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Ambassador Manuel Teehankee (far left) with Swiss National Team Members and New Zealand Ambassador Claire Kelly (far right). The Filipinas will be facing both Switzerland and New Zealand in their World Cup Group
Philippines Sees Filipinas Inaugural Participation in Women’s World Cup as Inspiration for Women’s Economic Empowerment
Geneva - The WTO and FIFA organized a high-level dialogue at the WTO Secretariat on1 May 2023 on “Making Trade Score for Women”, with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and FIFA President Gianni Infantino emphasizing the role football and international trade play in empowering women. The New Zealand and Australian Missions to the WTO supported the event as hosts of the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup in July, with 32 countries including the Philippines qualified to vie for the coveted trophy. The event also served as the Geneva leg of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy Tour. The Women’s World Cup Trophy has already journeyed through Manila and will cross through all participating countries before its arrival in Wellington, New Zealand in time for the initial kick off on 20 July 2023.
FIFA expects two billion viewers for the Women’s World Cup this July and has tripled the prize money from the last World Cup in 2019 — from USD 50 million to USD 152 million.
Fifa President Gianni Infantino and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala open the event
Mr. Infantino emphasized the importance of the upcoming Women's World Cup, which constitutes a crucial aspect of FIFA's global strategy to invest ambitiously in women's football and that “what is more important than that is we want to see the game developing, and women’s football, women’s empowerment, is a very significant part of that.” With services trade continuing to be the fastest expanding economic sector, with average growth of 8% per year since 2005, Director-General Okonjo-Iweala emphasized “How can we grab a bigger slice of that trade in digitally delivered services? There is a lot of money involved in intellectual property. I´d like us to think how developing countries can monetize some of these IP rights in the football economy.”
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala with the Swiss National Team
Ambassador Manuel A.J. Teehankee, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the WTO, noted that while football and world trade may seem unrelated, they are connected through economics, globalization and trade policies of the football, apparel, entertainment, and advertising industries. He further noted that there is growing recognition and appetite in the quality of the footballing product. This was recently manifested with more than 80,000 fans recently filling Wembley stadium in London to capacity for the Women’s FA Cup Final, and with millions more watching from home. Ambassador Teehankee noted the recent partnership between the Philippine Football Federation and Adidas as a welcome opportunity to boost the profile of the Filipinas and encouraged Filipinos to show their support across the globe. He noted that “I have been talking to my colleagues from Switzerland, Norway, New Zealand and Australia about organizing viewing parties… I feel that the Filipinas participation at the World Cup is transformational, it will further encourage millions of youth to pursue sport as a viable pathway to success. The development of our national sports industries can have enormous multiplier effects by investing in new infrastructure, creating new entertainment revenue streams, and cultivating healthy lifestyles.”
The Philippines is slated to launch its World Cup campaign against Switzerland on 21 July 2023 in Dunedin, New Zealand at 7:00 am (Geneva time) and 1:00 a.m. (Philippine time) and on 25 July 2023 against New Zealand at 7:30 am (Geneva time) and 1:30 a.m. (Philippine time)
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Ambassador Teehankee delivers the Philippines statement during the General Council meeting on 8 May 2023.
Geneva, Switzerland – 9 May 2023.
The Philippines called for greater stakeholder engagement as part of the WTO’s reform efforts during the most recent WTO General Council meeting, held on 8-9 May 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Philippines, led by Ambassador Manuel Teehankee, is co-sponsoring two initiatives pushing for tangible reforms of the WTO. One proposal, spearheaded by the United States, aims to improve inclusiveness by assessing the practices of international organizations such as the UN in pursuing multi-stakeholder engagement to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), experiences from bilateral and multilateral development cooperation, and existing practices within the WTO. Ambassador Teehankee voice his support by stating “the Philippines supports improved multi-stakeholder engagement to help us better frame our agenda and priorities.”
The Philippines joined a number of open economies including the UK, Costa Rica, Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and Singapore in submitting an umbrella paper on revitalizing the monitoring and deliberative functions of the WTO. The proposal covers elements on how to improve substantive work of WTO bodies, including engagement with international organizations and external stakeholders, such as the private sector, NGOs, and academe, with the aim of ensuring that the WTO is attune to economic realities through evidence, data and experience-sharing.
The co-sponsors have also offered ideas on how to help developing countries improve their ability to provide notifications and increase transparency of policies, including during global emergencies, as well as support for the tracking and resolution of specific trade concerns. Ambassador Teehankee noted that many of the recommendations can be “implemented in the near term, particularly on ways to help smaller delegations better contribute to the WTO’s work by rationalizing the calendar, preparations for and reporting of meeting outcomes, enhanced use of digital tools, streamlined notifications, and improved monitoring of specific trade concerns.”
Ambassadors gather together to discuss WTO reform at the General Council meeting on 8 May 2023. Photo courtesy of Franck Abdulrahman Ghannam www.wto.org
Members also discussed progress on the E-Commerce Work Program, including efforts to strengthen its development dimension. Following recent dedicated discussions on legal and regulatory frameworks and the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions, Members agreed to conduct further sessions on digital trade facilitation, digital industrialization, and e-commerce related technology transfer. Ambassador Teehankee welcomed the forthcoming workshop with other international organizations scheduled for next month and moving forward, stressed the value of “hearing from representatives coming from a broad base of stakeholders, including MSMEs, from the developing world.”
The Philippines called for further discussions on the e-commerce moratorium, which was most recently renewed at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference in June 2022. Ambassador Teehankee recommended more in-depth discussions on the “implications of digital taxation, including the question of customs duties, where we could learn more from Members and stakeholders on their experience in applying VAT or Goods and Services Taxes to e-commerce activities, including issues related to scope, registration procedures, and collection regimes.” Currently, no customs duties are imposed on e-commerce transactions but the moratorium has to be considered and renewed at each Ministerial Conference. The next period for possible renewal will be at the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference in February 2024 in Abu Dhabi.
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Geneva, Switzerland (12 June 2022) – Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo and Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Fermin D. Adriano are co-heading the Philippine Delegation participating in the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) being held at the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters from 12 – 15 June 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Ministerial Conference, which was postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is taking on several critical issues such as concluding the Fisheries Subsidies negotiations, a Ministerial Decision on Agriculture, Ministerial Declarations on Trade and Health and TRIPS waiver, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS), Work Programme on E-Commerce, WTO Modernization and Reform, MSME’s, and Trade and Gender, among others.
The Philippines, through a pre-recorded statement by DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez for the plenary session, underscored the importance of achieving outcomes on fisheries subsidies and agriculture. Secretary Lopez highlighted that “The conclusion of the fisheries subsidies negotiations not only show that the WTO can deliver on its mandate to address harmful fishery subsidies in this instance but also will provide much needed impetus for the WTO to demonstrate its capacity to address climate change and environmental degradation head on. In addition, an outcome on agriculture is indispensable at MC12 if we are to chart a pathway to credible long-term food security and development as the WTO Membership charts a way forward to an ambitious agriculture work program towards MC13.”
Secretary Lopez also stressed the importance of building a more credible and forward-looking WTO that will be ready to address new pandemics, while becoming an institution prepared to meet the exigencies of the innovating global economy. He added that “We must be ambitious in advancing our initiatives to develop new rules on e-commerce, facilitate MSMEs participation in the global value chains, and facilitate investment for development. The Philippines supports steady steps towards institutional change and adaptation so that we guarantee a robust and relevant multilateral trading system in the decades ahead.” (Full Statement of DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez may be accessed at https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/minist_e/mc12_e/mc12_statements_e.htm)
Prior to the delegation’s participation in MC12, the DTI, DA, and the DFA conducted a series of consultative meetings with relevant stakeholders including Government Agencies, the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives, and Civil Society Organizations. These consultations were carried out to provide all concerned parties with opportunities to express their concerns with respect to the issues in MC12.
In the consultations, government and civil society converged on the importance of Philippines’ prioritizing three areas for this conference: Food and Agriculture--including on insisting on the Doha Development Agenda; TRIPS and Public Health as a means to ensure Health security; and Fishery Subsidies including on the need to provide flexibility for small fisherfolks.
Undersecretaries Rodolfo, Adriano and the delegation will also be conducting transparency sessions with stakeholders to update them on the state of play on critical issues during the 4-day Ministerial Conference.
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Ambassador and Permanent Representative Manuel Teehankee delivers the Philippine Statement during the meeting.
May 5, 2023 — The Philippines has taken a significant step in further fostering regional trade and economic cooperation by becoming the first ASEAN Member State, and third fastest to negotiate and sign a bilateral market access agreement with Timor-Leste. This milestone signing, which took place on 25 January 2023, was acknowledged with appreciation by Mr. Joaquim Amaral, Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs, during the 5th Working Party Meeting on Timor-Leste's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), held on 20 April 2023.
President José Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste, in a video message to Ambassadors and trade negotiators, emphasized the importance membership in the WTO and ASEAN for the country's economic growth and development, particularly in line with the goal of transforming Timor-Leste into a modern and diversified economy and improving the quality of life for its people.
Ambassador Rui Macieira of Portugal, the Chair of the Working Party, praised Timor-Leste for setting a positive example for other acceding countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in using the WTO to drive domestic reform and transformation. The Chair also reported on Timor-Leste's ASEAN accession progress, indicating that the decision by ASEAN members agreeing in principle to admit the country as the 11th member during the ASEAN Summit in November 2022 would provide an additional impetus for the finalization of the WTO process and help Timor-Leste align and coordinate its trade obligations at regional and multilateral levels. Minister Amaral stressed Timor Leste’s strong ambition to be an open liberal economy, with its proposed average bound tariff rate for goods representing the lowest average bound rates among LDC Members.
On the sidelines of the Working Party Meeting on the Accession of Timor-Leste, the Coordination Group on Accessions-related Technical Assistance (TA) held its second meeting to review the specific needs of Comoros and Timor-Leste regarding their integration into the multilateral trading system after WTO accession. Both LDCs aim to complete their accession processes by the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in February 2024.
WTO Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang highlighted the importance of technical assistance in LDC accessions, particularly in implementing future commitments and obligations. Several development partners, including the International Trade Centre, World Bank, Standards and Trade Development Facility, World Trade Institute Advisors, and bilateral partners, welcomed the progress and reaffirmed their support for Comoros and Timor-Leste in their transition to WTO membership.
Ambassador Manuel Teehankee, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the WTO, emphasized that “accessions remind us why the multilateral trading system remains attractive to so many economies. We remain supportive of the Secretariat’s Coordination Group on Accessions-related Technical Assistance and note the importance of technical assistance both during the accession and post-accession phases. In the case of Timor Leste, we would support strong alignment between WTO-related technical assistance and ongoing capacity building that is supporting Timor Leste’s increased readiness to join ASEAN as its 11th Member State. We share the Chair’s optimism that Timor-Leste will join us as a new WTO Member on or before MC13 and urge WTO Members to exert their very best efforts to support this worthy objective that delivers on the WTO mandate to promoting global prosperity.”
For further information, please contact:
Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the World Trade Organization
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+41 22 909 7900
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PH, TH thank AUS for facilitating cigarette trade dispute understanding
Philippine and Thai delegations to the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12) have expressed gratitude to the Australian government through Assistant Minister for Trade Don Farrell (middle) for the successful facilitation by Australian Ambassador to the WTO George Mina (first from right) of the Philippine-Thai negotiations on an agreement aimed to settle cigarette trade disputes between the two ASEAN countries.
Minister Farell is in Geneva as one of the three vice-chairs of MC12, where he advocated for a WTO pandemic response, agricultural reform, an agreement to limit subsidies that undermine fish stocks, and a mandate to reform the WTO.
Prior to the opening ceremony, Minister Farrell chaired a meeting of the Cairns Group Ministers, a coalition of 19 agricultural countries committed to agricultural reform in the WTO, where he met Philippine MC12 Head of Delegation Undersecretary Rodolfo Ceferino of the Department of Trade and Industry (second from right), Philippine Ambassador to the WTO Manuel AJ Teehankee (first from left), and Thai Ambassador to the WTO Pimchanok Pitfield (second from left).
Ambassadors Teehankee and Pitfield concluded the negotiation last June 7 at the WTO in the presence of Ambassador Mina and WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
