Buffeted by Trump, WTO hunkers down to plot future

GENEVA, April 1(Reuters) - From its sleek headquarters on the shores of Lake Geneva, the World Trade Organization hopes to quietly ride out the after-shocks of Trump administration tariffs whose protectionist intent runs in the face of its free-trade mandate.

For three decades the WTO has worked to maintain a rules-based and obstacle-free trading system as a motor of the global economy. It says the 5.8% average annual increase in trade it has overseen has created jobs and raised living standards.

But now the U.S. determination to double down on tariffs risks sidelining the organisation and its ability to regulate trade, enforce rules and negotiate new ones. In a direct blow to the body, Washington has already decided to pause its funding.

Reuters spoke to WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and a dozen serving or former officials and delegates to the WTO, who depicted an organisation worried about what the future holds under Trump, but set on continuing its work in the hope that more orderly times eventually return.

"(Members) are saying to me: 'Yes we are concerned, but at the same time we're using the system, and we want to continue using it'," Okonjo-Iweala said.

"I'm telling you that the bedrock of trade is here and it's not going anywhere. This is what guarantees stability, predictability, trust, any word you want to use, and members know it – including the U.S.," she said, citing agreements that govern patents, food safety and the value of goods for customs.

Okonjo-Iweala said the WTO administers just over 75% of global trade, down from around 80% due to recent tariffs, and continues to attract new membership applications.

The current...
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