Participants will 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 activities carried out by the Standards and Trade Development Facility.
The program features a session on 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 stated: “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 African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries that are members of the WTO. She remarked: “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, contributing to discussions that shape global trade rules as they will impact how we conduct international trade policies. The ACP group is committed to playing its part in searching for solutions in ongoing negotiations, and we hope that positive outcomes can be achieved with all members' commitment.”
A session on ratifying the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and discussing harmful subsidies' detrimental impact on marine fish stocks was held on Day 1. Participants also learned about the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism aimed at supporting developing economies and least-developed countries (LDCs) in implementing disciplines under this agreement.
Participants were briefed about ongoing negotiations for a fully functional dispute settlement system accessible to all members by 2024 by David Stranger-Jones, one of the co-conveners of dispute settlement reform talks.
In addition to analyzing how WTO’s work impacts national and regional economies, participants discussed ongoing agriculture negotiations at WTO and efforts towards global food security. This includes recent recommendations aimed at improving access to international food markets, financing food imports, enhancing agricultural resilience, and addressing cross-cutting trade issues critical for LDCs' economic betterment as well as Net Food-Importing Developing Countries.
Participants will also take part in the 2024 Global Review of Aid for Trade from June 26-28 at WTO premises. Information about this review is available here.
Additionally, 14 capital-based representatives from LDCs attended Geneva Week briefings funded by Enhanced Integrated Framework.
The Geneva Week program is available here.