World Trade Organization members taking part in the Committee on Rules of Origin's April 29 meeting discussed ways to improve the "functioning of the committee" and use digital tools to "facilitate the work of delegates," the WTO said. Members discussed various measures to improve the committee, which included revamping the "rules of origin gateway page on the WTO website" by adding a guide for new delegates on the committee's work and an events page.

The EU and Japan on May 2 wrapped up the fifth EU-Japan High Level Economic Dialogue, announcing an initiative to work more closely on sustainable supply chains, the European Commission said. The two countries noted the need for collaboration on "climate change, energy security, cyber security and stability of supply, based on jointly agreed principles." The dialogue also stressed the importance of making sure the World Trade Organization "is reformed."

Australia, Japan and Singapore, the co-convenors of the e-commerce negotiations at the World Trade Organization, said during their April 22-25 talks that work will shift to the "final decision-making phase" during which members will focus on "domestic consultations and conduct political outreach to try to close the gaps on remaining issues," the WTO said.

The World Trade Organization's Dispute Settlement Body met on April 26 and was introduced to the new facilitator of the dispute settlement reform talks: Mauritius's Usha Dwarka-Canabady, the WTO announced. The chair of the DSB, Norway's Petter Olberg, said that Dwarka-Canabady accepted the role on April 18 after the "convenor" of the reform process left.

Members of the World Trade Organization's Committee on Anti-Dumping Practices on April 24 met to review the latest notifications of "new, amended or previously reviewed anti-dumping laws and regulations" and actions, the WTO said. New legislation notices came in from "the Kyrgyz Republic, Rwanda, the United Kingdom and the United States," while the committee continued to review the notifications from Cameroon, the EU, Ghana, Liberia and Saint Kitts and Nevis. The committee was notified in semi-annual reports covering the period July 1 - Dec. 31, 2023, that 41 members took new AD actions and 14 reported no new actions.

South Africa on April 24 requested dispute consultations with the EU at the World Trade Organization concerning the bloc's regime on imports of South African citrus fruit, the WTO announced.

Turkey's Ambassador Alparslan Acarsoy, chair of the World Trade Organization's agriculture negotiations, said "fresh thinking" is needed to end the stagnation in current agriculture talks, the WTO said. Addressing the participating members of the ag negotiating body during the first meeting since the 13th Ministerial Conference, Acarsoy urged members not to ditch "past efforts" despite the disappointment felt after a deal was not struck at MC13.

A World Trade Organization dispute panel issued its report on Australia's dispute against Chinese antidumping and countervailing duties on Australian wine after the parties reached a mutually agreed solution to the case. Australia argued that China's AD/CVD violated numerous elements of both the Anti-Dumping Agreement and the Subsidies and Countervailing Measures Agreement. The parties told the dispute settlement body that they reached a settlement on March 29.

World Trade Organization members at the Committee on Trade Facilitation's April 16-17 meeting discussed using digital trade tools to "optimize the movement of goods across borders in line with the committee's decision to focus on this topic in 2024," the WTO announced.

The World Trade Organization Committee on Agriculture on April 17 adopted recommendations on how to aid least developed countries and net food-importing developing countries in responding to acute food insecurity, the WTO announced. The recommendations focus on "access to international food markets, financing of food imports, agricultural production resilience of LDCs and NFIDCs, and horizontal, cross-cutting issues." They were adopted to fulfill the committee's mandate stemming from the 12th Ministerial Conference to "undertake a dedicated work programme focusing on the food security needs of LDCs and NFIDCs and to examine how the 1994 Marrakesh Decision targeting these countries could be made more effective and operational."