The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has hosted a delegation from Finland’s Development Policy Committee to discuss how international trade can improve living standards and reduce poverty in developing countries....
The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has hosted a delegation from Finland’s Development Policy Committee to discuss how international trade can improve living standards and reduce poverty in developing countries.
The delegation was led by Jani Kokko, a Finnish Member of Parliament and Vice-Chair of the Development Policy Committee.
In a statement following the meeting, Okonjo-Iweala described the engagement as productive, saying discussions focused on measures to improve living standards in poorer countries through trade.
The meeting also examined the implications of the ongoing WTO reform process, particularly its potential impact on developing economies and their participation in global commerce.
“Very productive meeting with delegation from Finland’s Development Policy Committee, led by Jani Kokko MP, Vice-Chair of the Committee, focusing on measures to further improve living standards in poor countries through trade, including implications for the ongoing WTO reform process,” she said.
Okonjo-Iweala expressed appreciation for the exchange of views and thanked DPR Markus Heydemann for helping to coordinate the meeting.
The engagement comes amid continuing discussions on reforming the multilateral trading system to make it more effective, inclusive and responsive to the needs of developing countries.
For many developing economies, improved access to international markets, fairer trading conditions and stronger participation in global value chains remain important pathways to economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction.