India, US announce mutually agreed solution in dispute over agricultural import measures

On 15 March, India and the United States submitted a notification to the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body of a mutually agreed solution in dispute DS430, “India — Measures Concerning the Importation of Certain Agricultural Products.” The notification was circulated to WTO members on 20 March.

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STDF promotes safe trade for development in Africa on International Francophonie Day

An event held at the WTO to mark International Francophonie Day on 20 March highlighted how compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures can foster economic growth, create jobs and promote international trade opportunities in Francophone Africa. The event was organized by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) in partnership with the International Organization of la Francophonie (OIF), the permanent missions of Cameroon, Canada and France, and the Committee Linking Entrepreneurship, Agriculture and Development (COLEAD).

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Talks on Costa Rica’s accession to government procurement agreement intensify

Parties to the Government Procurement Agreement 2012 (GPA 2012) intensified negotiations on 20 March on Costa Rica’s accession to the GPA 2012 at a meeting of the Committee on Government Procurement. This was the Committee’s first meeting since Costa Rica circulated earlier this month its initial market access offer, a key document required to kick off negotiations. Parties also held a workshop on 21 March, discussing the role of digital technologies in supporting trade and competition in government procurement.

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Chair briefs members on consultations regarding post-MC13 dispute settlement reform work

The Chair of the Dispute Settlement Body, Ambassador Petter Ølberg of Norway, briefed WTO members on 19 March regarding recent consultations he had to hear delegations’ views on how to follow up on the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) decision on dispute settlement reform and on the appointment of a facilitator for the reform process. The DSB also adopted on 19 March a compliance panel report in a dispute between the European Union and the United States over US duties on imported olives from Spain.

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Working group on small business discusses way forward post MC13, welcomes 99th member

At its first meeting of the year, on 19 March, the Informal Working Group (IWG) on Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) considered possible topics for discussion in their future work. The Group welcomed the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a new participant, bringing the total number of WTO members taking part in the initiative to 99. Participants heard an update on the Trade4MSMEs platform, aimed at improving MSMEs’ ability to trade internationally, and discussed various issues facing small businesses.

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Members supporting Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement discuss next steps

WTO members who are parties to the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement discussed the way forward at a meeting on 19 March, reiterating their aim to incorporate it into the WTO framework as a most-favoured-nation-based plurilateral agreement open to all members. Participants welcomed two members (Democratic Republic of the Congo and Côte d’Ivoire) who joined the Agreement during the 13th Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi. Burkina Faso also announced it was joining, bringing to 125 the number of co-sponsors requesting the Agreement to become part of the WTO’s legal architecture.

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