2025年世界贸易组织年度报告

About this report This report covers WTO activities in 2024 and the early part of 2025. At the start ofthe report, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala reflects on the current challengesfacing world trade and the role of the WTO. The report also covers the 13th WTOMinisterial Conference, which took place from 26 February to 1 March 2024. Further information about the WTO’s activities is available on the WTO website:www.wto.org Who we are The World Trade Organization deals with the global rules of tradebetween WTO members. Its main function is to ensure that tradeflows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible. Disclaimer This publication has been prepared under the WTO Secretariat’s own responsibility. It does not necessarilyreflect the positions or opinions of WTO members and is without prejudice to their rights and obligationsunder the WTO agreements. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein are not intended toprovide any authoritative or legal interpretation of the provisions of the WTO agreements and shall in no waybe read or understood to have any legal implications whatsoever. The terms and illustrations used in this publication do not constitute or imply an expression of opinionby the WTO Secretariat concerning the status or boundaries of any territory. AnnualReport2025 Overview The overall objective of the WTO is tohelp its members use trade as a meansto raise living standards, create jobsand improve people’s lives. The WTOoperates the global system of trade rulesand helps developing economies buildtheir trade capacity. It also provides aforum for its members to negotiate tradeagreements and to resolve the tradeproblems they face with each other. CONTENTS Message from Director-GeneralNgozi Okonjo-Iweala6 13th Ministerial Conference10Global trade developmentsand outlook12Director-Generalselection process16World trade success stories18 Our year22 Message from Director-GeneralNgozi Okonjo-Iweala Thirty years ago, the UruguayRound agreements transformedthe General Agreement on Tariffsand Trade into the WTO. The reinventedorganization had a clear objectiveset out in its founding agreement:harnessing world trade to raise livingstandards, create better jobs andpromote sustainable development. power and macroeconomic stability.Trade helped lift 1.5 billion peopleout of extreme poverty. Nevertheless, the global tradingsystem is today experiencing itsworst disruptions since the SecondWorld War. Multilateral cooperationitself is being called into question. Since its creation, open andpredictable international marketsanchored in WTO rules and normshave made a major contribution tostrengthening the global economy.Rich and poor countries have benefitedfrom increased growth, purchasing While the volume of merchandise andservices trade grew by 2.9 per centand 6.8 per cent respectively in2024 – the main period covered bythis report – the picture for 2025looks very different. At time ofwriting in mid-July, amid new tariff The WTO has an important role toplay as a forum where all 166 ofour members can share their tradeconcerns and propose solutions.WTO committees dealing with healthand safety standards and technicalregulations protect consumer safetywhile enabling members to minimizetrade frictions. Other committeeswork to accelerate the flow of goodsacross borders, promote trade inservices, protect intellectual propertyor make government procurementprocesses more open, transparentand competitive. World trade isabout much more than just tariffs –and so is the WTO. announcements, WTO economistshave downgraded expectations formerchandise trade volume growthby nearly three percentage pointsand now expect a 0.2 per centcontraction in 2025. In light of thehigh levels of policy uncertainty, thisstill reflects the considerable – andwelcome – resilience trade continuesto exhibit. Nevertheless, downsiderisks abound. Additional cause for concern comesfrom potential signs of fragmentationin world trade. If trade fracturesalong geopolitical lines, there willbe detrimental consequences forglobal economic growth, withlow-income economies sufferingthe worst welfare losses. This report looks into the work in 2024and early 2025 of WTO councilsand committees responsible foroverseeing the implementation ofWTO agreements One silver lining of the currentdisruptions is thatthey have remindedmany governments,businesses andhouseholds why thepredictable tradingconditions theyhad come to takefor granted are sovaluable. They haveled to a renewedappreciation forthe stability theWTO continues toprovide to globaltrade: even with allthe trade measuresintroduced since the start of 2025, and for negotiatingnew deals. The WTO has animportant role toplay as a forumwhere all 166of our memberscan share theirtrade concernsand proposesolutions. The major eventof last year wasthe WTO’s13th MinisterialConference in AbuDhabi in February.We welcomedtwo new membersthere – Comorosand Timor-Leste.The Conferenceconfirm