WTO: Uzbekistan is making "steady progress" towards finalising accession negotiations
Working Group on the Accession of Uzbekistan held on 5th and 6th November the Chairman of the Uzbekistan delegation, Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khojayev, noted that Uzbekistan remained faithful to the objective of joining the WTO during the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14). He stressed the country's readiness to work on outstanding issues and thanked WTO members for their support in accession negotiations. It was the eleventh meeting of the Working Group on the Accession of Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan applied for WTO membership in 1994 and has been actively negotiating the terms of membership since 2020.
WCO at COP30: Driving Innovation and Sustainability through Green Customs
The World Customs Organization (WCO) took part in the COP30 side event on Green Customs: Innovation and Sustainability, held in Manaus, Brazil, from 12 to 14 November 2025. Hosted by the Special Secretariat of the Federal Revenue of Brazil (RFB), the event brought together Customs administrations, international organizations, Brazilian enforcement agencies, and private sector representatives to explore how Customs can contribute to advancing global environmental objectives. The WCO participated in two panel discussions — Combating Illicit Trade in Environmentally Sensitive Goods and Facilitating Sustainable Trade, Green Transition, and Customs Control Initiatives for Carbon-Intensive Goods. Both sessions underscored Customs’ essential role in combating illegal trade in environmentally sensitive commodities while facilitating legitimate green trade through balanced and practical approaches. As a key focus area in the WCO’s 2025-2028 Strategic Plan, this was a valuable opportunity to demonstrate the role of Customs by highlighting how Customs contribute to implementing Multilateral Environmental Agreements and national environmental policies, ensuring compliance, preventing and intercepting illegal trade in environmentally sensitive goods, and supporting governments in achieving sustainability objectives while maintaining efficient trade flows. Source
WCO: Lesotho and South Africa Join Forces: Unveiling End to End Time Release Study (TRS) Reports for Enhanced Regional Trade Efficiency
Lesotho and South Africa, supported by the World Customs Organization (WCO) Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme funded by the United Kingdom’s His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC), have embarked on a collaborative effort to improve cross-border trade efficiency through the launch of joint End-to-End Time Release Study (TRS) reports. Leveraging the 2025 WCO TRS Guide, the coordination highlights the significance of the Maseru Bridge and Ficksburg Bridge border posts, which process the largest share of cross-border traffic. Lesotho contributes to over 40% of all cross-border movement across South Africa's borders with neighboring countries. Source
WCO: Technology, e-commerce and Green Customs in focus at the Permanent Technical Committee
More than three hundred representatives of Customs administrations, international organizations, academia, and the private sector came together at the end of October 2025 to attend the latest Sessions of the Permanent Technical Committee (PTC) and to contribute to the development of norms and tools designed to enhance efficiency in trade. Since its first session in April 1953, the PTC has played a vital role in enabling Customs administrations and their partners to collectively identify solutions to recurrent and emerging challenges to secure and facilitate trade operations. The Committee’s latest sessions focused on the three key areas of the 2025-2028 WCO Strategic Plan, namely Green Customs, e-commerce, and technology and innovation. Source
WTO: ITA Committee holds thematic session highlighting ITA’s role in digital transformation
Participants in the WTO’s Information Technology Agreement (ITA) gathered with private sector stakeholders and experts on 20 November to exchange views on the benefits of participating in the ITA and the impact of the Agreement on domestic economies. The discussion aimed to enhance understanding of the opportunities, challenges and outcomes associated with ITA participation, drawing on perspectives from government, business and academia. Source
WTO, WHO and WIPO hold briefing for government officials on AI and digital health
The World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) organized on 17 November the second in a series of Trilateral Cooperation briefings for trade, health and intellectual property (IP) diplomats based in Geneva. Source
WTO: Surge in new tariffs accompanied by measures to increase trade, WTO report on G20 finds
Trade covered by tariffs in G20 economies increased about four times as much from mid-October 2024 to mid-October 2025 compared to the prior reporting period, marking the largest increase in the history of WTO trade monitoring. At the same time, economies made trade easier by twice as much in value terms over this period, according to the WTO’s latest report on trade measures in the G20 issued on 13 November. Source
WTO: Members exchange views on transparency and non-preferential rules of origin
At a meeting of the Committee on Rules of Origin (CRO) on 5-6 November 2025, members discussed transparency initiatives, notification procedures and preferential and non-preferential rules of origin. The Committee also heard updates from preference-granting members on recent developments in their programmes for least-developed countries (LDCs). The formal meeting was chaired by Ms Carol Tsang of Hong Kong, China for the first time. Source
WTO members discuss proposals to strengthen cooperation in carbon emission policies
At the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) meeting held on 4 November, WTO members discussed proposals to foster more transparency and cooperation amid various carbon emission policies that may impact the flow of trade. Members also heard a report on the CTE sustainable agriculture thematic session held earlier this week. Source