The WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) convened on 25 November 2024 under the chairmanship of Ambassador Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel (Saudi Arabia). Key issues discussed included retaliatory measures, compliance with prior rulings, and ongoing reforms in the WTO’s dispute resolution mechanism. For the 13th time, the US raised its national security justifications for origin marking requirements on imports from Hong Kong-China, reiterating its concerns about the situation in Hong Kong under China’s National Security Law. Hong Kong-China and China criticized the US for politicizing WTO proceedings, calling the allegations unfounded and inappropriate.
WTO members agreed to give incumbent Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala a second term as Director-General of the WTO. Her second four-year term, which was approved at a special General Council meeting, will begin on 1 September 2025. DG Okonjo-Iweala took office as Director-General in March 2021 and is the first African and the first woman to serve as head of the organization.
The WTO boss, who ran unopposed to lead the organisation for a second term, set out her vision to member states on Thursday. But with multilateral cooperation at an all-time low, and an incoming US administration unlikely to play by global trade rules, she’ll have a fight on her hands. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has “unfinished business” to take care of at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The Nigerian former finance chief, who became its first female director general in 2021, made the case to member states for reappointing her for a second term on Thursday, along with her priorities – and there’s plenty to choose from.
A “work in progress” report issued last week by the facilitator of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) dispute settlement reform process highlights that many critical issues surrounding the Appellate/Review mechanism remain unresolved, according to individuals familiar with the discussions. The 35-page restricted document raises significant doubts about the likelihood of restoring a “fully and functioning dispute settlement” system by the end of 2024. This objective was mandated by trade ministers at the WTO’s 13th Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) could play a pivotal role in facilitating trade related to artificial intelligence (AI), while ensuring trustworthy AI use and fostering global regulatory convergence, according to a new report by the WTO Secretariat.
The return of Donald Trump to the White House for a second term could upset the plan to keep World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in her post and portend uncertainty and chaos in both bilateral and international trading arrangements, with China likely to be targeted for harsher tariff treatment, said people familiar with the developments.
India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan have joined the African Group in asserting that the consensus of World Trade Organization (WTO) members is required to approve a proposal to institute a facilitator-led process in the agriculture negotiations.
The WTO's Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM) convened Tuesday under the chairmanship of Dr. Wolfram Spelten of Germany. Central to the discussions were renewed disputes involving China and seven other WTO members concerning overcapacity issues. The United States called for a "reset" in the ongoing debates to enhance productivity, underscoring the urgency of resolving the long-standing disagreements.
Supply-chain finance is crucial for enabling global trade but remains inaccessible to many small businesses in developing economies, impeding their growth and participation in international commerce, contend Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Makhtar Diop in an article published by Project Syndicate October 23. Despite the global value of supply-chain finance reaching $2.3 trillion, “most businesses in developing countries remain on the sidelines,” hindered by weak legal frameworks, high costs, and limited infrastructure.
World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is circulating responses to questions raised by members on the proposal to appoint facilitator to help push forward long-stalled …
The second day of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) General Council (GC) meeting concluded on a bleak note, with little to no progress on key issues, including agriculture, the second half of the proposed fisheries agreement, and ongoing concerns over reforming the dispute settlement system (DSS), according to people familiar with the discussions. Several members reportedly raised sharp concerns about the lack of progress in elements such as the "scope of the mechanism" and the "standard of review." Developing countries—Egypt, India, Chad (on behalf of the African Group), and South Africa—emphasized the importance of accessibility.
A proposed decision by World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to establish a formal process under the Committee on Agriculture Special Session (CoA SS) to jumpstart agriculture negotiations has caused unease among several members and raised questions about the integrity of the process, according to people familiar with the developments. Members are working to understand the implications of formalizing the process and appointing facilitators, given that meetings of the Doha negotiating body on agriculture are conventionally held informally. The CoA SS refers to the Doha agriculture negotiating body, which operates under the overarching mandate of the Doha Trade Negotiations Committee.
China invoked dispute settlement proceedings against Türkiye at the World Trade Organization over Ankara’s decision to impose additional tariffs on imports of vehicles and certain other passenger vehicles originating from China. Beijing lodged an Article 4 complaint under the WTO’s dispute settlement understanding with Türkiye challenging the “additional tariffs of 40% on imports of electric vehicles and certain other passenger vehicles originating in China, and set import permit restrictions.”
World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala appears to have suffered a setback in her much-publicized plan to break the “gridlock” in the agriculture negotiations, as consensus eluded on the two options, particularly on the appointment of facilitators, said people familiar with the developments. Following the lack of convergence on the proposed “way-forward” as well as on the appointment of facilitators at the formal Doha trade negotiations committee meeting yesterday morning, the DG apparently switched to an informal heads of delegation meeting in the afternoon, said people familiar with the discussions.
Ahead of a World Trade Organization Heads of Delegations meeting, the co-convenors engaged in overseeing the dispute settlement reform discussions presented an ambivalent, muddling progress report on the crucial “Appeal/Review” mechanism that is expected to replace the binding Appellate Body, said people familiar with the developments. As part of a transparency exercise, the facilitator tasked with the dispute settlement reform discussions, Ambassador Usha Dwarka Canabady, dispatched a report to trade envoys enclosing the findings by the co-convenors on October 8.
Several World Trade Organization members, including the United States, appear to have informally conveyed their concerns over the legality of the appointment process for the next Director-General to the General Council Chairperson, Ambassador Petter Olberg, said people familiar with the developments. Last week, the Chair launched the appointment process for the next WTO Director-General without the authorization of the General Council.
However, developing countries want the WTO to pursue a positive trade and environment agenda on several fronts, including on the intellectual property rights front to enable the transfer of technologies that would contribute to the mitigation of carbon emissions, sources said. Ahead of the WTO’s Committee on Trade and Environment meeting next week, the submissions made by developing countries stand in contrast to the issues raised by industrialized countries, said people familiar with the developments.
Petter Ølberg, Chair of the General Council, has informed WTO members that he has “detected convergence to initiate the appointment process for the next Director-General earlier than anticipated.” As reported earlier, the best interests of the organization, or at least those of Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, are to get the re-nomination process far along before the arrival of a re-elected President Donald Trump. The DG's current term expires 31 August 2025.
The G20 foreign ministers meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly joined the call for reform of the World Trade Organization, including its dispute settlement system. In a statement issued following their meeting, the minister expressed the necessity “to work towards necessary reform of the World Trade Organization to improve all its functions, so that it can become more responsive and resilient in addressing current trade challenges.”
The chair of the World Trade Organization’s General Council said that his consultations with members “so far shows overwhelming support to commence the appointment process” of the incumbent Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
