An online information session was held by the WTO on 2 December to prepare for an Aid for Trade “stocktaking event” to be held online on 23 — 25 March 2021. Organized by the Committee on Trade and Development, the online event is set to examine the trade and development challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken in response to the crisis.

The information session highlighted how the crisis has had a significant impact in areas such as economic diversification and resilience, e-commerce, the empowerment of women and young people, the integration of micro small and medium-sized enterprises into the global economy, trade facilitation and trade in services.

The stocktaking event will feature sessions organized by WTO members as well as those organized by the WTO Secretariat and international organizations.  

Members are invited to communicate to the WTO Secretariat details of the session(s) they wish to organize by filling in the form available here. The deadline for submission is 31 December 2020.

Aid for Trade is a multi-stakeholder initiative seeking to mobilize resources to address the trade-related needs and supply-side constraints identified by developing countries and least-developed countries. More information can be found here.

Earlier this year, WTO members agreed to extend the current biennial Aid for Trade work programme entitled “Empowering Connected, Sustainable Trade” into 2022 when the next Global Review will be held. They also agreed to an addendum to reflect the impact of the pandemic in the work programme.

Source: World Trade Organisation