WTO Director-General: Strong Trade Recovery Depends On Vaccine Access

The global economic recovery will be aided by a stronger-than-expected rebound in global merchandise trade, the World Trade Organization said on Wednesday, but Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala warned the comeback remains uneven as vaccine distribution trails in significant swaths of the globe, urging countries to prioritize widespread vaccine access to ensure a strong, long-term recovery. The WTO annual trade forecast predicts an 8 percent increase in world merchandise trade this year after a 5.3 percent dip in 2020, which was smaller...