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Digital trade is increasingly touted as a key pathway for mitigating economic losses from COVID-19.
Read publication - Digital Trade for Post-COVID Recovery and Resilience in the CommonwealthMain page for this area of work
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The Trade Competitiveness Section of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Secretariat of the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) are organising a joint webinar on the topic ‘New Post-Brexit Procedural Rules for African, Caribbean, and Pacific Exports into the UK’.
It is increasingly recognised that sound investment contracts between foreign investors and host states can play an important role in helping countries to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Read publication - Environmental, Social and Economic Development Provisions in Investment ContractsEvent
This virtual event, co-organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), will focus on the soft infrastructure needs of Commonwealth member countries in relation to training and capacity building around digital infrastructure.
2 March 2021 to 2 March 2021
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In this virtual event, speakers will discuss digital agriculture and digital fisheries, especially during the global health pandemic. The event builds on the outcomes of the 4th Supply-Side Connectivity Cluster meeting of the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda held in November 2020 which called for a focus on smart agriculture for sustainable development.
Issue 172 of Trade Hot Topics provides an overview of recent developments in the evolving COVID-19 vaccine landscape.
Read publication - The Great RaceThis paper focuses not only on the special needs of small states and small island developing states (SIDS) in the challenge to reduce plastics pollution, production and trade, but also on the opportunities.
Read publication - Plastic Production and Trade in Small States and SIDSCommonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has welcomed the historic appointment of former Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to head the World Trade Organization, the first woman and representative of the African continent to do so.
Read news - Commonwealth Secretary-General congratulates new head of WTO19 February 2021 to 19 February 2021
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This virtual event will explore the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism sector, including a review of current policy initiatives being undertaken to tackle the tourism decline.
This paper explores the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on trade in food products in Commonwealth countries.
Read publication - Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Trade in the Commonwealth15 December 2020 to 15 December 2020
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The webinar will explore some of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on trade in food products in Commonwealth countries in the early months of the pandemic.
Gambian President Adama Barrow has told the Commonwealth Secretary-General that his country is “happy to be back” in the family. The Secretary-General is in The Gambia for her first official visit since the country re-joined the Commonwealth in 2018 - almost five years after leaving the association. She commented: “President Barrow’s words are a testimony to the longstanding partnership between The Gambia and the Commonwealth."
Read news - ‘Happy to be back in the Commonwealth,’ Gambian President tells Secretary-GeneralAnnual transfers of money by foreign migrant workers to their home countries play a huge role in many countries. These remittances provide income support for family members back home and, in some cases, provide funding for start-ups. Remittances are also a source of foreign exchange reserves for developing countries and they help contain trade balances and widen the revenue base through increased consumption
Read news - De-mystifying the effects of COVID-19 on remittancesThis issue of Trade Hot Topics examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Commonwealth FDI.
Read publication - COVID-19 and Commonwealth FDI1 December 2020 to 3 December 2020
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The Annual Meeting of the New Producers Group will be held virtually from 1-3rd December 2020.
Trade ministers and business leaders from across the Commonwealth will gather virtually to examine how they can work together to spur a digitally-inclusive and green recovery in the face of devastating economic impacts linked to COVID-19.
Read news - Commonwealth private sector targets green, digital recoveryMore than 90 government officials from 11 nations have gained new skills that will help them make sound decisions on petroleum field development plans submitted by oil companies, to ensure they promote sustainable development.
Read news - Officials trained to assess multi-billion dollar petroleum investments23 November 2020 to 8 December 2020
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Commonwealth Leaders adopted the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda (CCA) at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April 2018, with a view to boost trade and investment links across the Commonwealth and raise intra-Commonwealth trade to US$2 trillion by 2030.
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Commodity exports constitute a large share of world merchandise trade for many developing and developed countries. In 2019, of the US$18.9 trillion merchandise trade, around one third comprised commodities – 25 per cent and 30 per cent for developed and developing countries, respectively.
At the 11th World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires in 2017, ministers agreed to secure an agreement on disciplines on fisheries subsidies.
Read publication - WTO Fisheries Subsidies NegotiationsInternational trade fuels economic growth by increasing employment, production and the provision of a wider variety of goods and services at lower prices.
Read publication - The Commonwealth's Trade Landscape in a Post-COVID World