The COVID-19 pandemic adds a massive shock to global markets that were already strained by trade tensions. Going forward, actors must contend with a trade landscape where business face significant uncertainty, and governments are looking to minimize the economic fall-out on citizens.

Our Platform works with a range of stakeholders to inform business and policy debate on critical trade and investment issues. We drive practical collaborative steps for growth and development, critical now more than ever.

The Platform currently focuses on trade shocks, tensions and governance; digital trade; new questions around industrial policy, tax and competition; investment and trade facilitation to poorer nations; and embedding sustainability into the future of value chains.

Related Projects

Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation

The Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation is a public-private partnership dedicated to reducing the time and cost of conducting trade and to removing obstacles to the supply chain.We are...

Digital ASEAN

ASEAN is the fastest growing Internet market in the world. With 125,000 new users coming onto the Internet every day, the ASEAN digital economy is projected to grow significantly, adding ...

Competition, Tax and Industrial Policy

Globalization and digitalization necessitate updated international economic rules and enhanced global coordination. New business models and technologies have provided numerous benefits bu...

Green Trade

Public and private actors have shown an increased interest in green trade topics. The urgency of environmental challenges and the opportunity for transition presented by COVID-19 recovery...

Digital Trade

How can we ensure technology drives new, inclusive trade growth and recovery in the digital age? The Fourth Industrial Revolution – associated with rapid technological change and digitali...

Global Investment Policy and Practice

International investment is crucial to realizing the intertwined goals of sustainable development and corporate growth. The evidence shows that foreign direct investment (FDI) can generat...

Trade Shocks and Tensions

Bans on exports of medical supplies and foodstuffs amid the COVID-19 pandemic risk humanitarian tragedy. Yet global trade and investment governance reform, already under acute strain from...

Related Reports

Advancing Data Flow Governance in the Indo-Pacific: Four Country Analyses and Dialogues

This White Paper on advancing data flow governance in the Asia-Pacific region explores international and regional best practices in four domestic contexts.

White Paper — 13 April 2021

Mapping TradeTech: Trade in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

This report aims to shed light on the landscape of emerging trade technologies and consider the opportunities and challenges for each, ranging from AI to IoT to 3D printing.

Report — 21 December 2020

Facilitation 2.0: Trade and Investment in the Digital Age

The project was a true co-creation of local and international multi-stakeholders. The report showcases our methodology, the progress made and next steps in the development of the Electron...

Report — 4 November 2020

Advancing Digital Trade in Asia

Digital trade in Asia had been booming even before the COVID-19 pandemic that drove large numbers of firms and consumers online. The region has also been at the forefront of digital trade...

Report — 15 October 2020

Digital FDI Policies, regulations and measures to attract FDI in the digital economy

FDI brings not only capital but also knowledge and technology. Attracting digital FDI can help economies and companies boost digital capabilities, but reflecting the fact that this is a n...

White Paper — 30 September 2020

Facilitating Trade Along Circular Electronics Value Chains

Electronics are a critical part of our lives and even more so in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, however, too many electronics wind up in the environment, are recycle...

White Paper — 18 September 2020

Plastics, the Circular Economy and Global Trade

This briefing note draws on the expertise of trade and environment experts from across the plastics value chain to identify the key cross-border challenges to scaling a more circular econ...

White Paper — 29 July 2020

Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT): Paths towards Free and Trusted Data Flows

A major international initiative on data flows, the Osaka Track, was launched by heads of governments under Japan’s G20 leadership in 2019. This paper develops a framework for ‘data free ...

White Paper — 10 June 2020

Connecting Digital Economies: Policy Recommendations for Cross-Border Payments

The rapid expansion of access to digital payments has made it possible for consumers to conveniently make purchases for goods and services from merchants around the world. The current COV...

Report — 2 June 2020

How Can Trade Rules Support Environmental Action?

As governments and businesses grapple with the effects of COVID-19, other global challenges remain. Once the immediate crisis abates, countries must intensify environmental action to tack...

Report — 26 March 2020

The Future of Trade and Investment: A Call to Prevent Economic Fragmentation

In January 2019, the Global Future Council on International Trade and Investment outlined four potential scenarios for the future of global trade and investment. This briefing paper takes...

White Paper — 6 January 2020

International Investment in the Age of Geopolitical Competition, Technological Change and Trade Confrontation

This briefing paper by the Global Future Council on International Trade and Investment explains the new forces shaping international investment. It outlines three possible future scenario...

White Paper — 3 January 2020

Exploring International Data Flow Governance

This paper provides insights, developed through expert inputs, on domestic good practices as well as trade policy tools that can help balance facilitating cross-border data flows while pr...

White Paper — 17 December 2019

Competition Policy in a Globalized, Digitalized Economy

Features of many digital platforms have led competition authorities to rethink traditional tools. In doing so, they have taken diverse views of the consumer welfare standard and the abili...

White Paper — 11 December 2019

Corporate Tax, Digitalization and Globalization

As countries seek to reform international corporate tax rules to address these issues, this paper supports informed debate among non-experts. It has been produced with the input of a dive...

White Paper — 3 December 2019

Africa E-commerce Agenda: Roadmap for Action

E-commerce in Africa is well underway, but it has potential to grow, creating new jobs and driving sustainable development. E-commerce stakeholders from within and beyond the continent ha...

Report — 3 September 2019

Windows of Opportunity: Facilitating Trade with Blockchain Technology

Trade costs – the costs of moving cargo from one country to another – are a leading constraint for companies wanting to engage in trade. The development of trade single windows, a one-sto...

White Paper — 1 July 2019

Global Value Chain Policy Series: Taxation

This paper highlights the disconnect between the modern global economy and an outdated international tax framework and provides some suggestions for how tax policy could better promote su...

White Paper — 22 June 2018

Global Value Chain Policy Series: Competition

Anti-competitive behaviour can affect the smooth functioning of global value chains (GVCs) in different ways and at various stages. The international nature of production networks, multin...

White Paper — 22 June 2018

Global Value Chain Policy Series: Services

With new data revealing the extent of services’ contribution to global value chains, there has been greater policy interest in what drives services competitiveness. This paper traces the ...

White Paper — 22 June 2018

Global Value Chain Policy Series: Investment

Given the important role of multinational enterprises (MNEs), attracting foreign direct investment is a key concern for countries keen to join value chains. This paper explains why increa...

White Paper — 22 June 2018

Global Value Chain Policy Series: Environment

This paper examines two questions that arise at the intersection of environmental sustainability and global value chains. The first relates to trade and other barriers to the smooth funct...

White Paper — 22 June 2018

Global Value Chain Policy Series: Introduction

The Global Value Chain Policy Series was launched in 2018 by the World Economic Forum’s System Initiative on Shaping the Future of International Trade and Investment. It consists of brief...

White Paper — 22 June 2018

Addressing E-Payment Challenges in Global E-Commerce

Technology has altered the way consumers interact with payment systems. The Internet, digitization, shifting consumer preferences and, in some cases, regulatory reform have accelerated th...

White Paper — 30 May 2018

Paperless Trading: How Does It Impact the Trade System?

Paperless trade refers to the digitization of information flows required to support goods and services crossing borders. Transforming what was traditionally a paper-based documentation sy...

White Paper — 2 November 2017

Making Deals in Cyberspace: What’s the Problem?

This White Paper aims to build the knowledge of current e-transaction and e-signature rules. It evaluates how these apply in national and international commercial contexts, and bridges pe...

White Paper — 17 October 2017

The Role of Law and Regulation in International Trade Finance: the Case of Correspondent Banking

This white paper will present a view of legal and regulatory structures in the context of trade financing, using the recent example of correspondent banking as a case study that highlight...

White Paper — 17 October 2017

The Global Enabling Trade Report 2016

At a time of uncertainty, which aspects of trade policy and practice are working well? Our new report

Report — 30 November 2016

The E15 Initiative: Strengthening the Global Trade and Investment System in the 21st Century

World trade has experienced a significant slowdown since the 2008 financial crisis. Over this period, the global ratio of trade expansion to income growth has halved. An effective global ...

Report — 22 January 2016