WTO News

1. Canada commits CAD 500,000 to strengthen food safety and plant and animal health capacity

   Canada is providing CAD 500,000 (approximately CHF 286,000) to the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) to strengthen sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) capacity of public and private sector stakeholders in developing and least-developed countries. The contribution will support STDF activities that help countries meet international food safety and plant and animal health standards and facilitate safe trade, based on the STDF Strategy for 2025-2030.

2. WTO project aims to step up ePing use to increase transparency and market access in Africa

   Implementation of a WTO initiative to strengthen use of the ePing SPS & TBT Platform is now under way, helping governments, exporters and other stakeholders better track and engage in evolving product requirements affecting international trade. Funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), the three year project focuses on five African countries and aims to enhance transparency, predictability and market access.

3. WTO members review safeguard actions, exchange views on measures affecting steel products

   At a meeting on 27 April, the WTO Committee on Safeguards reviewed safeguard actions covering 38 products, 12 of which were steel/metal products. These actions were notified by members since the Committee's last meeting in October 2025. Several members expressed their views on the European Union's and the United Kingdom's actions concerning steel products. The EU investigation on grain-oriented electrical steel and measure on ferro-alloying elements also generated interventions by several members. The outgoing Chair, Ms Milagros Miranda Rojas (Peru), thanked members for their participation in the Committee.

4. India launches safeguard investigation on soda ash

   On 24 April 2026, India notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards that it had initiated on 16 March 2026 a safeguard investigation on imports of soda ash.

5. TRIPS Council considers technology transfer, digitalization and non-violation complaints

   At a meeting of the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on 23-24 April, items discussed by WTO members included technology transfer, digitalization of IP offices, and TRIPS non-violation and situation complaints. In the meeting, chaired by Emmanuelle Ivanov-Durand of France, members were also updated on notifications under various provisions of the TRIPS Agreement, including through the WTO Secretariat's sixth Annual Transparency Report. Mr Alaa Hegazy of Egypt was elected chair for the coming year.