UNIDO Director General Gerd Müller took part in the World Trade Organization's Eighth Aid for Trade Global Review with the theme "Empowering Connected Sustainable Trade". While delivering introductory remarks at the Opening Plenary session, Müller called for a more just global trade system with binding international social and ecological standards, saying it is a "moral must" that such norms be established, respected and enforced to prevent the exploitation of nature, people, and especially children, in global supply chains.
Müller later participated in the high-level roundtable discussion on "Better Trade for Better Health" focusing on the fight against illicit trade in medical products. He drew attention to the urgent need to expand manufacturing capacity for vaccines and vital medications worldwide so as to assure a fair availability of these life-saving medicines and to avoid a repetition of the disastrous imbalance in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines that is still being experienced.
At an event to launch the "Call to Action on Cotton", Müller reiterated his long-standing engagement for fairness in the textile trade which is so central to the well-being of tens of millions of workers and to the clothing industry upon which we all rely. Having introduced an initiative for fair wages and fair trade in the textile industry during his time as Germany's Development Minister, Müller continues to push for binding standards. The UNIDO Director General signed the Call to Action, reiterating that "textile supply chains must be made fair. The workers must get a fair income."
In addition to his participation in the Aid for Trade Global Review, Müller held a number of other meetings while in Geneva. Speaking with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the World Trade Organization, Müller reiterated UNIDO's commitment to establishing binding international trade standards and building up regional production of vital medicines. Talks with Diane Holdorf, Executive Vice President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, focused on sustainable value chains in world trade.
Dr. Adhanom Ghebreyesus Tedros, Director General of the World Health Organization, and Müller discussed further cooperation between the two organizations. Talks with André Bogui, Head of the International Labour Organization transition team, centred around the renewal of the UNIDO-ILO relationship agreement.
A meeting Seth Berkley, CEO of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, saw talks on support for local vaccine manufacturing capacity in order to best treat new outbreaks like COVID-19 and legacy diseases like TB, hepatitis B and measles.
Discussions with Ramon Esteve and Florence Schurch, respectively President and Secretary-General of the Swiss Trading and Shipping Association, centred on partnership in establishing sustainable supply chains.
