ISDS Case Map
bilateralism & multilateralism
how bilateral, multilateral, regional, unilateral and plurilateral approaches relate (e.g. FTAs vis-à-vis WTO)
Arguably, the most significant outcome from the World Trade Organization’s “reform” ministerial conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon in March 2026 was the adoption by a sub-group of 66 Members of a plurilateral agreement on electronic commerce.
For nearly thirty years the establishment of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), peasants’ organisations gathered in Cameroon have concluded that the WTO and free trade agreements hinder the development of countries in the Global South and lead to the ruin of small-scale producers worldwide.
A large group comprising some 66 countries on 28 March announced the conclusion of their Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) “Declaration on Interim Arrangements for Agreement on Electronic Commerce”.
China, supported by other members, is multiplying free trade agreements and promoting capitalist globalisation based on free trade, even as the former powers of the North are now turning towards protectionism.
Through years of internal consultations, the movement has developed a set of initial proposals, which she presented with an invitation for broader input and collaboration.
Headlines following Donald Trump’s election victory focused largely on single issues, such as how US tariff hikes would affect New Zealand’s exports but this oversimplifies and diverts attention from the more systemic challenges a second Trump presidency will pose.
The United States International Trade Commission found that, through 2022, there were “few signs” that USMCA’s rules of origin had led to changes in production, trade, employment and investment or competitiveness.
Global resistance to free trade intensifies: International day of action against the WTO and free trade agreements
The current international trade order was established to support the expansion of transnational companies and to keep colonial powers in control of the world’s natural resources.
This talk explored the colonial origins of modern international trade. Geopolitics, power relations, and corporate interests have shaped trade rules for over 500 years before it reached its current form.
