2022 part4

59/ DDG Zhang stresses importance of WTO Chairs Programme in fostering “South to South” learning

6 NOVEMBER 2022

Experience-sharing among WTO Chairs institutions can enhance cooperation in developing countries and strengthen joint efforts to tackle the multifaceted challenges the world is facing, Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang said on 6 November at an event held at the University of Jordan in Amman. The two-day event, titled “Contemporary Issues in International Trade: A Development Lens”, was jointly organized by the WTO Chairs of Jordan, Barbados, Chile, Egypt, Mexico, Mauritius, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia, and Türkiye.

Representatives of academic institutions from the Arab region and other parts of the world, and high-ranking officials from governments and regional organizations attended the event.

In his opening remarks, DDG Zhang said: “The WTO Chairs Programme Network affords opportunities of mutual learning given that Chairs from different regions could look at the same issues from different perspectives … We welcome and support Chairs to provide evidence-based theoretical and empirical studies, particularly from their own countries’ and regions’ perspectives.”

He added: “The world is facing unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, inflation and geopolitical tensions. It is important for us to look into the most pressing issues to build resilience and find the opportunities behind the challenges. Global challenges require global solutions and global solutions require multilateral coordination.” DDG Zhang’s full remarks are available here.

The Coordinator of the Arab Group, Ambassador Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the WTO, underscored the role of trade in empowering women and boosting economic development. He said: “Trade provides a critical channel for the flow of finance, technology and services needed to further improve productive capacity in agriculture, industry and services.”

Mr Jalil Tarif, the Secretary General of the Union of Arab Securities Authorities, stressed the need for building capacity in the Arab region, particularly on issues such as food security, sustainability, and women’s empowerment.

Former Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply of Jordan, Maha Ali, underlined the importance of empowering women so that they can better participate in trade and contribute more to the economy. She said: “We need to capitalize on the rise in global trends in international trade, especially digitization that brings new economic opportunities for women.”

Source: wto.org