WTO/ Simply Services: A Trade in Services Speaker Series

'Simply Services - A Trade in Services Speaker Series' is an informal platform for the exchange of knowledge and information on trade in services. Open to all delegates and the Secretariat, it regularly convenes services experts to the WTO to share the latest information on trends in services trade.

The Services Trade Policy Database (STPD), a joint initiative by the World Bank and the WTO Secretariat, provides information on services trade policies and regulations applied by 68 economies in five major subsectors (financial services, telecommunications, distribution, transport, and professional services). Based on the regulatory and policy data contained in the database, the updated World Bank Services Trade Restrictions Index (STRI) measures the restrictiveness of these countries' policies. In addition to the presentation of the database and the updated STRI, the event will provide an opportunity to further look into current services trade policy patterns, the evolution of trade policy over the last decade, as well as the significance of trade costs in services.