Trade in Services

South Centre Intervention, 28 May 2026

Promoting Trade in Services to Advance Global Development Cooperation

Presentation of Dr. Carlos M. Correa, South Centre Executive Director, at the Seminar “Promoting Trade in Services to Advance Global Development Cooperation” organized by the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations in Geneva, 28 May 2026

With world services exports surpassing 9.5 trillion USD in 2025, we are living through a boom of trade in services largely supported by the growing use of digital technologies. But many developing countries risk being left behind due to persistent gaps in digital infrastructure, skills, and regulatory frameworks.

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Policy Brief 112, 28 June 2022

IPR-related Statistics in WTO Trade Policy Reviews

 By Peter Lunenborg

The WTO Secretariat Trade Policy Review (TPR) report is an important tool for a WTO Member which synthesizes objective trade-related information in a single document and enables the monitoring of developments in trade. Relevant statistics are therefore an important element of a TPR report.

Currently the practice of using statistical information on intellectual property rights (IPRs) across TPRs is not uniform. This Policy Brief surveys the use of IPR-related statistics in WTO TPRs with a view to exploring possible harmonization and inclusion of common information elements in future TPRs. Harmonized information would provide a baseline for comparison between countries and across time for a single country with respect to the level of IPR protection and immediate benefits derived from the creation of and trade in IPRs.

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