Joint Statement by ICC and WTO heads

We reaffirm our shared commitment to harnessing the power of trade as a driver of global development.

A well-functioning multilateral trading system remains essential to enabling private sector-led growth — particularly in emerging and developing economies, where local businesses depend on predictable rules, open markets, and efficient trade processes to compete and thrive.

Yet too many businesses around the world continue to face barriers that hinder their full participation in global trade. From constrained access to trade finance and working capital services, to excessive border delays and customs inefficiencies, these obstacles often hit the smallest and most dynamic enterprises the hardest — undermining both job creation and development impact.

We call on governments and development partners gathered in Seville to:

— Reaffirm the centrality of the multilateral trading system as a foundation for global development;

— Strengthen efforts to identify and address regulatory frictions that inhibit cross-border trade and associated financing — including, as a priority, the erosion of correspondent banking networks and the unintended impacts of financial crime compliance regimes that have led to de-risking, particularly in regions most in need of trade finance.

— Support coordinated efforts to strengthen trade-related infrastructure, digitalization of trade processes, and targeted capacity building for SMEs to enhance economic and supply chain resilience.

As the global community focuses on strengthening economic resilience and fostering growth, enabling trade must be a central pillar of any serious strategy for mobilizing private capital at scale. This must be underpinned by a shared effort to modernize core multilateral trade rules in line with the realities of 21st century commerce. 

We stand ready to work with all stakeholders to ensure that trade can deliver on its full potential for people, planet, and prosperity.

John W.H. Denton AO
Secretary General, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Director-General, World Trade Organization (WTO)