Development and building trade capacity
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Annual Report 2026
This report covers WTO activities in 2025 and the early part of 2026. At the start of the report, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala reflects on the current challenges facing world trade and the role of the WTO. The report also covers the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference, which took place from 26 to 30 March 2026. The World Trade Organization deals with the global rules of trade between WTO members. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.
Best practices in WTO accession for Arab countries
Lessons from past and ongoing accessions in the Arab world
International trade plays a critical role in driving growth and development but the Arab world remains less integrated than other regions into the multilateral trading system. Only 14 of the 22 Arab League countries have joined the WTO while many of the remaining countries are engaged in lengthy and complex accession negotiations. The path towards WTO membership has confronted Arab economies with a mix of legal, economic and political hurdles, highlighting the need for broad-based reforms and stronger institutional capacities. This publication offers policymakers and stakeholders in the Arab world a practical roadmap for achieving successful WTO accession and implementing effective post-accession reforms. Drawing on the experiences of Arab countries that have joined the WTO since 1995 - including Comoros, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen - as well as those currently in the accession process, it addresses the challenges faced throughout membership negotiations. The publication explores how WTO accession reshapes policy, regulatory and institutional frameworks and presents recommendations on developing strategies to fully leverage WTO membership and technical assistance. Based on high-level consultations, extensive interviews and comprehensive policy analysis, this publication provides essential insights into how to advance sustainable economic development and reinforce regional stability across the Arab world.
Conclusion and way forward
Executive summary
This study, Best Practices in WTO Accession for Arab Countries underscores the important role of international trade in fostering economic growth in the developing world, emphasizing the noticeable underrepresentation of the Arab League countries within the WTO.
Acknowledgements
The publication Best Practices in WTO Accession for Arab Countries was prepared by Hamid Mamdouh and Dr. Linda Kassem, lead experts under the general responsibility and guidance of Maika Oshikawa, Director of the Accessions Division, World Trade Organization (WTO); May Ali Babiker, Director of the Cooperation and Capacity Development Department, Islamic Development Bank (IsDB); Mamoudou Sall, Assistant Director General of the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT); Dr. Jaleleddine Rejeb, Director of the Economics Department, Arab Monetary Fund (AMF).
Introduction
The importance of international trade as an engine for economic growth and development across the developing world continues to increase.
Trade and income convergence
The past quarter of a century has witnessed an unprecedented level of income convergence, accompanied by the integration of many developing economies into global markets. Despite this, some economies have been left behind. This chapter discusses how the participation of developing economies in global trade and investment flows can accelerate structural transformation and enhance productivity growth, thereby helping lowand middle-income economies to achieve the economic growth that ensures convergence with high-income economies. The chapter also examines why some economies have taken little advantage of globalization, and focuses on barriers to maximizing the gains from trade participation, such as trade costs and commodity dependence. Finally, the chapter discusses how recent trends in the global economy are shaping future opportunities and challenges for developing economies to leverage trade and foreign direct investment for economic growth, and which policies can help to achieve convergence in the upcoming decade.
Note
WTO members are frequently referred to as “countries”, although some members are not countries in the usual sense of the word but are officially “customs territories”.