WTO Umbrella Grant Project on New Issues

Joint Statement Initiatives

These JSIs involve the subjects of investment facilitation, electronic commerce, and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). All three of these initiatives are being developed by groups of WTO Members. Negotiations among participants have begun on investment facilitation and electronic commerce.

Consortium of Partners

Our work under this project is with a consortium of partners, including CUTS International Geneva and BKP Economic Advisors. It is funded with UK aid from the UK government under the Trade and Investment Advocacy Fund (TAF2+).

Activities

We are organizing several activities under this project, including:

• Geneva-based seminars
• Regional and national workshops
• Demand-driven support to policymakers and negotiators

Publications

• Negotiating Services Market Access under the E-commerce Joint Statement Initiative: A development perspective (July 2021)
• E-commerce Joint Statement Initiative Negotiations Among World Trade Organization Members: State of play and the impacts of COVID-19 (April 2021)
• Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Key developments and update in the Informal Working Group discussions among World Trade Organization members (April 2021)
• The Joint Initiative on Investment Facilitation: Developments from 2020 and the road ahead to MC12 (April 2021)
• Addressing the Digital Divide in the Joint Statement Initiative on E-commerce (December 2020)
• The Proposed Multilateral Framework on Investment Facilitation: An analysis of its relationship to international trade and investment agreements (September 2020)
• Trade Agreements and the World Trade Organization: Lessons for the Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises Joint Statement Initiative (August 2020)
• Joint Statement on Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises: History and latest developments in the Informal Working Group (May 2020)
• E-commerce in the World Trade Organization: History and latest developments in the negotiations under the Joint Statement (January 2020)
• Investment Facilitation: History and the latest developments in the structured discussions (January 2020)

TAF2+ is managed on behalf of FCDO by a dedicated Fund Manager: CowaterSogema and Saana Consulting. Views expressed in the project's publication and events are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect HM Government’s official positions or those of TAF2+.