WTO: Reform facilitators' reports expose deep divisions among members (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The first reports from the four facilitators overseeing the controversial reform of the World Trade Organization - covering foundational issues, decision-making, development, and "level playing field" issues - were released on 4 August.

WTO: Large divergences mark foundational issues (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
In her report issued on 4 August, the Facilitator on "foundational issues," Ambassador Sumathi Balakrishnan of Malaysia, said that compared to other tracks, the foundational issues track has been less extensive, resulting in less clarity regarding its scope.

WTO: Decision-making track grapples with key issues, plurilateral tensions (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
In his report issued on 4 August, the Facilitator on "decision-making", Ambassador Katsuro Nagai of Japan, said that the track began with a strong focus on the importance of transparency, predictability, inclusivity, and adequate preparation time.

WTO: Development track exposes deep rifts on differentiation, S&DT (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The Facilitator for "development", Ambassador Nthisana Motsete-Phillips (Botswana), who had been an official of the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization in her earlier career, said that development was consistently described as "a foundational, crosscutting objective of the WTO, anchored in the Preamble to the Marrakesh Agreement and Part IV of the GATT and across numerous Annex 1 Agreements."

WTO: LPF track risks becoming "new broad-based" negotiating round (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The Facilitator for "level playing field" (LPF) issues, Ambassador Elmer Jose German Gonzalo Schialer Salcedo (Peru), while defining the challenges and views on scope, observed that "fairness means different things to different Members, reflecting their diverse economic circumstances, development priorities and experiences within the multilateral trading system."