Lamy Names Panel to Identify 21st Century Trade Challenges

Director-General Pascal Lamy on13 April 2012 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.

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