This joint WTO-WIPO publication has been produced at a time when economic policymakers and analysts are placing ever greater emphasis on the generation and management of knowledge and innovation, and on mechanisms to ensure that the public derives the expected social and economic benefits from innovation and the spread of knowledge.

The fields of competition policy and IP are both undergoing unprecedented dynamism, in the face of rapid economic and technological change, leading to a wide range of policy responses by governments across the globe. This dynamism is most apparent where these two fields intersect: the relationship between the promotion of welfare-enhancing competition and the balanced protection of IP rights in the contemporary economy.  

Co-published with Cambridge University Press, this volume responds to the active engagement, policy development and practical implementation of measures to bolster a positive linkage between IP and...

Moderator: What, in your view, does a fully functioning circular economy look like and how can it support social and environmental progress in our world?

Making progress towards a circular economy is essential for achieving sustainable development and is a vital element in our efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Population and economic growth are projected to lead to a doubling in global material consumption by 2060. The surge in natural resource demand will increase greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental pressures that arise from the extraction, consumption and end-of-life management of such resources. We have to place a priority on the efficient use of resources, the level of emission reductions, and the generation of high-quality green jobs must be considered as well.

Our vision must be a circular economy that is global, inclusive, and safe. And for all of these three characteristics, trade, and the WTO, play an important...

L'un des moyens les plus efficaces d'affronter cette crise est de communiquer des informations précises en temps utile. Un public informé est mieux à même de prendre de bonnes décisions, y compris sur des questions liées au commerce. C'est pourquoi nous avons créé cette page spécifique sur le site Web de l'OMC. Elle présentera des renseignements actualisés en lien avec le commerce, notamment en ce qui concerne les notifications pertinentes des Membres de l'OMC, l'impact que le virus a eu sur les exportations et les importations et la manière dont les activités de l'OMC ont été affectées par la pandémie.

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A high-level symposium is being organized by the ITA Committee on 16-17 September 2021 to celebrate 25 years of the Information Technology Agreement.

The symposium will provide an opportunity for ITA participants, leading industry representatives, government officials and parliamentarians to examine a range of important issues related to the ITA and share their perspectives on the future of the Agreement. At its opening session, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the WTO, will deliver her opening remarks, and Ambassador Michael Punke, Vice President of Amazon, will deliver the keynote address.

Thematic discussions, led by over 20 renowned experts, will focus on the following:

One of the most effective means of addressing this crisis is through timely, accurate information. An informed public is better positioned to make sound decisions including on questions related to trade. This is why we have created this dedicated page on the WTO website. It will provide up-to-the minute trade-related information including relevant notifications by WTO members, the impact the virus has had on exports and imports and how WTO activities have been affected by the pandemic.

Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO agreements, in which member countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. All WTO members are subject to review, with the frequency of review depending on the country’s size.

Ambassador George Mina of Australia said the two articles were “foundational” for the initiative. He said the high-quality text achieved in both cases reflected the perspectives of a diverse range of developed and developing countries, and thanked New Zealand, Japan and Hong Kong, China for leading the negotiating groups on these issues.

The online consumer protection article requires members to adopt or maintain measures that proscribe misleading, fraudulent and deceptive commercial activities that cause harm, or potential harm, to consumers engaged in electronic commerce. Members are required to endeavour to adopt or maintain measures that aim to ensure suppliers deal fairly and honestly with consumers and provide complete and accurate information on goods and services and to ensure the safety of goods and, where applicable, services during normal or reasonably foreseeable use. The article also requires members to promote consumer redress or recourse mechanisms....

During the two-day plenary negotiating meeting, the first one after the summer break, the coordinator of the negotiations, Ambassador Mathias Francke of Chile, introduced the revised, cleaned-up version of the "Easter Text" – the negotiating document serving as the basis for the negotiations – which incorporates the progress achieved by participants since April 2021.

The revised version further streamlines Section II on "Transparency of investment measures", Section III on "Streamlining and speeding up administrative procedures", Section IV on "Focal points, domestic regulatory coherence and cross-border cooperation", and Section VI on "Sustainable investment". Participants also discussed texts prepared by the coordinator, among others, regarding the preamble, the overall scope and cross-border cooperation of the "Easter Text", making useful headway on these texts.

Based on recent members' submissions, participants had a rich discussion on S&DT as well...

Surveillance of national trade policies is a fundamentally important activity running throughout the work of the WTO. At the centre of this work is the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM). All WTO members are reviewed, the frequency of each country’s review varying according to its share of world trade.

What will it take to vaccinate the world? Unity, cooperation—and leaders like Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

As the first African and first woman to lead the World Trade Organization, a 164-member group of nations that oversees trade across the world, Okonjo-Iweala took on the role of director-general this March at a watershed moment for our global health and well-being. Make no mistake, her job affects every person, family and community.

As we face a constant barrage of vaccine misinformation, bureaucratic slowdowns across both government and industry, and the rise of variants that underscore the urgency of the situation, Okonjo-Iweala has shown us that to end the pandemic, we must work together to equip every nation with equitable vaccine access. Our conversations with her have been as informative as they are energizing. This is partly because, despite the challenges, she knows how to get things done—even between those who don’t always agree—and does so with grace...

A high-level symposium is being organized by the ITA Committee on 16-17 September 2021 to celebrate 25 years of the Information Technology Agreement.

The symposium will provide an opportunity for ITA participants, leading industry representatives, government officials and parliamentarians to examine a range of important issues related to the ITA and share their perspectives on the future of the Agreement. At its opening session, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the WTO, will deliver her opening remarks, and Ambassador Michael Punke, Vice President of Amazon, will deliver the keynote address.

Thematic discussions, led by over 20 renowned experts, will focus on the following:

The main theme of the Forum is the impact of COVID-19 on trade and how the multilateral trading system can help build resilience to the pandemic and future crises. The Forum's sub-themes are "Enhancing Resilience beyond COVID-19", "Strengthening the Multilateral Trading System" and "Collective Action towards Sustainable Trade". More information on this year's theme can be found here.

In addition, "Meet the Author” sessions will give participants the opportunity to interact with selected authors presenting their latest books. The platform will also host several interactive resources and seven exhibitors will showcase their work on social and environmental projects.

The full programme is available here.

The Forum will be held in hybrid mode, with limited capacity for on-site participation. Online registration for in-person participation at this year's Public Forum is now closed. To participate virtually in the Public Forum and to access the...