This year, the World Trade Organization Chairs annual conference aimed its focus onto currently developing and least developed countries ahead of next year's MC13.
This approach will aid in understanding the trading system for both academics and policymakers currently in developing and least developed country economies, according to a June 21 WTO release.
“As you talk about the conjuncture we're in, the geopolitical tensions, the uncertainty that this creates, there are solutions, and we can find opportunities in the challenges,” WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said in the release.
The organization held the annual conference of the WTO Chairs June 21-23, the release reported. The conference was specifically centered around addressing the needs and interests of developing and least developed country economies.
The primary objective of the WTO Chairs Programme, as highlighted in the release, is to enrich the knowledge and comprehension of the trading system among academics and policymakers in developing and least developed country economies.
"As members work to implement MC12 outcomes and deliver more results at MC13 and beyond, the Chairs Network has a vital role to play in relaying to us the real problems and needs on the ground that should inform our agenda here in Geneva," Okonjo-Iweala said in the release. “You are our eyes and ears, bridging the gap between Geneva and the regions and nations where you are based.”
“I encourage you to challenge the status quo and bring in fresh perspectives, charting the way forward for future negotiations,” Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang said in the release. “Through these interactions, it became clear that our Chairs are enthusiastic about making substantial contributions to the project's success. Their solid understanding of the policy landscape undoubtedly promises fruitful outcomes.”
“I see the impact of the Programme's capacity-building efforts extending beyond the individual beneficiary countries — contributing to a more inclusive and balanced global trade landscape,” Ambassador José R. Sánchez-Fung, permanent representative of the Dominican Republic and chair of the Committee on Trade and Development, said in the release. “By facilitating meaningful participation of developing countries in international trade negotiations, it is likely to foster a stronger voice for these countries in shaping the rules and regulations of the multilateral trading system.”
“As a representative of a donor country, I am happy to see that independent external evaluations have reported that the Chairs Programme has had positive impact on developing and least-developed country members," Director General Cynthia Zimmermann, of Austria's Federal Ministry for Labour and Economy, added, according to the release. The Programme generates excellent long-term sustainability by capitalizing on academic specialization and increasing capacity in the beneficiary countries at the selected universities.”
“The Korean government agrees with the Programme's vision that the benefits of the multilateral trading system can be distributed more efficiently by strengthening home-grown knowledge of trade in the developing regions,” Ambassador Yun Soeng Deok, of the Republic of Korea, said in the release.