Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Indian Chair of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Chairs Programme (WCP) organised a regional conference of the Asian and African Chairs on the theme ‘Fostering Resilient and Responsible Trade for Changing Global Order’, at Vanijya Bhawan in New Delhi on September 27-28.
The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) represented through its centres, namely, the Centre for Trade and Investment Law (CTIL) and the Centre for WTO Studies (CWS), administers the WTO Chair in India.
The conference was inaugurated by Ajay Bhadoo, Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce, Government of India.
The key takeaways from the Conference are: necessity of aligning regional and multilateral trade strategies for coherent global norms; importance of addressing barriers to trade using digital tools to ensure inclusivity and equal opportunities for all nations and stakeholders in international trade; and critical need for robust climate action that accommodates the unique challenges faced by developing countries.
Responsible trade
The conference provided an opportunity for WTO chairholders, leading scholars, trade experts, and policymakers from across Asia and Africa to discuss ways and means of fostering resilient and responsible trade in a dynamic global economy.
The conference included seven thematic sessions on a broad array of topics relating to resilient and responsible trade. It also focused on critical issues at the intersection of global trade and sustainability.
The discussions highlighted the need for coherence in trade strategies, the challenges of inclusive digital transformation, and the importance of responsible practices in critical mineral extraction with a specific focus on Asia and Africa regions.
The event emphasised collaborative approaches to support developing countries in navigating complex trade dynamics and achieving sustainable development goals. In the thematic sessions, the representatives from the WCP Chairs from Asian and African institutions presented their ideas and experiences from a national, regional and multilateral perspective.
The sessions covered topics such as regional aspects in international trade law, green industrial policies, critical minerals for a clean energy future, WTO dispute settlement system and sustainable climate actions. A roundtable of WCP Chairs was also held during the conference to deliberate on collaborations between WCP Chairs of Asia and Africa.
