Deputy Minister Manlio Di Stefano today attended the G7 Trade Ministerial (Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the European Commission). The meeting was also attended by the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
“We see this meeting as a valuable opportunity to take stock of several critical issues ahead of the Italian-presided G20 Trade Ministerial Conferences in October and the WTO in early December,” the Deputy Minister said at the opening.
“It is important to rethink the link between trade and human health, both by shortening the supply chains of medicines and medical devices and by ensuring rapid access to vaccines for the entire population of the planet”, Di Stefano continued.
On the future of global trade, the Undersecretary said: “Within the European Union framework, Italy wants the necessary reform of world trade that we have been waiting for decades. We also want the WTO to include the principles of environmental protection and the fight against climate change”.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation