Empieza el Foro Público de la OMC 2024, y se prevé un récord de participación

La edición de 2024 del Foro Público de la OMC comenzó el 10 de septiembre, y se espera que asista un número de participantes sin precedentes. El tema de este año, para las casi 140 sesiones que se celebrarán durante los cuatro días del evento, es la manera en que la reglobalización puede ayudar a lograr un comercio más inclusivo. En el primer día del Foro Público, la Directora General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, y el Economista Jefe, Ralph Ossa, presentaron el Informe sobre el comercio mundial 2024 de la OMC, y también se presentó la nueva base de datos sobre preocupaciones comerciales.

2024 World Trade Report

Getting the Public Forum underway, the launch of the World Trade Report 2024 titled «Trade and Inclusiveness: Making Trade Work for All» underlined WTO members’ shared goal to ensure that trade benefits more economies and more people.

Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said at the launch: «A key message from the report is that protectionism is not an effective, or cost-effective, path to inclusiveness. More and better trade is the path of bringing people and places from the margins to the mainstream of the global economy.»

«But the report also makes clear that trade policy alone is insufficient to achieve this goal. Complementary domestic policies are necessary to make trade – and the wider economy in general – work for everyone,» DG Okonjo-Iweala said.

She noted that trade policy reforms since the WTO’s establishment have led to substantial growth benefits. Trade cost reductions helped to increase global real GDP by 6.8 per cent between 1995 and 2020 – and by 33 per cent in low-income economies. She added, however, that many poor countries, particularly in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, remain on the margins of global trade and more needs to be done to integrate these countries. The report sheds light on the obstacles that have prevented individuals, firms and economies from capitalizing on international trade and how to address these issues.

WTO Chief Economist Ralph Ossa, presenting the report in detail, noted that the gap in income levels between economies has dramatically narrowed since the WTO was established 30 years ago. He pointed to new findings of strong links between trade participation and the narrowing of income disparities among economies and fresh evidence that membership in the WTO has boosted trade between members by an average of 140 per cent. Within economies, the report also finds that income inequality among people is not strongly correlated with trade openness. Nevertheless, not all people nor economies are fully enjoying the gains from trade, he said.

«Less trade will not promote inclusiveness, nor will trade alone. True inclusiveness demands a comprehensive strategy — one that integrates open trade with supportive domestic policies and effective international cooperation,» Mr Ossa said.

The full report is available here. The video recording of the launch event is available here.

Launch of the WTO Trade Concerns Database

The morning session of the Public Forum also featured the official launch of the WTO’s new Trade Concerns Database.

«This initiative marks a milestone in the Organization’s ongoing efforts to enhance transparency, inclusivity, and access to critical information within the multilateral trading system,» Deputy Director-General Angela Ellard said at the launch event.

«By providing an extensive repository of data on trade concerns discussed across various WTO bodies, the Trade Concerns Database equips stakeholders with the information and insights necessary to grasp and act on emerging issues that may be affecting their commercial interests,» DDG Ellard added.

Since 1995, WTO members have devoted an increasing amount of time and attention to the discussion of trade concerns. This improves understanding of the rationale behind other members’ regulations, shedding light on details regarding implementation and enforcement of WTO rules. In certain cases, this has helped facilitated the resolution of trade issues arising between members.

The Database includes detailed information on the type of trade concern raised, including the specific issues raised, the affected sectors, the members raising the concern and to whom it is addressed. It also allows users to trace the history of each concern, the number of times the same issue was raised, and how discussions have evolved.

Suja Rishikesh Mavroidis, Director of the WTO’s Market Access Division, noted that the expression «trade concern» is used to refer to situations where one or more WTO members express concern over a trade measure being applied by another WTO member that could disrupt its market access rights and/or that it believes is not in line with WTO rules. These concerns encompass a wide range of topics, including tariffs and non-tariff measures such as technical regulations, standards, subsidies and other barriers to market access.

The new Database provides users with access to information on the trade concerns raised by WTO members across various bodies, including the Council for Trade in Goods, the Committee on Market Access, the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade, the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and the Committee on Import Licensing, she added.

Over 1,800 trade concerns in total have been raised in these bodies since 1995, of which nearly half were discussed in the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade.

The Trade Concerns Database can be accessed here.

Young Trade Leaders share their views on achieving inclusive trade

A high-level panel spotlighted the WTO’s first cohort of eight Young Trade Leaders, who shared their insights on how to improve the participation of young people, marginalized communities and developing economies in world trade. Representing six continents, the panellists stressed that bringing more people into global trade will help further development objectives across the world and support a robust global economy.

Launched in August 2024, the Young Trade Leaders initiative is aimed at fostering a better understanding of the WTO’s work and international trade among young people. On the eve of the Public Forum, the Young Trade Leaders met Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala andother high-level officials.

Eric Andrew, founder and team lead at AgrofixiNG, Nigeria, called for capitalizing on Africa’s production and resource potential to better integrate the continent into global trade. WTO data is a key resource to inform political leaders’ decision-making process, showing that economies can export more when they import more, he said.

Phoebe Britten, youth advocate, Founder and CEO of Inspire Tomorrow Education, Australia, said that trade can be a vessel to help achieve human rights, in particular women’s rights. Warning against the negative effect of cultural discrimination on trade, she called for multiplying binding institutional clauses in international pacts to help catalyse domestic changes.

Hugh Jones, international trade lawyer from Canada, stressed that more needs to be done to give indigenous communities a voice both within their borders and at the international level. Reflecting their trade and economic interests in trade policymaking will help unlock market opportunities for them, he said.

Yassine Krouk, bachelor’s student in political science at France’s Sciences Po Lille, called for reforming the multilateral trading system based on a re-globalization model whereby more people would cooperate to set the agenda on building common goods. Awareness of the rules-based trading system should be raised more widely among young people, she said.

Sunny Li, international relations professional from China, stressed that more developing economies are being excluded from trade blocs and paying the costs of increased trade barriers. She called for more cooperation and an inclusive mindset at the international level to circumvent the negative effects that recent geopolitical trends are having on trade inclusivity.

Florencia Mastrorilli, international trade lawyer from Argentina, underscored the opportunities for Latin America to become a bigger player in trade, including its growing population and active engagement towards a greener economy. To realize its potential, she said, the region should develop its trade infrastructure, make customs operations more efficient and reduce transportation costs.

Nasubila Ng’ambi, international trade law researcher in Malawi, called for boosting Africa’s trade footprint. This includes optimizing human capital, developing the participation of companies in the digital economy and strengthening access to finance and to infrastructure, she said.

Elina Sultanbekova, bachelor student in international relations from the Kyrgyz Republic, said that inclusivity in trade means ensuring that smaller nations, like the Kyrgyz Republic, and youth entrepreneurs gain equal benefits from global trade networks. By prioritizing digital trade and integrating Central Asian countries more meaningfully into trade, she said, more opportunities can be created, thus empowering every participant in the global market.

Information on this session is available here. More information about the Young Trade Leaders programme can be accessed here.

Re-globalization

Later on the first day, a session titled «Re-globalization: Trade in a Geopoliticized World,» organized by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, focused on how trade and the WTO navigate increasing geopolitical tensions.

Discussants argued that for billions of citizens in third nations, trade remains a source of opportunities, jobs and peaceful development. By decentralizing supply chains and involving more regions and countries in global trade, re-globalization promises to extend the benefits of trade to a broader population. Drawing on unique conditions across four continents, the panel explored strategies to counter current trends and leverage trade as a driver of future growth.