Thank you, Chair.
Chair, this discussion comes at the end of an exceptionally challenging year.
We still have a long way to go to defeat Covid-19, and there remain other threats to our collective prosperity and wellbeing.
The WTO has a crucial role to play and we must re-commit ourselves to delivering real progress. We need to cement the WTO’s role as a forward-looking Organization able to deliver for 21st century enterprises and citizens, and able to deliver collective solutions to global problems – from the impact of the pandemic, to the enduring challenge of climate change.
Last month, the UK was pleased to co-sponsor the call for establishing an enhanced dialogue on trade and environment at the WTO. As host of COP-26, the UK is proud to take a leading role in tackling climate change. Working together, we can find ways to mitigate climate change, to protect our forests and oceans, and conserve biodiversity while promoting trade and economic development.