Workshop on Information Technology Agreement to be Held in Spring 2021

At a meeting of participants in the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) on 30 October, WTO members agreed to hold a workshop in spring 2021 to engage with the private sector on the latest developments in information and communications technology (ICT) and to review implementation of the ITA.

The workshop will examine how ICT can lead to economic benefits, create opportunities and pose challenges, particularly in terms of the digitalization of the global economy. At the workshop, members will share experiences on non‑tariff barriers (NTBs) affecting trade in ICT products and will discuss the prospects of a further expansion of ICT products covered by the ITA.

The European Union said that COVID-19 has underlined the importance of digital solutions, and by extension, the ITA. The workshop will therefore be all the more relevant.

Japan said it is important to discuss the latest advances in IT products since the ICT sector has seen fundamental changes.

The United Kingdom noted the benefits of information sharing and the importance of working together to identify the opportunities brought about by IT products and digitalisation as well as the challenges of trading in those products.

Switzerland said that allowing the ICT industry to share its views and experiences would enhance members’ understanding of the obstacles they face, particularly on non-tariff measures. The workshop could also outline possible areas of future work regarding ITA expansion.

The United States said there should be further consultation on the date and agenda for the proposed workshop as most of the discussion on the workshop occurred in the winter before the global pandemic. It also highlighted that as next year is the 25th anniversary of the ITA, it would be important to refer to this in the workshop agenda.

The ITA Committee Chair, Ms Uma Muniandy (Singapore), said she would undertake another round of consultations with interested members to decide on a specific date for the workshop and to discuss potential topics for discussion.

Background

The Information Technology Agreement (ITA) was concluded by 14 participants at the Singapore Ministerial Conference in December 1996. Since then, the number of participants has grown to 53, representing 82 WTO members which account for 97 per cent of world trade in IT products. The participants are committed to eliminating tariffs on IT products covered by the Agreement.

The ITA covers a large number of high-technology products, including computers, telecommunication equipment, semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing and testing equipment, software and scientific instruments as well as most of the parts and accessories of these products.

At the Nairobi Ministerial Conference in December 2015, 24 participants concluded an ITA Expansion Agreement, which now has 26 participants, representing 55 WTO members and covering approximately 90 per cent of world trade in products covered by the ITA expansion.

The ITA Expansion Agreement covers many new ICT products, including new-generation semi-conductors, semi-conductor manufacturing equipment, optical lenses, GPS navigation equipment and many types of medical equipment, such as scanners and machines for magnetic resonance imaging, tomography, dental care and ophthalmology.

In 2016, world exports of both ITA and ITA expansion products totalled more than 20 per cent of global exports of manufactured products.