01 January 2015 marked the 20th anniversary of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). According to its Director-General, Roberto Azevêdo, over the years the WTO has helped to boost trade growth, resolve numerous trade disputes and support developing countries to integrate into the trading system. It has also provided a bulwark against protectionism, the value of which was made plain in the trade policy response to the 2008 crisis which was very calm and restrained in contrast to the protectionist panic that followed previous crises. Indeed, when the global economy is more interconnected than ever, it is difficult to imagine a world without the WTO.
Today the 160 WTO members account for approximately 98% of global trade. At its 9th Ministerial Conference in Bali in 2013, the WTO took its first major step forward in updating multilateral trade rules. The measures agreed in Bali were a real breakthrough for the WTO, and they will provide a significant economic boost. In December 2014 WTO members came together to recommit to implementing all aspects of the Bali package.
2015 is set to be an eventful year for the organisation. It will be holding its 10th Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya from 15 to 18 December 2015 - the first time the WTO has ever held a Ministerial Conference in Africa. Heads of international organisations will convene at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland to participate in the 5th Global Review of Aid for Trade from 30 June 2015 to 02 July 2015, and the WTO will welcome business people, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academics and others to discuss our work and a range of trade issues at the WTO's annual Public Forum from 30 September 2015 to 02 October 2015. Moreover, the WTO will be working to implement all aspects of the Bali package and already has a full negotiating agenda - including a deadline of July 2015 to conclude a detailed road map to tackle the remaining issues of the Doha Development Agenda. We will also be seeking to make progress in negotiations on trade in environmental goods and on an agreement to remove tariffs on a wide range of information technology products, said Azevêdo.