Today, roughly 80 percent of global goods trade moves by ship, but until Malcolm McLean’s shipping container arrived, trade logistics were fragmented and costly. McLean’s invention was a breakthrough, but its true potential took time and concerted effort to realize. By the 1960s, the standardized container allowed goods to move seamlessly between sea, rail, and road without repacking. Trade saw a structural shift: port times shrank, losses fell, and shipping costs dropped. Schedules became predictable, and businesses of all sizes could scale production across borders. SMEs gained access to distant markets.

Global energy demand is expected to increase at least to 2050 as countries throughout the world face a common challenge—how to meet future energy needs while transitioning to a clean energy economy. International trade has helped to propel renewable energy production, cooperation on technology, and regulatory standardization. Continued momentum in international trade is essential for continued investment and global deployment of sustainable energy.

Digitalisation and going paperless is reshaping trade by speeding up transactions, expanding what can be traded and by whom, and allowing more businesses, especially SMEs, to access global customers and suppliers. Realising these benefits has taken more than just technology; it has required coherent and forward-looking policies.

Today’s consumers have access to truly global diets; they can choose from a wide variety of safe, nutritious foods at affordable prices. Since 2000, global agriculture exports have more than tripled, from $409 billion to $1.49 trillion in 2020. The number of countries providing these exports is also expanding; in 2000, around 90 countries exported more than $10m in food and agricultural products, but nearly 130 countries export at that level today.

The role of international trade in improving food security is well-established. Trade allows countries with abundant arable land to export more efficiently produced food to countries that lack this advantage. It can also reduce price volatility and increase the diversity and quality of food available in a country. WTO data show that trade in agricultural products grew from $300 billion in 2000 to nearly $1.5 trillion in 2022. These gains resulted from stable WTO rules, lower tariffs, and regional trade agreements negotiated outside the WTO that led to even further reductions in barriers to agricultural trade.

Development and distribution of vaccines during the COVID-19 global pandemic four years ago demonstrated what many studies have shown—patents and other intellectual property rights (IPRs) make it easier for companies to share the technologies behind much needed pharmaceuticals. This in turn helps provide access to medicines that might otherwise be out of reach for many around the world.

Coordinated forced labor bans have reaped palpable rewards for workers in the supply chain, as illustrated ​​by​​ the well-known Malaysian Rubber Gloves case. Efforts there led to new recruitment protections and housing for migrant workers, as well as a multi-million dollar fund for victims. ​The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)​ shows how trade agreements​ ​can ​​provide a platform for government officials to coordinate such forced labor efforts​. ​It also shows how ​​​such commitments​​​​​ can ​​be ​​extended to​​​​ other countries. After concluding the USMCA, Canada negotiated ​​the 2023 Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement​, which​ copies the USMCA’s forced labor provisions, requiring Ukraine to prevent the import of goods produced entirely or partly by forced or compulsory labor. ​​​​​

China’s remarkable economic transformation over the past four decades is a testament to the power of openness as a driver of growth and development. Its progressive integration into the global economy fueled rapid economic growth and lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty. From 1990 to 2023, China’s GDP increased from $361 billion to $17.8 trillion and per capita GDP rose nearly forty-fold. Between 2001 and 2023, urban wages increased more than ten-fold. Some 800 million people in China have been lifted out of poverty since 1980, accounting for 75 percent of the overall reduction in global poverty.

Morocco’s service sector reforms over the past 25 years helped to unleash inclusive growth, specifically growth in small and medium businesses, an increase in the women’s share of services employment, and a shift in export portfolios towards higher value-added services.

The European Union and Vietnam free trade agreement (EVFTA) is a very ambitious deal, eliminating 99 percent of tariffs, opening up services and public procurement markets, and facilitating regulatory alignment and cooperation. Entering into force in August 2020, it shows Europe´s engagement in the Indo-Pacific region and it is one of the most important trade agreements the EU has done with a developing country. For Vietnam, it is an opportunity to reduce its dependence on China, further enabling its international trade integration and accelerating domestic economic reforms. The current American reciprocal tariffs are forcing countries to derisk from the US and diversify their supply chains, so the EVFTA could be developed to further facilitate EU-Vietnam trade.