Director-General Roberto Azevêdo

摘要

There is great value in the multilateral trading system. It has secured a foundation on which WTO members can base their economic planning with confidence. Imagine, however, if we were suddenly presented with a scenario where the system started to falter. If tariffs were no longer bound at the historically low levels we see today, if we could not rely on members honouring their services commitments, or if the system of settling trade disputes was to erode, the consequences would be dramatic. It is therefore in the interests of all WTO members - developed, developing and least-developed - that we should remember the importance of the system for our economies and recognise the need to preserve and strengthen it for future generations. This is particularly important at a time of rising trade tensions among some major trading partners.