The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of information and communication technologies (ICT) in supporting essential activities in a crisis, and the role of an ever-widening range of digitized services, from commerce to education to healthcare, in building a resilient society.
However, it also exposed unique challenges facing the ICT supply chain, in which operating restrictions and regulatory barriers in one region create disruptions and shortages throughout the global supply chain.
As WTO members contemplate reform and the future of the WTO, with an immediate focus on recovery and response to future global crises, greater international cooperation is needed to maintain open and connected supply chains of essential goods to avoid shortages and disruptions of ICT components that go into other essential goods needed for medical care, food distribution, remote work, and infrastructure.
Key questions:
- What guidelines can policymakers prepare to maintain production and shipments of essential goods, such as in the ICT sector, including semiconductors?
- What lessons can be drawn from Covid-19’s impact on ICT supply chains?
- What are some immediate steps governments might take to strengthen supply chains of essential goods?
In the second portion of the session, the floor will open for a moderated audience discussion guided by the question:
What steps can governments take to maintain and strengthen open and connected supply chains of essential ICT goods, now and in the future?
Continue the conversation in the dedicated chat on the Beyond Trade Network.
This session will be simultaneously translated into French, Spanish and English (when needed) via the Interactio application, by entering the code GTW2020 (please use headphones). Open the application in your Web browser or download it for iOS Mobile App or for Android App.