Report to the TPRB from the Director-General on Trade-Related Developments
Report to the TPRB from the Director-General on Trade-Related Developments
This report by the Director-General looks at the latest trade policy measures undertaken by WTO members and observers. These includes measures that facilitate as well as restrict the flow of trade. It is one of two trade monitoring reports published each year covering the whole WTO membership. This trade monitoring function is overseen by the WTO's Trade Policy Review Body.
WTO economies from mid-October 2020 to mid-May 2021 exercised trade policy restraint and refrained from an acceleration of protectionism that would have further harmed a world economy reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Director-General’s mid-year report on trade-related developments presented to members on 29 July. The report calls on WTO members to ensure that markets remain open and pre Read More
Trade-restrictive measures continue at historically high level: Trade flows hit by new restrictions implemented by WTO members continued at a historically high level between mid-October 2018 and mid-May 2019, according to the Director-General’s latest mid-year report on trade-related developments presented to members on 22 July. The report, which was reviewed at a meeting of the WTO’s Trade Policy Review Body, n Read More
WTO members introduced more trade-restrictive measures from mid-October 2017 to mid-May 2018 compared to the previous review period (mid-October 2016 to mid-October 2017), according to the Director-General’s mid-year report on trade-related developments presented to members on 25 July at a meeting of the Trade Policy Review Body. While WTO members continued to implement more trade-facilitating Read More
WTO members record lowest monthly average in new trade restrictions since 2008: Between mid-October 2016 and mid-May 2017 WTO members recorded the lowest monthly average of new trade restrictions since the financial crisis of 2008, according to the Director-General’s mid-year report on trade-related developments presented to members on 24 July. Director-General Roberto Azevêdo welcomed this news, and ur Read More
Report urges WTO members to resist protectionism and “get trade moving again”: WTO members need to avoid putting up barriers and “get trade moving again” in order to address slow global economic growth, according to the Director-General’s mid-year report on trade-related developments issued on 25 July. The Trade Monitoring Report concludes that the “best safeguard we have against protectionism is a stro Read More
Increasing stockpile of trade-restrictive measures “a cause for concern”: The increasing stockpile of trade-restrictive measures introduced by WTO members remains a cause for concern, and continued vigilance is required, according to the latest report on trade-related developments presented on 23 July by WTO Director General Roberto Azevêdo. On the positive side, an increasing number of trade-liberalizing measur Read More
DDG Agah notes no acceleration of new restrictions, urges more trade transparency: Deputy Director-General Yonov Frederick Agah, in presenting the Director-General’s report on trade-related developments (mid-November 2013 to mid-May 2014) to the Trade Policy Review Body on 11 July 2014, said that “the pace at which new trade restrictions have been introduced has not accelerated during the period under review”. He Read More
Lamy hails transparency as the best insurance policy against protectionism: Director-General Pascal Lamy, in presenting his monitoring report (covering the period mid-October 2012 to mid-May 2013) to the Trade Policy Review Body on 19 July 2013, said: “I am convinced that a strong and vibrant multilateral trading system remains the best insurance policy to overcome protectionist threats”. He said that “while there is no Read More
Lamy reports no slowdown in new trade restrictions: Director-General Pascal Lamy, in his report on trade-related developments issued on 29 June 2012, said that “there has been no slowdown in the imposition of new trade restrictions over the past seven months”. He noted that “the more recent wave of trade restrictions seems no longer to be aimed at combatting the temporary effects of the global crisis, but rather at tryi Read More
Trade restrictions on the rise: Director-General Pascal Lamy, in presenting his interim report on trade developments to the Trade Policy Review Body on 21 June 2011, urged “increased vigilance by all WTO Members” as “protectionist pressures remain and are being generated by stubbornly high levels of unemployment in many countries, persistent global imbalances, and macroeconomic concerns”. Many delegations expressed c Read More
WTO-OECD-UNCTAD: Despite crisis, G20 governments largely resist protectionist pressures: The WTO, OECD and UNCTAD, in a joint report on G20 trade and investment measures released on 14 June 2010, noted the imposition of fewer trade restrictions but warned “they are accumulating”. In a separate report to WTO members on trade-related developments, Director-General Pascal Lamy confirmed this trend but urged gover Read More
