·
“Global Electronic Commerce for Inclusive Development”
tabled by India and South Africa in November 2021.
·
17 new academic chairs
welcomed under the third phase of the Chairs Programme,
which now consists of a total of 36 universities.
WTO members continued discussing a paper entitled “Global
Electronic Commerce for Inclusive Development” tabled by India and South Africa
in November 2021.
The discussion follows the decision that ministers
adopted at MC12 on 17 June to reinvigorate the development aspect of the Work
Programme on Electronic Commerce. The decision also extends the current
practice of not imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions until the
13th Ministerial Conference.
The WTO's Institute for Training and Technical
Cooperation said face-to-face training activities resumed in 2022. Although the
number of new requests for activities remains below pre-pandemic levels — 56
since March — it is on the rise compared to the first quarter of 2021.
The Committee was informed about the 17 new academic
chairs welcomed under the third phase of the Chairs Programme, which now
consists of a total of 36 universities. An independent evaluation at the
conclusion of the last cycle found that WTO Chairs successfully generated
high-quality research and recommendations that translated into policy action in
beneficiary countries.
Ambassador Dwarka-Canabady reported that three key
recommendations from the evaluation had been implemented. First, the programme
now includes seven LDCs, with five of them added in the third phase. Second, it
is now more integrated with other WTO technical assistance and research
activities. Third, the programme has boosted its presence in previously
under-represented areas across Africa, Asia and Latin America, with each of these
regions currently making up almost a third of all Chairs.
The new phase of the Programme held its first in-person
annual conference in
July, featuring discussions on sustainable trade, MC12 outcomes and research
priorities, among other things, and enhancing coordination between Chairs and
WTO members.
Reporting on its latest Joint Advisory
Group meeting held in
September and chaired by Ambassador Chandnee Dwarka-Canabady, the International Trade Centre
(ITC) said it
has continued to help small businesses on the ground access and produce goods
and services, surpassing its targets for 2021 despite the challenging global
context. ITC helped over 25,000 MSMEs in developing countries improve their
competitiveness and connected 3 million women to international markets. Its
trade intelligence tools have over 10 million active users.
ITC is a joint agency of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the WTO, dealing with business
aspects of trade development.