Navigating the New Frontiers in International Trade: The World Trade Organization as a Global Governance Forum

Abstract This article examines how the World Trade Organization (WTO) has evolved from a treaty-based Organization focused on reducing tariffs and eliminating discriminatory treatment into a global governance forum capable of addressing various trade-adjacent topics, such as global health and supply chains, in accordance with the ‘Marrakesh Spirit’. In particular, the WTO Director-General and Secretariat have enhanced its contributions to assist WTO Members in facing global challenges. Members have also established new areas of work and ways of working together, are working towards reform, and have engaged new stakeholders with responsibilities related to those of the WTO (such as the private sector). In doing so, the WTO has leveraged its fundamental role of governing cross-border trade to achieve the objective of sustainable development as stated in the Preamble of the Marrakesh Agreement and restoring trust in its system for the benefit of Members and all life on Earth.