Economic research and trade policy analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the integral role of international trade in responding to the global health crisis. All communities depended to some extent on trade for medical products, related services and vaccines. In particular, the pandemic accentuated the mutual benefit from the core principles of the multilateral trading system, especially the benefits of open and well-functioning international production and supply chains, and non-discriminatory measures. This publication looks into the WTO’s response to the pandemic in terms of four key areas: monitoring the flow of goods related to COVID-19, working towards a coordinated and effective international response to the pandemic, conducting policy and statistical analysis with other intergovernmental organizations, and analysing the lessons learned from the pandemic to shape a blueprint for future international cooperation. The publication examines how WTO members negotiated a framework to guide and consolidate the WTO’s response to the pandemic, to enhance the flow of practical knowledge, and to help render the multilateral trading system better prepared for future crises. Negotiations resulted in the Ministerial Declaration on the WTO Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Preparedness for Future Pandemics adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference in June 2022. The importance of this work was confirmed in the Ministerial Declaration issued in March 2024 at MC13, which encouraged relevant WTO bodies to continue their work on reviewing the lessons learned from the pandemic and on building effective solutions in case of future pandemics.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to lead to a new era of growth. By transforming how goods and services are produced, exchanged and consumed, AI can bring about substantial changes in the global economy. Yet the future trajectory of AI remains uncertain, raising critical questions about trade and inclusive growth. The World Trade Report 2025 explores the complex and fast-evolving relationship between AI and international trade and how this relationship can shape inclusive growth. AI offers new opportunities to reduce trade costs, boost productivity and expand access to global markets. In addition, trade can help to render AI more accessible by spreading knowledge, fostering innovation and promoting participation in AI value chains. However, unequal access across the world to digital infrastructure, appropriate skills and capabilities could increase the digital divide. Also, the impact of AI on the labour market presents additional challenges. Whether AI-enabled trade translates into broad-based, inclusive growth will depend on the design and implementation of trade and trade-related policies. WTO rules on trade in goods, services, data, intellectual property and public procurement can shape the availability, affordability and diffusion of AI. Complementary policies regulating competition, data infrastructure, energy, education and government support can also help to determine whether and how economies benefit from AI-enabled trade. The WTO can play a central role in ensuring that AI supports more inclusive trade-led growth by administering WTO rules, by fostering dialogue, transparency and capacity-building, and by deepening collaboration on AI and digital trade with other international organizations.

World Tariff Profiles 2025 provides comprehensive information on the tariffs and non-tariff measures imposed by over 170 countries and customs territories. The publication starts with a breakdown of the tariffs imposed by these economies. Tariff data are presented in comparative tables and in one-page profiles for each economy. A summary table on selected indicators on the imports and exports profile for these economies is also presented. Statistics on non tariff measures by economy and by product group complement the data on tariffs. The special topic deals with “Global trade on most-favoured-nation terms”. The publication is jointly prepared by the World Trade Organization, the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Trade Centre (ITC).

L’intelligence artificielle (IA) transforme la manière dont nous vivons, travaillons, produisons et faisons du commerce. En continuant de se développer, elle devrait ouvrir des possibilités économiques et sociétales sans précédent. Toutefois, elle est aussi une source de risques et de défis importants. Le présent rapport examine l’intersection de l’IA et du commerce international. Il se penche sur la manière dont l’IA pourrait façonner l’avenir du commerce international en réduisant les coûts du commerce, en améliorant la productivité et en développant les avantages comparatifs des économies. Il passe en revue certaines des principales considérations politiques liées au commerce, en particulier la nécessité urgente de remédier à la fracture croissante en matière d’IA entre les économies et entre les grandes et les petites entreprises, et la nécessité urgente d’aborder les questions de gouvernance des données et de propriété intellectuelle. Il examine comment garantir une IA digne de confiance sans entraver le commerce. Il donne aussi un aperçu des initiatives gouvernementales prises aux échelles nationale, régionale et internationale visant à promouvoir et à réglementer l’IA et met l’accent sur le risque de fragmentation de la réglementation qui en résulte. Enfin, le rapport examine le rôle essentiel que joue l’OMC dans la facilitation du commerce lié à l’IA, dans la garantie d’une IA digne de confiance et dans la résolution des tensions commerciales émergentes, notant que l’évolution rapide de l’IA soulève des questions sur ses implications pour les règles du commerce international.

Le rapport “Perspectives et statistiques du commerce mondial” de l’OMC présente les prévisions du Secrétariat de l’OMC concernant le commerce mondial pour 2025 et 2026. Il contient des ventilations du commerce des marchandises et du commerce des services commerciaux par secteur et par région, ainsi que des renseignements détaillés concernant les principaux pays importateurs et exportateurs. Un chapitre analytique examine les effets économiques de l’incertitude dans le domaine de la politique commerciale. La publication du rapport coïncide avec celle des dernières statistiques commerciales trimestrielles et annuelles de l’OMC, qui peuvent être téléchargées à partir de la base de données en ligne de l’Organisation à l’adresse suivante: stats.wto.org.

This paper explores the application of Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to automate Harmonized System (HS) tariff line transposition, employing a three-stage process: unique 1:1 tariff code matching (Round 1), exact description matching (Round 2), and “smart” description matching (Round 3) using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and lexical similarity methods paired with harmonized 6-digit concordance and cosine similarity. Similarity is calculated using either Term Frequency Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) vectors or Sentence-BERT (SBERT) embeddings, comparing two scenarios: a straightforward case (Economy A) with standardized descriptions, and a complex case (Economy B), with more detailed technical descriptions.

L’OMC a publié le 7 juillet l’édition 2025 des Profils tarifaires dans le monde, qui contiennent des données détaillées sur les mesures tarifaires et non tarifaires imposées par plus de 170 économies. Il s’agit d’une publication conjointe de l’OMC, du Centre du commerce international (ITC) et d’ONU commerce et développement (CNUCED).

The report of the Joint Task Force on Climate Action, Carbon Pricing, and Policy Spillovers, with participation by the IMF, OECD, UNCTAD, World Bank, and WTO, makes four main contributions. First, it reflects on a common understanding of carbon pricing metrics which inform on the incentives to decarbonize and on cross-country variation in carbon prices, a key determinant of international spillover effects and competitiveness concerns. Second, the report analyzes the appropriate mixes of climate change mitigation policies, emphasizing the pivotal role of carbon pricing as the only policy implementing the polluter pays principle while generating revenues. Third, it analyzes how international organizations can support the coordination of policies to maximize positive and limit negative cross-border spillovers from climate change mitigation policies. Finally, it discusses how such coordination can help to scale up climate action by closing the transparency gap, the implementation gap, and the ambition gap.

En el informe Perspectivas del comercio mundial y estadísticas, de la OMC, se analizan los acontecimientos comerciales más recientes a nivel mundial. Además, se proporcionan desgloses del comercio de mercancías y servicios comerciales porsectores y regiones, junto con detalles sobre los principales interlocutores comerciales. La publicación del informe coincide con la divulgación de las últimas estadísticas comerciales trimestrales y anuales de la OMC, que pueden descargarse de la base de datos en línea de la OMC en la dirección siguiente: stats.wto.org.

Over the past 30 years, the world has witnessed a period of unprecedented income convergence, as the wide gap in income levels between economies has narrowed. Economic growth has improved living conditions and prospects for many people around the world. However, not all individuals, regions and economies have benefited equally from the changes brought about by more open trade. The World Trade Report 2024 explores the complex interlinkages between trade and inclusiveness across and within economies. Openness to international trade can drive economic growth, but many low- and middle-income economies struggle to diversify or to integrate into world trade. Although trade supports numerous jobs and provides access to affordable goods and services, some individuals can face challenges in adapting to new economic conditions following trade openness. However, trade protectionism neither protects the overall economy, nor promotes inclusiveness within economies. Diversifying global value chains, reducing trade costs through digitalization, and transitioning to a low-carbon economy can create new opportunities for low- and middle-income economies. Addressing remaining barriers to trade and investment, facilitating the implementation of existing WTO agreements, and ensuring that the WTO is fit for new challenges are crucial to support inclusiveness across and within economies. Furthermore, trade policies need to be complemented by domestic measures, such as labour, education and competition policies, so that the gains from trade can flow to workers and consumers, and so that those individuals can move to benefit from those gains. WTO cooperation with other international organizations can magnify combined action on inclusiveness across and within economies.