WITA Webinars

On April 2nd, 2025 President Trump Announced his “Liberation Day” Tariffs and to paraphrase Hamilton (the musical, not the statesman) the world of trade turned upside-down. This webinar, WITA welcomed back the Trade Reporters to discuss this monumental year in trade.Featured Speakers:Shawn Donnan, Senior Writer, BloombergDavid Lynch, Global Economics Correspondent, The Washington PostAna Swanson, Trade and International Economics Correspondent, New York TimesKoen Verhelst, Trade Reporter, POLITICO EuropeModerator: Michael Smart, Managing Director, Rock Creek Global Advisors; former Director for International Trade and Investment, National Security Council, The White House

Thank you for joining WITA for a unique pop-up industry briefing live streamed from the World Trade Organization’s 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaoundé, Cameroon.Featured Speakers Live in Yaoundé:Alice Slayton Clark, Senior VP of Trade, Investment and Digital Policy, United States Council for International BusinessIsabelle Icso, Executive Director, International Policy, U.S. Chamber of CommerceSpecial Online Guests:Angela Ellard, Senior Advisor (non-resident), Center for Strategic and International Studies; former Deputy Director General, World Trade OrganizationMaria Pagan, former Deputy United States Trade Representative, and United States Ambassador to the WTO

Thank you for joining WITA International for this virtual panel during the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) European Conference on Tuesday, March 24 at 9:30 AM ET / 2:30 PM CET which discussed “The European Approach to Dealing with Trade Uncertainty.”Experts discussed developments in European trade policy and regulatory trends that shape the global business environment.Featured Speakers:Welcome by Crystal Eden, Executive Director-Member Services, World Trade Centers AssociationIntroduction by Kenneth I. Levinson, Chief Executive Officer, WITA – The International Trade AssociationAnna Jerzewska, Founder, Trade & BordersKate Kalutkiewicz, Senior Managing Director, McLarty AssociatesEveline Kolk, Managing Director, World Trade Centers The Hague and RotterdamAtli Stannard, Special Counsel, Covington & Burling LLP BrusselsModerator: Penny Naas, Senior Vice President, Innovation and Competitiveness, German Marshall Fund of the United States

As WTO Members prepare for the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Cameroon this March, WITA International hosted a global webinar series: WTO Matters. The series explored the core functions of the WTO, reforms needed to keep the institution effective and relevant, and the key policy issues shaping debates.The WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference (MC 14) takes place in Cameroon from March 26 to 29. To conclude WITA’s WTO Matters Series, on March 17th we discuss key issues on the MC 14 agenda, including the moratorium on duties for electronic transmissions and efforts to more fully integrate small economies into the multilateral trading system. Panelists will also discussed a post-MC 14 work-plan on WTO reform, and how the organization stays relevant in a time of volatility and uncertainty.Featuring:Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade OrganizationPanel Discussion:Jake Colvin, President, National Foreign Trade Council; Executive Director, Global Innovation Forum Cecilia Malmström, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics; former European Commissioner for TradePenny Naas, Senior Vice President, Innovation and Competitiveness, German Marshall Fund of the United StatesAmbassador Tan Hung Seng, Singapore Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO and WIPO, Permanent Mission of SingaporeModerator: Angela Ellard, Senior Advisor (non-resident), Center for Strategic and International Studies; former Deputy Director General, World Trade Organization

As WTO Members prepare for the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Cameroon this March, WITA International is hosting a new global webinar series: WTO Matters. The series explores the core functions of the WTO, reforms needed to keep the institution effective and relevant, and the key policy issues shaping debates.The March 5th discussion initiated conversation of how the WTO can help promote trade and development through the use of AI and digital technologies; the WTO’s Work Programme on E-Commerce; and the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions (the “e-commerce Moratorium”).Featured Speakers:Ambassador James Baxter, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the WTO; Co-Convenor of the WTO’s Joint Statement Initiative on Electronic CommerceChristine Bliss, President, Coalition of Services Industries (CSI); former Assistant USTR for Services, Investment, Telecommunication, and E-CommerceAmbassador Richard Brown, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the WTO, and Facilitator of the WTO’s Work Programme on Electronic CommerceJohanna Hill, Deputy Director General, World Trade OrganizationModerator: Angela Ellard, Senior Advisor (non-resident), Center for Strategic and International Studies; former Deputy Director General, World Trade Organization

Featured Speakers:Roberto Azevêdo, President, 9G Consulting; former Director-General, World Trade OrganizationModerator: Angela Ellard, Senior Advisor (non-resident), Center for Strategic and International Studies; former Deputy Director-General, World Trade Organization

As WTO Members prepare for the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Cameroon this March, WITA International is hosting a new global webinar series: WTO Matters. The series explores the core functions of the WTO, reforms needed to keep the institution effective and relevant, and the key policy issues shaping debates.At this session, we will discuss the relevance of the WTO’s core principle of Most Favored Nation (MFN).  While MFN remains essential for most of world trade, its critics, including the U.S., question its relevance. Panelists will discuss the impact on MFN of the Trump tariffs; the negotiation of trade deals that do not apply broadly; the U.S. reform proposal rejecting a one-size-fits-all approach; and the EU reform proposal noting the need for dynamic adjustment of rights and commitments given lack of reciprocal liberalization.Featured Speakers:David Henig, UK Director, European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE)Maria Pagan, former Deputy United States Trade Representative and US Ambassador to the WTO; and Former Deputy General Counsel, Office U.S. Trade Representative, among other position’s she has held.Dawn Shackleford, President at Looking Glass Trade, LLC; former Executive Director for Trade Agreements Policy & Negotiations, Department of Commerce; former Assistant USTR for WTO & Multilateral AffairsAlan Wolff, Senior Fellow at Peterson Institute for International Economics ; former Deputy Director-General at the World Trade OrganizationModerator: Angela Ellard, Senior Advisor (non-resident), Center for Strategic and International Studies; former Deputy Director General, World Trade Organization

As WTO Members prepare for the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Cameroon this March, WITA International has launched a new global webinar series: WTO Matters. The series explores the core functions of the WTO, reforms needed to keep the institution effective and relevant, and the key policy issues shaping debates.The February 13 webinar continues our conversation on reform and features perspectives from WTO ambassadors representing a cross-section of the membership, offering insights into priorities heading into MC14 and the path forward for the organization.  Topics we plan to discuss at this event are the reform proposal submitted by the EU in January, 2026.  This event follows-on the event WITA hosted on February 4, 2026, with additional WTO nations.Featured Speakers:Ambassador Sung-yo Choi, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the World Trade OrganizationAmbassador Salomon Eheth, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Cameroon to the World Trade OrganizationAmbassador João Machado, Permanent Representative of the European Union to the World Trade OrganizationAmbassador Guilherme de Aguiar Patriota, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the World Trade Organization; Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United NationsAmbassador Mzukisi Qobo, Permanent Representative of South Africa to the World Trade OrganizationModerator: Angela Ellard, Senior Advisor (non-resident), Center for Strategic and International Studies; former Deputy Director General, World Trade Organization

As WTO Members prepare for the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Cameroon this March, WITA International launched a new global webinar series: WTO Matters. The series explores the core functions of the WTO, reforms needed to keep the institution effective and relevant, and the key policy issues shaping debates.As part of this series, WITA will host two events with Ambassadors from around the world to offer their perspectives on reform of the 30-year-old institution.   The February 4 event features Deputy USTR Joe Barloon, who talked about the United States reform proposal contained in their December 2025 communication to the WTO General Council.  Ambassador Barloon was joined by the Ambassadors of Norway, Barbados, and New Zealand in an event moderated by Angela Ellard, the former Deputy Director General of the WTO.  The second reform event on February 13, will feature additional perspectives from global WTO Ambassadors. Featured Speakers:Ambassador Joseph Barloon, Deputy United States Trade Representative and Chief of Mission for the Permanent Mission of the United States to the World Trade OrganizationAmbassador Clare Kelly, Ambassador and Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of New Zealand to the World Trade OrganizationAmbassador Petter Ølberg, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Norway to the World Trade OrganizationAmbassador Matthew Wilson, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations, World Trade Organization and other International Organizations in Geneva Moderator: Angela Ellard, Senior Advisor (non-resident), Center for Strategic and International Studies; former Deputy Director General, World Trade Organization

As WTO Members prepare for the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Cameroon this March, WITA International is launching a new global webinar series: WTO Matters. The series will explore the core functions of the WTO, reforms needed to keep the institution effective and relevant, and the key policy issues shaping debates.In this first event in WITA’s WTO Matters Series, discussed fundamental principles and functions of the WTO, as well as topics currently under discussion for MC14, dispute settlement, trade policy monitoring, and “reform by doing.”Featured Speakers:Padideh Ala’i, Professor of Law at American University Washington College of LawEugenia Lizano, Chief of Section-Trade Policies Review, Americas, World Trade OrganizationRoy Santana, Secretary of the Council for Trade in Goods, World Trade OrganizationSantiago Wills, Director – General Council and Trade Negotiations Committee Division, World Trade OrganizationModerator: Angela Ellard, Senior Advisor (non-resident), Center for Strategic and International Studies; former Deputy Director General, World Trade Organization

This webinar kicked off our USMCA Review Series programming for 2026, building off the launch of the series in 2025. We looked at what we’ve learned so far from the USTR hearings and stakeholder engagement, how key sectors are positioning themselves ahead of the review, and what the review process could mean for companies, consumers, workers, and the North American economy. Featured Speakers:Everett Eissenstat, Partner, Public Policy Practice Group, Squire Patton Boggs; former Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs and Deputy Director, National Economic Council; former Assistant USTR for the AmericasNancy Martinez, Director, Public Policy, Trade and Biotechnology, National Corn Growers AssociationTiffany Melvin, President, North American Strategy for Competitiveness (NASCO)Mayur Patel, Partner, Hogan Lovells; former Chief International Trade Counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on FinanceSalvatore (Sal) Vetrini, Senior Counsel, FedEx CorporationModerator: Rory Heslington,  Vice President of Government Affairs, Autos Drive America

This event was recorded on January 12, 2026 at 10am.Fusion & Flying Cars. Deaths From Despair. Blended Reality. AI Cyber War. Super Human. WITA is pleased to have hosted noted futurist Robert Moran of Brunswick Group to discuss 20 notable global trends and risks for 2026Featured Speakers:Robert Moran, Partner, Brunswick GroupModerator: Rachel Rizzo, Senior Fellow, Strategic Studies Programme, Observer Research Foundation