ICC, in partnership with Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, launched the ICC World Trade Agenda to address this deadlock. The World Trade Agenda aims to mobilize business to provide a practical and forward-looking trade policy agenda that will contribute to economic growth and job creation.

World Trade Agenda launch

The World Trade Agenda was launched in March 2012 at the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters in response to calls from WTO members and from G20 leaders for fresh approaches following a 12-year impasse in multilateral trade negotiations.

Opportunities for business

Through the World Trade Agenda, business leaders can contribute to concrete proposals for strengthening the rules-based multilateral trading system, reconfirming that global business is committed to the objectives of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

In the lead up to the ICC World Trade Agenda Summit, hosted by Qatar Chamber on 22 April 2013, the World Trade Agenda initiative organized consultations with CEOs and senior executives in all major regions of the world to gather input and validation of its recommendations. These business priorities were released during the Summit.

The final set of business recommendations is currently being submitted to governments ahead of the next G20 Summit in Russia in September 2013, and the next WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali, Indonesia, in December 2013. The initiative will mobilize CEOs around the world to make the case to national governments for this new trade agenda.

Partnership to move 'beyond Doha'

ICC and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce launched the World Trade Agenda initiative to help successfully conclude the round of multilateral trade negotiations that began in Doha, Qatar over a decade ago.

Since the Doha Round was launched, the Qatar Chamber has helped oversee one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing economies in the world, thus giving Qatar Chamber a unique understanding of the rapidly changing macro-economic conditions that now charaterize the current state of multilateral trade negotiations.

ICC and Qatar Chamber are committed to mobilizing business around the world as one global voice to move trade and investment policy into the 21st century and 'beyond Doha'.