The 2025 Annual Report on Technical Assistance published by the WTO Secretariat on 27 May highlights that despite budgetary constraints, over 13,000 government officials from developing and least-developed WTO members and observers benefited from capacity-building activities in 2025. The report finds that 80 per cent of performance targets were fully or partially met, representing an increase from the ten-year 73 per cent average. Technical assistance activities were made available to 140 WTO members and observers, with Africa and Asia-Pacific remaining the two regions with the highest participation rates.
The sixteenth review of the trade policies and practices of Japan takes place on 27 and 29 May 2026. The basis for the review is a report by the WTO Secretariat and a report by the Government of Japan.
Deputy Director-General DJ Nordquist called for urgent action by WTO members to complete the acceptance and implementation of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and to advance negotiations on additional disciplines targeting overcapacity and overfishing. She delivered her remarks on 27 May at the Monaco Blue Initiative in Monaco. DDG Nordquist stressed that harmful fisheries subsidies continue to undermine ocean sustainability, economic resilience, and coastal livelihoods, while emphasizing that sustainable fisheries are essential for jobs, food security, and long-term prosperity. Her full remarks are below.
At a meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) on 22 May, members considered a request from China for the establishment of a dispute panel to review measures in India affecting imports of solar cells, solar modules and information technology goods. The new DSB Chair, Ambassador Guilherme de Aguiar Patriota (Brazil), also made a statement on advancing the WTO's dispute settlement reform talks.
Members emphasized the growing strain on the rules-based trading system amid escalating trade tensions and compliance challenges at a meeting of the WTO’s Goods Council on 20-21 May chaired by its recently elected Chairperson, Ambassador Erwin Bollinger (Switzerland). Delegations in attendance addressed 38 specific trade concerns raised by members, of which nine were raised for the first time.
On 14 May 2026, the Russian Federation notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards regarding the initiation on 7 May 2026 of a safeguard investigation on certain motor car pneumatic tyres imported into the customs territory of the Eurasian Economic Union.
At a meeting of the Committee on Rules of Origin (CRO) on 11-12 May, WTO members advanced work on transparency and notification practices, discussed the future direction of work on preferential rules of origin for least-developed countries (LDCs), and participated in an information session on the links between trade facilitation and rules of origin. The meeting was chaired by Ms Carol Tsang of Hong Kong, China.
Sweden has given SEK 2 million (just under CHF 170,000) to the WTO's Global Trust Fund for 2026 to finance technical assistance and training programmes for government officials from developing economies and least-developed countries (LDCs). The contribution was confirmed at a signing ceremony on 8 May at the WTO attended by Ambassador Nina Tornberg of Sweden and the WTO's Director of the Finance and Corporate Services Division, Andrew Rizk.
At the first meeting of the General Council since the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), the newly elected Chairperson, Ambassador Clare Kelly (New Zealand), reported on her consultations with members on how to continue discussions in Geneva to build upon the high level of convergence on several areas of work at MC14 held in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Members also took note of Türkiye's announcement that it was joining the growing convergence to extend the e-commerce moratorium, with many welcoming the additional progress in narrowing gaps in the discussions.
At a meeting of the Committee on Balance-of-Payments Restrictions held on 5 May, WTO members discussed the United States’ new notification regarding the imposition of import surcharges to address the country’s serious balance-of-payments deficits. The United States said the surcharges took effect on 24 February 2026 and will expire on 24 July 2026, unless extended by an act of Congress. Members welcomed the transparency of the United States and its readiness to engage in consultations in line with WTO rules.
WTO members reviewed global cotton market trends and the path ahead for the cotton sector at meetings in Geneva on 4 May. The meetings follow the high-level cotton event at the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Cameroon in March. Delegations noted commitments announced at MC14 to invest in African countries moving up the cotton value chain and stressed the vital contribution of cotton to international trade and its potential to foster sustainable development.
The fourth review of the trade policies and practices of Belize takes place on 4 and 6 May 2026. The basis for the review is a report by the WTO Secretariat and a report by the Government of Belize.
WTO members held the first regular meeting of the Committee on Fisheries Subsidies on 1 May 2026, marking a milestone in the implementation of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. They approved various decisions on the functioning of the Committee.
At regular and special meetings of the Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM) on 30 April 2026, improving transparency through the timely and complete submission of subsidy notifications was once again a central theme of the Committee’s work. The Chair, Jungsoo Hur of the Republic of Korea, emphasized the critical importance of transparency for the effective operation of the Committee and expressed concern about the continued low level of compliance with notification obligations. He strongly encouraged members to submit their outstanding notifications as soon as possible.
The WTO has opened online registration for this year’s Public Forum, titled Powering the Future, which will take place at the WTO premises in Geneva from 15 to 17 September. It has also launched a call for proposals for the event, which this year will focus on services trade.
The WTO’s Committee on Anti-Dumping Practices met on 28 April 2026 to review members’ latest notifications of new, amended or previously reviewed anti-dumping laws and regulations as well as reports on anti-dumping actions.
Canada is providing CAD 500,000 (approximately CHF 286,000) to the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) to strengthen sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) capacity of public and private sector stakeholders in developing and least-developed countries. The contribution will support STDF activities that help countries meet international food safety and plant and animal health standards and facilitate safe trade, based on the STDF Strategy for 2025-2030.
At a meeting on 27 April, the WTO Committee on Safeguards reviewed safeguard actions covering 38 products, 12 of which were steel/metal products. These actions were notified by members since the Committee's last meeting in October 2025. Several members expressed their views on the European Union's and the United Kingdom's actions concerning steel products. The EU investigation on grain-oriented electrical steel and measure on ferro-alloying elements also generated interventions by several members. The outgoing Chair, Ms Milagros Miranda Rojas (Peru), thanked members for their participation in the Committee.
Implementation of a WTO initiative to strengthen use of the ePing SPS & TBT Platform is now under way, helping governments, exporters and other stakeholders better track and engage in evolving product requirements affecting international trade. Funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), the three year project focuses on five African countries and aims to enhance transparency, predictability and market access.
At a meeting of the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on 23-24 April, items discussed by WTO members included technology transfer, digitalization of IP offices, and TRIPS non-violation and situation complaints. In the meeting, chaired by Emmanuelle Ivanov-Durand of France, members were also updated on notifications under various provisions of the TRIPS Agreement, including through the WTO Secretariat's sixth Annual Transparency Report. Mr Alaa Hegazy of Egypt was elected chair for the coming year.
