The Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) met on 28-29 September to advance its discussions on the trade and environment nexus, focusing on interoperability and development aspects of trade-related climate measures. Members also built on the voluntary information sharing exercise launched earlier this year with a view to enhancing transparency of trade and climate measures in the Committee. In addition, they were briefed on work undertaken in other international fora and on developments in several member-led environmental initiatives at the WTO.

Prospective participants in the�25th edition�of the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition on WTO Law, launched on 16 September 2026, are invited to attend webinars aimed at helping them to effectively participate in the competition.

The WTO, the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank Group jointly organized a regional conference in Manila on 28-29 September that brought for the first time the Trade in Services for Development (TS4D) initiative to the Asia-Pacific region. The event allowed trade officials and other stakeholders from the region to discuss the role of services trade in development, exchange views on the use of analytical tools developed under the initiative and share best practices and policy approaches for supporting services trade in the region.

New Zealand has contributed NZ$ 300,000 (approximately CHF 140,000) to the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) to help developing and least-developed countries, including in the Pacific, strengthen food safety and animal and plant health systems.

At a meeting of the WTO Committee on Agriculture on 24-25 September, WTO members addressed matters raised regarding implementation of their commitments and members' specific notifications. They also discussed a counter-notification submitted by Australia on India's support policies for sugar and heard a briefing on the global state of farming from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This was the first meeting under the new Chair, Mr William Horgan of Ireland.

The Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) agreed at its meeting on 25 September to a request from the Russian Federation for the establishment of a panel to review the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) Package and alleged export subsidy under the EU scheme for trading greenhouse gas emission allowances.

WTO members expressed their views on 23 September regarding the current state of the agriculture negotiations and how best to move them forward following the inconclusive outcome of talks in this area at the WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference in Yaound� earlier this year.

The multilateral trading system has underpinned a nearly 50-fold expansion of world merchandise trade volume and one of the most remarkable periods of economic growth and development in modern history, yet global trade policy and the WTO are experiencing the most serious and sustained disruptions since the system was created 80 years ago.

Update of data blog first published on 13 April 2023.

Artificial intelligence (AI), the environment, and issues facing developing economies were among the topics discussed by Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the latest cohort of WTO Young Trade Leaders at a meeting on 17 September. The Director-General underlined that harnessing the energy and ideas of young people is essential for addressing current and future trade challenges.

A new report launched by the WTO Secretariat and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC) on 17 September draws on case studies to illustrate how developing economies' export promotion strategies can help them take advantage of growing opportunities in services trade. Export Promotion Strategies for Services: Lessons from the Developing World provides useful policy insights for developing economies, underscoring the importance of close coordination with skills upgrading and investment attraction strategies and the need to adapt export promotion mechanisms traditionally focused on goods.

The 2026 edition of the WTO's Public Forum kicked off on 15 September in Geneva under the theme Powering the Future. Over three days, the Forum will welcome more than 4,600 participants from business, governments, civil society, academia and international organizations to discuss how trade in services is a key engine of development, a source of income, and a driver of job creation and empowerment worldwide.

The 2026 edition of the WTO's Public Forum kicked off on 15 September in Geneva under the theme Powering the Future. Over three days, the Forum will welcome more than 4,600 participants from business, governments, civil society, academia and international organizations to discuss how trade in services is a key engine of development, a source of income, and a driver of job creation and empowerment worldwide.

The 2026 edition of the World Trade Report - issued on 15 September - finds that a strengthened multilateral trading system could increase global GDP by roughly 3% or USD 3 trillion by 2050, while inaction to modernize the trading system could reduce global output by up to 10%. The flagship publication of the WTO Secretariat, examining what the multilateral trading system has delivered over 80 years and where it is facing challenges, offers evidence relevant to ongoing efforts to keep trade rules fit for purpose.

The WTO Secretariat launched a new publication on the role of stablecoins in supporting cross-border trade on 14 September on the sidelines of the WTO's first World Trade and Tech Day. The report, prepared by the Economic Research and Statistics Division and the Trade in Services and Investment Division, examines the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of stablecoins in facilitating international trade, highlighting how they can accelerate cross-border payments and their potential to increase participation in the international trading system, especially for developing economies.

Hundreds of participants gathered at the WTO for World Trade & Tech Day on 14 September, a sign of how AI is fundamentally changing the way cross-border commerce is evolving. Under the banner of AI and Trade: Turning Potential into Progress, the day consisted of a full day of panel discussions and other knowledge-sharing opportunities aimed at fostering conversations on technology and trade. The event shone a spotlight on how AI and frontier technologies are making international trade more efficient, bringing together government leaders as well as academics and private sector representatives to discuss ways to harness AI's potential into tangible economic gains and an engine for inclusive growth.

The WTO Secretariat launched a new publication on the role of stablecoins in supporting cross-border trade on 14 September on the sidelines of the WTO's first World Trade and Tech Day. The report, prepared by the Economic Research and Statistics Division and the Trade in Services and Investment Division, examines the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of stablecoins in facilitating international trade, highlighting how they can accelerate cross-border payments and their potential to increase participation in the international trading system, especially for developing economies.

On 9 September 2026, the Russian Federation notified the WTO's Committee on Safeguards regarding the initiation on 7 September 2026 of a safeguard investigation on certain flat steel products with polymer coating imported into the customs territory of the Eurasian Economic Union.

Global goods trade continued to strengthen in mid-2026 despite persistent geopolitical and policy-related uncertainties, according to the WTO Goods Trade Barometer released on 9 September 2026.

The WTO published today (9 September) its 2026 Annual Report, providing a comprehensive account of the organization's activities in 2025 and the early part of 2026. The Report looks back at recent key events, such as the 14th Ministerial Conference in March 2026, and describes the WTO's work in addressing the challenges and opportunities facing world trade.