WTO forms panel to identify 21st century global trade challenges

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has formed a new panel to outline among others, how global trade opening in the 21st century can work with limited challenges.

The panel is named “WTO Panel on Defining the Future of Trade”.

WTO’s Director-General Pascal Lamy who announced the composition of the panel today April 13, 2012 charged them to examine and analyse the challenges to global trade opening in the 21st century.

“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.

According to him, the difficulties the WTO 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”.

The Panel will hold its first meeting on May 16, 2012 in Geneva and it will have the opportunity to hear the views of WTO members over these challenges, the WTO said in a statement.

The panellists are:

Mr. Talal ABU-GHAZALEH, Chairman and Founder, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Overseas Corporation, Jordan
Ms. Sharan BURROW, Secretary-General, International Trade Union Confederation, Brussels
Ms. Helen CLARK, UNDP Administrator, New York
Mr. Thomas J. DONOHUE, President and CEO, US Chamber of Commerce, Washington
Mr. Frederico Fleury CURADO, President and CEO, Embraer S.A, Brazil
Mr. Victor K. FUNG, Chairman of Fung Global Institute and Honorary Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong, China
Mr. Pradeep Singh MEHTA, Secretary-General, CUTS International, India
Mr. Festus Gontebanye MOGAE, Former President of Botswana
Ms. Josette SHEERAN, Vice Chairman, World Economic Forum, Geneva
Mr. Jürgen R. THUMANN, President, BUSINESSEUROPE, Brussels
Mr. George YEO, Former Foreign Minister, Singapore and Vice Chairman of Kerry Group Limited
Mr. Fujimori YOSHIAKI, President and CEO, JS Group Corporation, Tokyo

By Ekow Quandzie

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