WTO | 2023 Information products
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Hung Seng Tan of Singapore, co-convenor of the initiative and chair of the 2023 plenary conferences, explained: “We have to have to physical exercise bigger versatility and we have to have to really set our shoulders to the plough and force with each other as we head to the finishing line.”
In closing the meeting, he reported that the co-convenors will choose time to mirror in excess of the summer time and acquire stock of progress produced so significantly. He added: “We will produce a roadmap for us to double down our initiatives from September to November.” He also announced that a textual content on “single windows” — the follow of setting up a single entry position for the trade of information and facts between trader and authorities — has been “parked”, indicating the technological perform on this subject matter has been finalized.
Ambassador George Mina of Australia informed the negotiators that “creative bridging” operate is essential a lot more than ever at this second in the negotiations, referring to various new compromise approaches proposed by facilitators in modern weeks.
He stated: “We’re all coming at this negotiation from distinct regulatory traditions and diverse methods in our domestic jurisdictions. The artwork in this article is to discover those people innovative bridging approaches”. He also stressed the need to have for political engagement, specially on additional delicate difficulties. The co-convenors reported that they will be consulting with users on how to secure that engagement.
Pursuing the heads of delegation assembly on 6 July, individuals in the e-commerce talks continued their operate in small groups and noted on the development manufactured in between classes. At the closing session, the facilitators also shared updates on development in their perform to obtain landing zones in the course of the most current meetings on text proposals in places these as cryptography, resource code, privacy, “single windows”, telecommunications, info flows and data localisation.
At the meetings, taking part users also held conversations on “horizontal” — or cross-chopping — problems, this sort of as typical and protection exceptions in the potential agreement. There was also an facts session on advancement, which examined present capacity setting up initiatives by WTO members and intercontinental organisations and demonstrated how they complement the efforts carried out in the e-commerce talks. This was followed by a dialogue on a joint proposal on development challenges.
In his closing remarks, Ambassador Kazuyuki Yamazaki of Japan also named for inventive imagining and extra adaptability, stressing the will need to find an inclusive final result on development challenges.

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