{"id":2000106638,"date":"2026-03-26T20:31:57","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T18:31:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/?p=2000106638"},"modified":"2026-03-27T09:06:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T07:06:12","slug":"wto-chief-warns-global-trade-system-has-irrevocably-changed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wto-chief-warns-global-trade-system-has-irrevocably-changed\/","title":{"rendered":"WTO chief warns global trade system has \u2018irrevocably changed\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Opening the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference in Yaound\u00e9, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala delivered a stark message about the future of global trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe world order and multilateral system we used to know has irrevocably changed. We will not get it back\u2026 we must look to the future,\u201d she told ministers and delegates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said the current disruptions from geopolitical tensions to climate pressures are not temporary shocks, but part of a broader transformation shaping the global economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WTO chief also outlined a cautious outlook for global trade, noting that growth is expected to slow significantly in the coming year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor 2026, our economists are forecasting slower growth\u2026 reflecting geopolitics, energy prices, and policy uncertainty,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to WTO projections, goods trade growth is set to decline from 4.6% in 2025 to 1.9% in 2026, with risks of dropping further to 1.4% if high oil prices persist. Services trade is expected to grow by 4.8%, though this could fall to 4.1% if disruptions in transport and travel continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these pressures, she stressed that the system remains resilient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur latest analysis shows that around 72% of global goods trade still remains on WTO terms\u2026 providing global trade with a stable core,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okonjo-Iweala also highlighted growing structural challenges within the WTO, particularly a lack of transparency among members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLack of transparency leads to a lack of trust, and that breeds suspicions of unfairness and anti-competitive behaviour,\u201d she warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted that only 64 members had submitted subsidy notifications, undermining confidence in the system and contributing to delays in reform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, she pointed to the growing role of technology in global trade, noting that digitally delivered services reached $5.26 trillion, accounting for about 15% of global trade, while AI-related products contributed significantly to recent growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She urged ministers to use the conference to push forward reforms and restore trust in the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe cannot forever complain and then miss the opportunity to fix the problems,\u201d she said, calling for stronger political will among member states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the meeting, Rwanda called for a more balanced and development-driven global trading system, warning that without meaningful reforms, smaller economies risk being left behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWTO reform must remain development-centred, ensuring that the interests and capacities of developing countries and Least Developed Countries are fully reflected,\u201d said Rwanda\u2019s Minister of Trade and Industry, Prudence Sebahizi, urging members to translate ongoing reforms into tangible gains, particularly in agriculture, digital trade and access to a fair dispute resolution system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala delivering remarks at the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference in Yaound\u00e9. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Director-General of the World Trade Organization has warned that the global trading system is undergoing a fundamental shift, urging countries to adapt to a rapidly changing economic and geopolitical landscape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2000106640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[174],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000106638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-philbert-girinema"],"bylines":[{"id":174,"name":"Philbert Girinema","slug":"philbert-girinema","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":6}],"contributors":[{"id":174,"name":"Philbert Girinema","slug":"philbert-girinema","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":6}],"featured_image":{"id":2000106640,"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-26-at-8.05.38-PM.jpeg","alt":"","caption":"WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has urged countries to adapt to a new economic and geopolitical reality. ","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":2560,"height":1706,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-26-at-8.05.38-PM.jpeg","width":150,"height":100},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-26-at-8.05.38-PM.jpeg","width":300,"height":200},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-26-at-8.05.38-PM.jpeg","width":768,"height":512},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-26-at-8.05.38-PM.jpeg","width":1024,"height":682},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-26-at-8.05.38-PM.jpeg","width":2560,"height":1706}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000106638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000106638"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000106638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000106646,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000106638\/revisions\/2000106646"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000106640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000106638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000106638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000106638"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000106638"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000106638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}