (LDCs) participate effectively in global trade negotiations. This donation to the WTO’s Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund will finance training workshops for officials in Geneva and in the regions to help them better understand and implement WTO Agreements. Since the creation of the fund in 2001, over 2,500 workshops have been organized (here).
- Sweden donates $60,000 to support LDCs’ participation in Ministerial Conference. The government of Sweden is contributing approximately $60,000 (U.S. dollar equivalent) to assist the participation of least-developed countries (LDCs) in the eleventh WTO Ministerial Conference (MC11), which will take place on Dec. 10-13, in Buenos Aires (here).
- Regional Trade Policy Course under way in Thailand. Twenty-seven participants from the Asia-Pacific region are attending the two-month Regional Trade Policy Course (RTPC) for Asia-Pacific members and observers of the WTO. The RTPC is taking place in Bangkok, from Oct. 2 to Nov. 24, 2017, and has been organized in partnership with the Chulalongkorn University and the International Institute for Trade and Development (ITD) (here).
- Trade Policy Review: Members of the West African Economic And Monetary Union (WAEMU). The review of the trade policies and practices of the members of the West African Economic And Monetary Union (WAEMU) took place on and Oct. 25 and 27, 2017. The basis for the review is a report by the WTO Secretariat and a report by the Governments of Benin, Burkina Faso, the Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo (here).
- Azevêdo: Flexibility and pragmatism essential ahead of MC11. At a meeting of all WTO members on Oct. 24 to discuss the preparations for the WTO’s upcoming 11th Ministerial Conference (MC11) in Buenos Aires in December, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo called for flexibility and pragmatism in order to advance debates ahead of the Conference (here).
- Azevêdo: Global trading system has constructive role to play to help drive inclusivity. Speaking at a Trade Dialogues conference on “Technology, Globalisation and World Trade Governance” on Oct. 30, Azevêdo highlighted the important role the multilateral trading system can play to help maximise the opportunities presented by technology and to mitigate any adverse effects. He said that new technologies are completely transforming the way in which goods, services and information are produced and exchanged so “we need to respond and adapt”. He added: “Working together, we can ensure that the global economic system is more inclusive, and that its benefits can reach everyone" (here).
- Azevêdo updates ACP group on preparations for Ministerial Conference. Azevêdo attended a meeting of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States’ Ministerial Trade Committee in Brussels on Oct. 18, to discuss preparations for the WTO’s Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires in December. He provided a round-up of recent discussions among WTO members and underlined that ACP countries are at the forefront of many of these debates. He urged members to keep working together so that “we will leave Buenos Aires with members committed to strengthening the trading system, and with a clear path forward for our future work” (here).
- ICC, WTO announce second successful proposal under ‘Small Business Champions’ initiative. The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the WTO announced Oct. 17, that a proposal submitted by the Union of Chambers of Commerce of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is the second to be selected under the Small Business Champions initiative. The proposal sets out a plan to create a network for small businesses which will help them integrate into regional and international markets, facilitate their access to information, and build their capacity to export (here).
- Deadline extended for small business video competition. The deadline for the video competition launched by Google, in partnership with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the WTO, has been extended until Nov. 17. The “Small Businesses Going Global Video Challenge” invites small businesses to send a short video showing how they have used internet technology to participate in international trade and reach customers worldwide (here).
- Azevêdo: The trading system has come a long way in recent years but now we must go further. Speaking at a Council on Foreign Relations symposium in Washington on Oct. 16, Azevêdo said that the best thing we can do to secure the future of the global trading system is to redouble our efforts to improve and reform it. He continued: “Working together, we can ensure that trade remains an essential means to support peace and inclusive prosperity around the world" (here).
- Representatives from Francophone countries meeting in Cambodia discuss MC11 preparations. High-level representatives from Benin, Cambodia, Haiti, Lao PDR and Viet Nam are attending a meeting Oct. 17-19, in Seam Reap, Cambodia, to discuss preparations for the WTO’s 11th Ministerial Conference (MC11) in Buenos Aires at the end of the year. The event for Francophone countries is being organized by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) and the WTO in conjunction with the Ministry of Trade for Cambodia (here).