What would a world without a multilateral trading system mean for business? In this episode, ICC’s Valerie Picard speaks with trade expert Hamid Mamdouh about the growing challenges facing the WTO ahead of its 14th Ministerial Conference – and why this crisis must be used as a catalyst to reform the WTO into a system fit for the realities of modern trade.
This episode’s host, Valerie Picard, Head of Trade at ICC, is joined by former WTO Director Hamid Mamdouh for a conversation offering a rare insider perspective from someone who helped build the multilateral trading system – and who now reflects on how it must evolve to remain fit for today’s geopolitical and economic realities.
Hosted by:
Valerie Picard
Head of Trade, International Chamber of Commerce
Guest speaker:
Hamid Mamdouh
Senior Counsel at King & Spalding LLP and former Director of the Trade in Services and Investment Division of the WTO
Listeners will gain insight into:
what is changing inside the global trading system and why it matters for business
why the erosion of the most-favoured-nation (MFN) principle raises fundamental questions about fairness and competitive neutrality in global markets
how the WTO may need to evolve beyond a one-size-fits-all model towards a more flexible system that accommodates diverse sovereign choices through ‘variable geometry’
and why the private sector, instrumental in building the WTO, must once again play a central role in shaping its next phase
As trade ministers prepare for the WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), Mr Mamdouh leaves them with a final message:“Don’t think about the future of the WTO – think about the WTO of the future … don’t let this crisis go to waste.”
