WTO: LAMY NAMES PANEL TO IDENTIFY 21ST CENTURY TRADE CHALLENGES

Geneva, April 13- Director-General Pascal Lamy today announced the composition of a panel of WTO stakeholders he has charged with examining and analysing challenges to global trade opening in the 21st century.

At the WTO's 8th Ministerial Conference in December 2011, Mr. Lamy suggested that the profound transformations in the world economy require the WTO and the multilateral trading system to look at the drivers of today and tomorrow's trade, to look at trade patterns and at what it means to open global trade in the XXI century, bearing in mind the role of trade in contributing to sustainable development, growth, jobs and poverty alleviation. The analysis of these world trade drivers, which will be produced by the 12 panellists in early 2013, can make an important contribution to debate between Members on the best way to tackle these challenges, Mr. Lamy said.

“The difficulties we, and many other multilateral institutions, have encountered in recent years is indisputable proof that yesterday's solutions simply cannot be applied to the problems we face today. This panel encompasses experts from all corners of the world and nearly every field of endeavour. Their analysis will spark debate and open new channels of thinking on how we can best confront the stumbling blocks that today's rapidly evolving world has strewn in our collective path,” said Mr. Lamy.

The “WTO Panel on Defining the Future of Trade”, will meet several times in 2012. In the autumn, it will have the opportunity to hear the views of WTO Members over these challenges. The first meeting of the group will be on 16 May in Geneva.

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