At the event, Mr Stefano Bertasi, from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), provided an update on the ICC’s World Trade Agenda initiative, and Mr Carlos Braga of the Evian Group gave his perspective on the relations between business and the WTO.

“This meeting is the first of what we hope will be a series of encounters between the WTO and the business community through which we hope to strengthen our dialogue and our interaction,” said Mr Keith Rockwell, Director of the Information and External Relations Division at the WTO.

The aim of the web page for business (www.wto.org/business) is to make key information for the private sector, such as trade statistics and trade monitoring news, easily accessible in one dedicated area.

The newsletter, which will be issued on a regular basis, includes the latest business-focused trade news from the WTO. It will be circulated electronically to all business representatives who have registered on the WTO online Database.

The introduction of both initiatives was supported in the WTO’s business survey, which also suggested a number of other ways of improving co-operation between the WTO and the business community.