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This is how drones and other ‘tradetech’ are transforming international trade
Wednesday 12th of August 2020
The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies. Telehealth services, including remote clinical services offered by telemedicine, is on course to top one billion interactions by the year’s end. E-commerce platforms and online retailers will likely see an 18% increase in sales by the end of the year even as overall retail sales decline. As the pandemic pushes more retail sales online, so has the surge in B2C parcel volume with FedEx and UPS reporting daily volumes at and exceeding “peak” holiday volumes.
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To counter the COVID-19 recession, we need to invest in food systems
Friday 31st of July 2020
At the onset of the crisis, food supply chains were strained as many countries imposed restrictions on movement of goods and people across and within borders. As a result, the challenge was not availability of food but easy access to it.
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Trade barriers are slowing plastic-pollution action. Here’s how to fix this
Wednesday 29th of July 2020
Action on plastic pollution has been slowed considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic – but there’s a new emerging angle that could help rebuild momentum for the transition to a greener and more circular society. Governments at the World Trade Organization (WTO) are also showing increased interest in tackling plastics pollution.
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Why the evolution of supply chains is picking up speed in Asia-Pacific
Monday 20th of July 2020
The global supply chain, as we know it today, is a manifestation of incremental technological improvements over centuries. The latest of such step changes have stemmed from the widespread adoption of trucking, containerization and computerization beginning in the 1960s. As a result, raw materials, work in progress (WIP), and finished goods could be shipped and delivered around the world at scale, effectively creating an improvement in the so-called “holy trinity” of supply chain along the dimensions of cost, quality and delivery.
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5 charts that show the worst may be over for coronavirus and global trade
Wednesday 15th of July 2020
The worst-case scenario for global trade in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has been avoided, according to economists from the World Trade Organization (WTO).
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Free trade ‘will not go away’ – leaders and experts weigh in on trade in a post-COVID world
Wednesday 8th of July 2020
“Free trade is important and it will not go away – it’s for us just to make sure we are on top of it.”
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Six targets for trade in a post-COVID world
Tuesday 7th of July 2020
COVID-19 lockdown measures hit aspects of trade hard. Merchandise trade volumes shrank by 3% in the first quarter of 2020, compared to the previous year average and estimates suggest an 18.5% drop for the second quarter. Services trade has been hampered by transport, travel and physical contact restrictions.
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COVID-19 is exacerbating the global trade finance gap
Monday 6th of July 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is a tragic health crisis causing irreversible damage to the global economic and financial system. It is also worsening trade restrictions and reducing trade volumes globally. Coupled with the scarcity of financing in general, and trade financing in specific, coronavirus is causing serious damage to developing economies.
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China is here to stay – and America isn’t going away
Monday 6th of July 2020
When China overtakes the United States as the biggest economy in the world, as it will do in the next few years, that will be just one milestone. With the country’s growth likely to continue at a relatively fast pace for the next generation, it will soon become by far the largest economy in the world. China’s rapidly expanding influence on the world stage – and its assertiveness in pursuing its strategic interests – will become ever greater.
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COVID-19: What are the biggest risks to society in the next 18 months?
Friday 3rd of July 2020
As the world continues to grapple with the effects of COVID-19, no part of society seems to be left unscathed. Fears are surmounting around the economy’s health, and dramatic changes in life as we know it are also underway.
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The world’s largest shipping company is setting up a research center to decarbonize the industry
Friday 26th of June 2020
The world’s largest container shipper, A.P. Moller-Maersk MAERSKB.CO, will team up with industry majors to set up a research center in Denmark with the aim of reducing carbon emissions in the shipping industry.
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The ongoing impact of COVID-19 on global supply chains
Monday 22nd of June 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the business environment for many organizations around the globe, and has highlighted the importance of being able to react, adapt and set up crisis management mechanisms in order to weather situations of uncertainty. As the acute restrictions and lockdowns created many urgent situations that required immediate attention in the early days of the pandemic, many companies have now begun to move to a “recovery mode” and have started planning for the longer term. As companies seek to strengthen operations and business resilience, the importance of supply chain resilience and risk management is more apparent than ever.
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5 ways to advance digital trade in the post-COVID world
Thursday 18th of June 2020
Globalization is under threat. Even before the pandemic, globalization was already struggling due to years of stagnation in trade growth and uncertainties at the World Trade Organization (WTO) due to US-China trade tensions. COVID-19 was another blow to the system. And the early departure of the WTO Director-General doesn’t help.
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Can governments agree on global data flows? Here are 6 recommendations
Wednesday 10th of June 2020
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have turned to digital tools, services and infrastructure. The digital economy has been resilient and helped to keep our economy going: digital payments, cloud-based services, e-commerce, video-conference technologies, online classes and e-health have kept many connected. Contact-tracing and data-sharing via phone apps are being explored as a way forward.
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Trade in digital services is booming. Here’s how we can unleash its full potential
Monday 8th of June 2020
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital services such as online education, virtual meeting rooms and online marketplaces have kept our economies running and helped us stay connected. Almost all of these services are underpinned by cross-border digital trade. Even if you meet colleagues from your own town in a video conference, consult a local doctor online, or follow a virtual class by a teacher in your neighbourhood, the companies providing the networks and platforms for these interactions are probably at least partly in another country.
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5 reasons why the role of WTO Director-General matters
Friday 5th of June 2020
The Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Roberto Azevêdo, announced on 14 May that he would step down a year earlier than planned. Governments are already using this as an opportunity to push their own agenda for the global trading system, mobilising behind their preferred candidates for his successor or perhaps plotting to stall the process altogether.
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The impacts of COVID-19 around the world, as told by statistics
Tuesday 26th of May 2020
We are living through unprecedented times. The impact of the novel coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, has reverberated through every corner of the globe — taking lives, destroying livelihoods, and changing everything about how we interact with each other and the world.
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Gita Gopinath on the Great Lockdown, and how has COVID changed our view of risk: this week’s World Vs Virus podcast
Thursday 21st of May 2020
Incredible: that’s the word the IMF’s chief economist uses to describe the impact of COVID-19 on the global economy.
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Here’s how global supply chains will change after COVID-19
Wednesday 6th of May 2020
• The coronavirus crisis has revealed the fragility of the modern supply chain.
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How poor countries can deal with the economic shock of COVID-19
Friday 24th of April 2020
The least developed countries (LDCs) have limited capacity and preparedness to handle the economic fallout of the COVID-19 crisis, and are likely to face significant hardships. Initial estimates suggest that these disruptions could potentially contribute to increased global poverty, with the number of poor and hungry people rising by 2%.
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Foreign investment is drying up thanks to COVID-19. But there may be a silver lining
Friday 24th of April 2020
• The COVID-19 case has created massive uncertainty in global capital flows.
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This is why keeping global supply chains moving is key to overcoming COVID-19
Monday 20th of April 2020
For developing countries, especially the poorest among them, trade—both imports and exports—is a powerful, cost-effective tool to mitigate the potentially devastating effects of COVID-19. G20 countries should, therefore, quickly implement trade policies that can protect lives across the world by improving access to affordable medical supplies. Policies that put this access at risk should be restrained. Global cooperation is critical to meeting this challenge.
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A hot March and space helicopters: the stories you might have missed last week
Monday 20th of April 2020
1. The second warmest March on record
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How digital investment can help the COVID-19 recovery
Wednesday 15th of April 2020
COVID-19 has changed the way we live and work almost overnight. Analysts are struggling to keep pace with the impact on economies, sectors and firms. One thing that we already know, however, is that this crisis is accelerating an already growing trend towards digitalization.
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How companies can build resilience against pandemics
Thursday 9th of April 2020
A bee sting nearly killed me. My passion for beekeeping therefore comes as a surprise to many. Through tending their hives, I observe nature’s complex system of interdependency, adaptability and efficiency.