Canada has requested WTO dispute consultations with the United States regarding the imposition by the United States of import duties on certain steel and aluminium products from Canada. The request was circulated to WTO members on 13 March ..read more

This year marks a turning point for the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), as the number of measures requiring implementation assistance is set to peak in 2025 for developing members and least-developed country (LDC) members, the Committee on Trade Facilitation heard at its meeting on 12-13 March ..read more

In her speech at Waseda University in Tokyo on 11 March, WTO Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard highlighted the critical need to revitalize the multilateral trading system. She called for reforms in key areas, including dispute settlement and agriculture, and spoke about the opportunities offered by plurilateral agreements. She also cited the importance of securing the entry into force of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and completing the “second wave” of fisheries subsidies negotiations. The full text of her speech is provided below ..read more

WTO members taking part in the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) met on 10-11 March to advance work on goods and services in support of climate adaptation and sustainable agriculture, circularity and textiles, and subsidies for decarbonization of energy-intensive industries. They also discussed the further development of their planned outcomes for the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), to be held in 2026 ..read more

Global goods trade appeared to remain steady in the fourth quarter of 2024 and looked set to continue growing in the first months of 2025 as the WTO Goods Trade Barometer ticked up to 102.8, nearly unchanged from the previous reading of 102.7 from last December. However, increased trade policy uncertainty and the prospect of new tariffs could weigh on trade in the medium term ..read more

The ninth review of the trade policies and practices of Australia takes place on 12 and 14 March 2025. The basis for the review is a report by the WTO Secretariat and a report by the Government of Australia ..read more

In a speech to the Japanese business federation Keidanren in Tokyo on 11 March, WTO Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard emphasized the WTO’s vital role in driving trade growth, boosting productivity, and reducing poverty ..read more

Guatemala deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on 10 March. Ambassador Eduardo Ernesto Sperisen-Yurt presented Guatemala’s instrument of acceptance to Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala ..read more

A workshop held on 6-7 March in Mexico City brought together academia, trade negotiators and policymakers from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Asia-Pacific and Europe to discuss ways to strengthen trade inclusiveness. The event was organized by the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), a member of the Chairs Programme, in cooperation with the WTO Trade and Gender Unit, with support from the Mexican Ministry of Economy and the Chairs Programme’s Academic Advisory Board ..read more

The Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund, launched by the WTO Secretariat and the International Trade Centre (ITC) in February 2024, announced the selection of four pilot beneficiary countries on 7 March ahead of International Women’s Day. Business support organizations in the Dominican Republic, Jordan, Mongolia and Nigeria have been selected from a competitive call for proposals to implement programmes that can empower women entrepreneurs to grow their business through international trade and digitalization ..read more