WTO News

1. Report spotlights role of services export promotion strategies as catalyst for development

   A new report launched by the WTO Secretariat and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC) on 17 September draws on case studies to illustrate how developing economies' export promotion strategies can help them take advantage of growing opportunities in services trade. Export Promotion Strategies for Services: Lessons from the Developing World provides useful policy insights for developing economies, underscoring the importance of close coordination with skills upgrading and investment attraction strategies and the need to adapt export promotion mechanisms traditionally focused on goods.

2. Young Trade Leaders meet with DG; discuss AI, environment, needs of developing economies

   Artificial intelligence (AI), the environment, and issues facing developing economies were among the topics discussed by Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the latest cohort of WTO Young Trade Leaders at a meeting on 17 September. The Director-General underlined that harnessing the energy and ideas of young people is essential for addressing current and future trade challenges.

3. WTO Public Forum 2026 spotlights role of services in driving world trade

   The 2026 edition of the WTO's Public Forum kicked off on 15 September in Geneva under the theme Powering the Future. Over three days, the Forum will welcome more than 4,600 participants from business, governments, civil society, academia and international organizations to discuss how trade in services is a key engine of development, a source of income, and a driver of job creation and empowerment worldwide.

4. World Trade Report: Trade reform to boost growth; inaction can cost 10% global GDP

   The 2026 edition of the World Trade Report – issued on 15 September - finds that a strengthened multilateral trading system could increase global GDP by roughly 3% or USD 3 trillion by 2050, while inaction to modernize the trading system could reduce global output by up to 10%. The flagship publication of the WTO Secretariat, examining what the multilateral trading system has delivered over 80 years and where it is facing challenges, offers evidence relevant to ongoing efforts to keep trade rules fit for purpose.

5. World Trade & Tech Day: AI and trade increasingly intertwined

   Hundreds of participants gathered at the WTO for World Trade & Tech Day on 14 September, a sign of how AI is fundamentally changing the way cross-border commerce is evolving. Under the banner of "AI and Trade: Turning Potential into Progress", the day consisted of a full day of panel discussions and other knowledge-sharing opportunities aimed at fostering conversations on technology and trade. The event shone a spotlight on how AI and frontier technologies are making international trade more efficient, bringing together government leaders as well as academics and private sector representatives to discuss ways to harness AI's potential into tangible economic gains and an engine for inclusive growth.