Participants will be able to engage with high-level officials, government representatives based in Geneva and experts from the WTO Secretariat and the Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law. They will also have the opportunity to hear about the activities carried out by the Standards and Trade Development Facility.
The programme features a session on the development-related outcomes from the 13th Ministerial Conference held in February in Abu Dhabi and recent work in the General Council, the highest decision-making body outside of ministerial conferences.
Speaking at the opening session, Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang said: “I would like to welcome you to the 40th Geneva Week. We continue to attach special priority to keeping our non-resident members and observers abreast of latest developments in the WTO… These sessions are designed to foster dialogue and exchange of ideas, and I encourage you to take full advantage of these opportunities. Our goal is to ensure that you leave this week with a deeper understanding of the WTO’s work and a clearer perspective on how it impacts your countries and regions.”
Also opening the event was Samoa’s WTO Ambassador Nella Tavita-Levy who briefed participants on the negotiating positions of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries members of the WTO. She said: “Samoa opened its mission to the WTO in Geneva only recently, in 2022. It is important for our small country to be at the WTO, to be contributing to the discussions that shape global trade rules as they will impact how we conduct international trade policies. The ACP group is committed to play its part in searching for solutions in the ongoing negotiations and we hope that positive outcomes can be achieved with the commitment of all members.”
A session on the ratification of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and the second wave of fisheries negotiations held on Day 1 highlighted the detrimental impact of harmful subsidies on marine fish stocks. Participants also learned about the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism, which aims to support developing economies and least-developed countries (LDCs) in implementing the disciplines of the WTO Agreement.
Participants also heard about ongoing negotiations for a fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system accessible to all members by 2024. The briefing was given by David Stranger-Jones, one of the co-conveners of the dispute settlement reform talks.
In addition to analysing the impact of the WTO’s work on their national and regional economies, participants will discuss the ongoing agriculture negotiations at the WTO and the work on global food security. This includes recent recommendations to improve access to international food markets, finance food imports, enhance agricultural resilience and address cross-cutting trade issues critical to the economic betterment of LDCs and Net Food-Importing Developing Countries.
Participants will also take part in the 2024 Global Review of Aid for Trade, taking place from 26 to 28 June at the WTO premises. Information about the Review is available here.
A further 14 capital-based representatives from LDCs attended the Geneva Week briefings. Their participation was funded by the Enhanced Integrated Framework.
The Geneva Week programme is available here.
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