At the Center on Inclusive Trade and Development, we are continuing Georgetown's legacy as a leader in international trade law by building a first-of-its-kind, interdisciplinary research hub.
CITD was founded in 2022 to bring together scholars, students, practitioners, NGOs, business and labor leaders, and international organizations to find solutions to the challenges facing the international trading system and develop global approaches to making trade rules more inclusive and sustainable.
Continuing the legacy and the pioneering work of Professor John Jackson, CITD’s partnership with the International Institute of Economic Law empowers both centers to perpetuate top-tier scholarship on inclusive international trade policy. CITD builds upon Georgetown law’s long history of engagement as a thought leader, placing it again at the forefront of the profound shift that is occurring in international trade law.
At CITD we believe that understanding how to create a future rules-based trading system that addresses the implications of trade rules for development, the environment, global health, and labor rights is only possible with full and fair participation in the global trading system.
Join Georgetown Law's CITD co-founders, Professor Jennifer Hillman and Professor Katrin Kuhlmann on Wednesday, October 30 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. ET in welcoming WTO Deputy Director-General Angela Paolini Ellard for a fireside chat on the challenges facing the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The WTO serves as the primary forum for establishing international trade rules. Over its almost 30-year history, it has played a significant role in reducing trade barriers for both goods and services, but now faces major challenges in how the trading system should address global problems including climate change, food shortages, inequality, development, and the digital economy.
WTO Deputy Director-General Angela Paolini Ellard will address the challenges and opportunities for WTO in her chat.
February 21, 2024Blog by Emilie Kerstens, Michiru Ishihara, Sae Kobayashi
In February 2024, trade ministers will convene for the 13th edition of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) biennial Ministerial Conference (MC13). Historically, these negotiations have proven challenging, often yielding limited outcomes. The preceding Ministerial Conference (MC12) required hard-won compromises resulting in a limited patent waiver for COVID-19 vaccines, an incomplete fisheries subsidies agreement, narrow disciplines related to export restrictions to ease food insecurity, and broad commitments toward WTO reform. Thirty years after the creation of the WTO, there are concerns about its relevance. These concerns stem from perceptions that its three critical functions –negotiation, dispute settlement, and transparency through monitoring– are inadequate in addressing the challenges posed by climate change, the digital divide, and the proliferation of investment restrictions, economic sanctions, economic coercion, and industrial and agricultural subsidies. At the heart of these discussions lies the efficacy of the WTO in navigating contemporary challenges, raising questions about its adaptability in a world marked by a polycrisis. Hence, the question remains: how might MC13 contribute to shape the future of world trade?
On November 1st, Katrin Kuhlmann, CITD Co-Director, joined the Global Economic Ideas Festival (GEIF). This annual global conference hosted by the Institute of Certified Chartered Economists (ICCE) and is set to bring together world leaders and top global policy shapers in interactive panel sessions and insightful keynotes.
CITD seeks to partner with foundations, NGOs and corporations interested in promoting the establishment of a new paradigm for global trading rules and in putting trade rules to work promoting sustainable development around the world.
If you are interested in partnering with CITD, please contact us at citd@georgetown.edu.