On 07 April, after several months of intense discussion, a group of business representatives from around the world issued two sets of recommendations on business priorities for the WTO, which cover areas such as services, investment, market access, e-commerce and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The two business focus groups were set up after an event held at the WTO in May 2016, initiated by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the B20, the business arm of the G20.
The first set of recommendations encourages WTO members to look into ways of creating a global ecosystem that better enables small businesses to access international markets and sell products online more easily. Additional highlights include the need for enhanced connectivity and capacity building in e-commerce.
The second set of recommendations calls for the revitalisation of WTO trade negotiations and the rapid and effective implementation of the WTO TFA. They also seek to strengthen rules on trade in services, investment facilitation and regional trade agreements.