Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the importance for UK interests of the World Trade Organisation holding meetings during the covid-19 pandemic; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of those meetings being held remotely.

COVID -19 is a global challenge and requires a coordinated global response. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has a key role to play in this effort.

The UK welcomes the use of virtual meetings for informal meetings and exchanges of views. We recently participated in the written procedure for the multilateral negotiation on fisheries subsidies and found this useful.

We have encouraged the WTO Secretariat to continue working with Members quickly to establish accessible and inclusive virtual ways of working, to allow WTO discussions to continue. The UK is prepared to support developing country participation across these virtual processes.