Source: World Trade Organization
DG Okonjo-Iweala complimented Croatia on its resilient and forward-looking economy, which is driven by services trade and digital transformation. Both leaders agreed that the WTO’s next Ministerial Conference in Cameroon in March 2026 is an important opportunity for reform of the WTO and for strengthening its role in governing global trade.
Source: WTO
Headline: Members discuss possible cotton breakthrough ahead of MC14, World Cotton Day 2025
Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam, who chaired the 43rd Round of Consultations of the Director-General’s Consultative Framework Mechanism for Cotton (DGCFMC), drew members’ attention to the latest meeting of the Steering Committee of the “Partenariat pour le Coton” initiative, which built on a series of national consultations held last year in the Cotton 4+ countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire).
The meeting took place at the headquarters of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in Cairo on 28-29 April. Important suggestions were made regarding advancing the cotton development agenda in the C-4+ countries, and there was productive discussion on available financing options, including concrete proposals to support the cotton-textile-clothing value chain.
DDG Paugam stressed that, while it has been projected that US$ 5 billion could be unlocked over the next 10 years under the framework of the “Partenariat pour le Coton”, this would require the C-4+ to act as the driving force and to adopt a regional approach to attract and sustain investment.
A study published in June 2024 highlights the potential of processing 25 per cent of C4+ cotton locally. Although this would require an investment of around US$ 5 billion in facilities and workforce training, it could create 500,000 jobs, especially for women and youth, and would significantly enhance value addition within the region.
Acknowledging previous concerns about implementation, transparency, and commitment to the Evolving Table on Cotton Development Assistance, DDG Paugam called for a dedicated meeting with donors to explore ways to enhance the effectiveness and impact of this tool. The Evolving Table contains project updates by a number of WTO members and by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Chad, the FAO and the International Trade Centre (ITC) jointly announced that the 2025 World Cotton Day will take place on 7 October in Rome, which will coincide with the 80th anniversary of the FAO. The event aims to boost visibility and promote investment in African cotton through the work of the “Partenariat pour le Coton”, as well as to encourage discussion of climate challenges to cotton.
Afreximbank reiterated the importance of a harmonized project submission template for standardization, transparency, collaboration and monitoring of C4+ cotton projects and proposed joint financing initiatives, shared knowledge platforms, capacity-building, risk mitigation strategies and policy advocacy.
Members took the floor to share their experiences of activities within the framework of South-South cooperation. They also expressed support for the cotton industry, focusing on job creation, economic diversification, de-risking investments, tailored cooperation, regional strategies and enabling environments. Delegations also discussed industrialization, global value chain integration, investment clarity and progress on regional development projects in the context of the cotton industry.
On emerging challenges, members learned about the latest developments in cotton-producing countries, as well as new challenges facing the cotton sector in C-4+ countries. The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) shared a presentation about water use in cotton cultivation, which explained that it is a misconception that cotton – a semi-desert crop – requires large quantities of water for cultivation. Nevertheless, ICAC cautioned that climate change is affecting rainfall patterns, and that this is a matter of concern for cotton cultivation.
The DGCFMC also outlined key next steps. A technical online seminar on second-hand and recycling of clothing by Côte d’Ivoire is scheduled for 19 June. Other members were encouraged to coordinate with the WTO Secretariat to propose similar initiatives. A harmonized “Partenariat pour le Coton” project submission template will be created to enable C-4+ countries to present priority projects at an upcoming technical workshop. The WTO will support monitoring, evaluation and engagement with development agencies. Meanwhile, FIFA’s Football for Schools programme will encourage the use of C-4+ cotton for apparel, to produce T-shirts and polo shirts in West Africa and distribute these items globally by the end of 2025.
In conclusion, DDG Paugam underscored the need to sustain and build on the current momentum surrounding cotton, especially given that MC14 is approaching. Progress made, consolidated synergies and promising prospects ahead call for redoubling efforts, he said.
Ambassador Hussain, who facilitated the discussion on addressing the trade aspects of cotton, gave an update on his consultations with members on the way forward for agriculture negotiations, focusing on cotton.
He noted that the C-4+ countries and other members had stressed the importance of cotton within the agricultural negotiations, and that members had highlighted the need to make significant progress on this issue at MC14, as this would resonate positively in Africa and benefit the WTO as a whole.
The C-4+ Group also suggested the possibility of decoupling cotton negotiations from the broader agriculture package to facilitate reaching a standalone decision on cotton at MC14. The Group, along with several other developing members, emphasized the importance of adhering to past ministerial decisions and called for progress to be made to reduce cotton-specific trade-distorting domestic support.
Ambassador Hussain urged members to engage actively in open dialogue, express their concerns clearly, and work together to bridge differences. He proposed to convene a “cotton quad plus” meeting in the coming weeks to facilitate honest and concrete discussions. The “cotton quad plus” forum involves the C-4+ countries and several major cotton players, including Australia, China, Brazil, the European Union, India, Pakistan and the United States.
The ICAC also provided an overview of the global cotton market for the 2024-25 season, forecasting a production increase of approximately 7 per cent compared to the previous season. World cotton consumption is anticipated to rise by 2 per cent in 2024-25, although trade projections have been revised downward to 9.45 million tonnes for the 2024-25 season. This adjustment reflects a decrease from the previous forecast of 9.94 million tonnes, as reported in April 2024. The ICAC also presented findings from a recent analysis on specialty cotton, which grows annually and currently accounts for about 31 per cent of total global cotton lint production. Specialty cotton, as defined by the ICAC, includes any long or extra-long staple varieties, as well as cotton from specific identity programmes encompassing various certification initiatives worldwide, such as “Better Cotton” and “Cotton Made in Africa”.
The International Trade Centre (ITC) provided an update on the ITC Cotton Portal, a joint initiative with the WTO to consolidate cotton-related information. The portal, launched at the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires in 2017, features three main modules: trade statistics, market information and learning. The ITC reported that the portal has around 3,000-4,000 users annually. Planned improvements include the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), additional languages, and better data on e-commerce and logistics.
The ITC Cotton Portal aggregates cotton-related information from the ICAC, ITC and WTO, as well as other sources. For instance, it features a live data feed from ICAC on cotton production, as well as direct links to essential tools that facilitate cotton trade, such as the Export Potential Map.
The C-4+ agreed concerning the relevance of this tool in contributing to a more efficient cotton trading system by improving transparency and accessibility of trade-related information relevant for cotton producers, traders and policymakers. They called for more training to raise awareness of the platform in Africa and to increase its utilization, as this could help governments in making informed policy decisions. The ITC and the WTO expressed their readiness to pursue discussions with the C-4+ concerning ways to make the portal more accessible and as relevant as possible in developing economies, and especially in Africa.
The WTO Secretariat introduced a revised background paper compiling all cotton-related information available at the WTO, including members’ notifications, replies to a questionnaire on cotton policy developments and information on tariff and non-tariff measures.
As part of Cotton Day at the WTO members attended the opening of an exhibition featuring a data visualization structure that consolidated and presented information on cotton-related activities, telling the story of cotton through interactive maps, infographics, images and dynamic graphics. The exhibition concluded with a reception hosted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) at WTO headquarters.
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Source: World Trade Organization
DG Okonjo-Iweala said: “I deeply appreciate Lesotho’s commitment to the WTO and to supporting the implementation of this historic agreement. We are now very close to breaking new ground in safeguarding livelihoods and food security and securing the future of our shared oceans and marine fisheries – just 12 more acceptances to go!”
Ambassador Khathibe said: “Our deposit of the instrument of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies reaffirms Lesotho’s unwavering commitment to a rules-based multilateral trading system and our support for global efforts to ensure the sustainable use of our shared natural resources. Although Lesotho is a landlocked least developed country (LDCs) with no marine fisheries of its own, we recognize the significance of this Agreement in addressing harmful subsidies that contribute to overfishing and the depletion of global fish stocks—resources that many coastal LDCs and developing countries depend on for livelihoods, nutrition and economic development.
By accepting this Agreement, Lesotho stands in solidarity with the global community in advancing Sustainable Development Goal 14.6 and protecting the marine environment for present and future generations. We commend the leadership of the Director-General, and urge all members to complete their domestic processes, and join us in bringing this historic Agreement into force.”
For the Agreement to come into force, formal acceptances from two-thirds of WTO members are required – representing 111 members. The list of current instruments of acceptance deposited with the WTO is available here.
Ministers adopted the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies by consensus at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) held in Geneva in June 2022, setting new, binding, multilateral rules to curb harmful fisheries subsidies. The Agreement prohibits subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, for fishing overfished stocks, and for fishing on the unregulated high seas. Ministers also recognized the needs of developing economies and least-developed countries by establishing a fund to provide technical assistance and capacity-building to help governments that have formally accepted the Agreement implement the new obligations.
WTO members also agreed at MC12 that negotiations on remaining fisheries subsidies issues would continue, with the objective of finding consensus on additional provisions to further strengthen the disciplines on fisheries subsidies.
Information for members on how to accept the Protocol of Amendment can be found here.
Source: Central Bank of Iceland
A statement of the Monetary Policy Committee will be published on the Central Bank of Iceland website tomorrow, Wednesday 21 May 2025 at 08:30 hrs. The Bank’s Monetary Bulletin will be published at 08:35 hrs. At 9:30 hrs., a webcast with a press conference on the statement and the contents of the Monetary Bulletin will be held.
Source: Apple
Headline: Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off June 9
May 20, 2025
UPDATE
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off June 9
The annual online conference takes place June 9-13, promising a week of technology, innovation, and creativity
Today, Apple unveiled an exciting lineup for its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), including the Keynote and Platforms State of the Union. Taking place June 9-13, the free online conference will bring the global Apple developer community together to provide insights into the latest Apple tools, technologies, and features. Throughout the week, developers around the world can connect with Apple engineers, designers, and evangelists, and watch more than 100 sessions that will help them discover the newest enhancements to build platform-differentiating apps and games across Apple products. Apple will also welcome more than 1,000 developers and students to celebrate in person during a special event at Apple Park on June 9.
Apple Keynote
June 9, 10 a.m. PDT
WWDC25 kicks off with a first look at the groundbreaking updates coming to Apple platforms. The Keynote will be available to stream on apple.com, the Apple TV app, and the Apple YouTube channel. On-demand playback will be available after the conclusion of the stream.
Platforms State of the Union
June 9, 1 p.m. PDT
Following the Keynote, the Platforms State of the Union will take a deeper dive into the new tools that will further empower Apple developers, including advances across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS. The Platforms State of the Union will be available to stream on the Apple Developer app, website, and Apple Developer YouTube channel. On-demand playback will be available after the conclusion of the stream.
Video Sessions and Guides
With over 100 technical sessions, WWDC25 offers developers a chance to dive deep into the latest technologies and frameworks with Apple experts. Sessions will be available on the Apple Developer app, website, and YouTube channel. Developers will also be able to access guides and documentation that can help walk them through the conference’s biggest announcements and highlights.
Group and One-on-One Labs
Apple Developer Program members and Apple Developer Enterprise Program members will have a chance to connect directly with Apple experts through online group labs and one-on-one appointments. Developers can join group labs to learn about the week’s biggest announcements in real time, or set up online appointments for guidance on topics including Apple Intelligence, design, developer tools, graphics and games, machine learning, Swift, and more. Apple engineers and designers will also be available on the Apple Developer Forums.
Swift Student Challenge
Apple is proud to support developers through the Swift Student Challenge, one of many Apple programs that seek to uplift the next generation of entrepreneurs, coders, and designers. For the second year, 50 Distinguished Winners have been recognized for outstanding submissions and will visit Apple Park for a special three-day experience.
Developers can access all WWDC content on the WWDC25 website, Apple Developer app, Apple Developer website, and Apple Developer YouTube channel.
Press Contacts
Apple Media Helpline
Source: African Development Bank Group
“Before, farming was an unattainable dream. Today, I feed my children from the land.” These words from Assia Obakar Hassan, a mother from the village of Kalaf, epitomize the profound transformation benefiting part of rural northern Djibouti thanks to a regional project implemented by the Intergovernmental Authority on…
Source: Microsoft
Headline: The agentic web is reshaping the entire tech stack, and we are creating new opportunity for devs at every layer. You can watch my full Build keynote here.
We’re taking really a systems approach, a platform approach which you can expect from Microsoft across every layer of the stack, whether it’s GitHub and GitHub Copilot enabling an open ecosystem for the software development lifecycle, Microsoft 365, Copilot and Teams, and Copilot Studio enabling agents for every role and business process, and an agent factory in Foundry. Enabling you to build any AI app, any agent using any data, all running on world class infrastructure, and all of this on a robust set of rails are for management, identity and security. Ultimately though, all of this is about creating opportunity to fuel your ambition.
Source: American Clean Power Association (ACP)
Headline: NEW REPORT: Clean Energy Manufacturing Driving Next Chapter of U.S. Economic Prosperity
Clean power manufacturing contributes $18 billion to GDP annually and supports 122,000 American jobs
Projected to contribute $86 billion to GDP annually and support over 575,000 jobs by 2030
Investments are concentrated in rural communities and 73% of active facilities are in Republican states
PHOENIX, AZ, May 20, 2025 – Today at CLEANPOWER 2025, the American Clean Power Association (ACP) released its State of Clean Energy Manufacturing in America report, showing a significant and sustainable ripple effect across states and economic sectors. The clean power manufacturing sector currently contributes $18 billion to U.S. GDP annually, spurs $33 billion in domestic spending annually, and supports 122,000 American jobs across the country.
If all announced manufacturing facilities become operational, clean power manufacturing is projected to support over 575,000 jobs and contribute $86 billion annually to GDP by 2030.
“Surging clean energy deployment is creating new manufacturing facilities across the country. This success will create hundreds of thousands of jobs and revitalize American communities if policy leaders place economic progress over partisan division,” said Jason Grumet, CEO of ACP. “Today’s report shows that the manufacturing activities across the clean energy sector drive a ripple effect of economic growth that extends far beyond factory walls, reaching every corner of the country. Reshoring this critical supply chain requires a shared commitment by both industry and policymakers to prioritize domestic economic growth and global competitiveness.”
Clean Power Manufacturing Driving U.S. Economic Boom
The report illustrates how the industry has laid the groundwork for a secure domestic supply chain, revitalizing manufacturing communities and driving American competition on the global stage.
Over 800 manufacturing plants currently contributing to the U.S. clean energy supply chain, with at least one in every state.
200 existing manufacturing facilities are actively building primary clean power components across 38 states to supply the booming demand for new energy in America.
Creating Generational Opportunities for Local Communities
New data highlights how clean power manufacturing is creating generational opportunities at the local level, providing opportunities across skillsets, industries, and generating wages well above the national average.
Clean energy manufacturing is booming in regions across the country, such as the Southeast, Midwest, and in states like Texas.
The clean energy manufacturing workforce made on average $42,000 more than the average worker in the U.S. economy in 2024.
These manufacturing jobs also generate additional employment across the economy: Upstream supply chain jobs paid an average of $75,000, while downstream jobs supported by household spending—such as those in retail, food service, and hospitality—averaged about $52,000.
Driving US Competitiveness and Global Leadership
The industry’s investments are critical to international competitiveness and innovation, positioning the U.S. as a global leader and strengthening our energy security.
America’s power needs are growing fast—projected to rise 35–50% by 2040—as data centers expand, domestic manufacturing rebounds, and our transportation and buildings electrify.
Energy manufacturing processes are considerably complex and capital intensive, often requiring multiple intricate steps, specialized equipment, and expertise. This intricacy often comes with trade exposure or a series of imports and exports before the final energy component is ready for installation.
A resilient, American-made supply chain for clean energy technologies makes the economy stronger, the country’s energy more secure, and serves as the foundation for innovation and growth.
The Path Forward
There are 200 manufacturing facilities in the pipeline representing over $150 billion of investment. If all announced facilities become operational by 2030, the impact could be transformative.
Clean power manufacturing could support over 575,000 jobs
Generate over $40 billion in earnings
Contribute $86 billion to the GDP
Add $164 billion in output to the economy annually
Employment from existing and planned facilities by 2030 by region is projected to be:
Northeast: 4,300+
Mid-Atlantic: 123,000+
South: 172,000+
Midwest: 86,000+
West: 173,000+
Policy and Business Certainty Critical to American Manufacturing Leadership
The report details how these economic and job benefits have largely been made possible because of federal clean energy tax credits enacted in 2022. The report calls on policymakers to build on this historic American manufacturing legacy with a suite of targeted policy tools to continue the momentum. They include:
Preserving energy tax credits (45X, 45Y, 48C, 48E)
Creating a stable and strategic trade environment
Facilitating a true all-of-the above energy strategy
Streamlining permitting to benefit American manufacturers and their customers
Ensuring critical minerals policy appropriately leverages demand from downstream domestic clean energy manufacturers.
To read the full report, click here.
Source: Samsung
Samsung Electronics America announces South Holland School District 150, an elementary school district south of Chicago serving nearly 900 students, has upgraded its classrooms with Samsung Interactive Displays. This upgrade is part of an effort to foster greater student engagement and dynamic teaching through technology, starting with a one-year pilot in 13 McKinley Elementary and Junior High School classrooms.
Transforming classrooms with Samsung Interactive Displays
South Holland School District sought to replace its legacy interactive whiteboards due to their limited functionality, challenges with wireless connectivity to other classroom devices and smaller screens that made it difficult for all students to view content. While attending the Illinois Education and Technology Conference, district representatives discovered that Samsung Interactive Displays offered a cost-effective, versatile solution that could overcome these limitations, enhance interactive learning and provide an intuitive experience for both educators and students.
“We love the connectivity, flexibility and size of the boards, with all the space students and teachers now have to work with,” said Myra Lolkema, Certified Education Technology Leader (CETL), Director of Technology at South Holland School District 150. “The Interactive Display ticked all the boxes to be an effective tool for our classrooms.”
Source: Bank of Botswana
The Monetary Policy Rate (MoPR) was unchanged at 1.9 percent of the previous week, for a paper maturing on 28 May 2025. The summarised results of the auction held on 20 May 2025, are attached below:
BOBC Results 20 May 2025.pdf
Source: GlobalData
Australia digital health market to grow at 8% CAGR through 2034, forecasts GlobalData.
Posted in Medical Devices
The digital health market in Australia is set for expansion. This growth reflects the increasing integration of digital technologies into healthcare and rising demand for more accessible, efficient, and personalized medical services. With these factors in play, the digital health market in Australia is set to grow at compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 8% through 2034, forecasts GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’s research reveals that Australia accounted for 12% of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) digital health market in 2024. This growth is fueled by the ongoing technological advancements, particularly the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), along with improvements in functionality and user experience.
Shamreen Parween, Medical Devices Analyst at GlobalData, comments, “The move toward digital health marks a transformative shift in the landscape of modern healthcare, fundamentally altering how medical services are delivered, integrated, and perceived. This change redefines patient care by enabling more seamless coordination among providers, enhancing the overall healthcare experience, and embracing innovative, technology-driven approach to treatment and wellness.”
AusBiotech, Australia’s life sciences industry body, has recently partnered with ANDHealth, the country’s provider of commercialization support for digital and connected health. This strategic partnership aims to deeply embed digital health within the broader life sciences and biotech sectors, facilitating a culture of innovation and accelerating the advancement and adoption of transformative health technologies. Together, they aim to drive the seamless integration of digital health solutions, paving the way for improved healthcare outcomes and sustained industry growth.
Parween concludes: “Digital health is transforming the healthcare landscape by improving efficiency, and supporting more individualized, patient-centered care. Its impact extends far beyond clinical settings, creating new job opportunities, expanding market opportunities, and enhancing the overall quality and accessibility of care.”
Source: GlobalData
FIFA and Wanda Group partnership largest annual sponsorship deal in construction and real estate sector, reveals GlobalData
Posted in Sport
In 2016, Wanda Group signed a 15-year deal, which sees the brand serve as a top-tier FIFA partner. Under the agreement, Wanda secured rights to all FIFA competitions and corporate activities, extending through the 2030 World Cup, with a deal value reported to be approximately $56.57 million per year. Alongside the brands’ partnership with FIFA, Wanda Group is the highest spending brand across the construction and real estate sector in 2025, reveals GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’ s latest report, “Sponsorship Sector Report – Construction & Real Estate 2025”, reveals that across the construction and real estate sector, soccer commands the top position in terms of annual sponsorship revenue and deal volume in 2025. Mitsui Fudosan is recognized as the most active brand across the sector, boasting 11 active partnerships in 2025.
Olivia Snooks, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Wanda Group was the first Chinese company to achieve top-tier partner status with FIFA. The partnership between Wanda Group and FIFA aims to facilitate the advancement of grassroots soccer development in China and across China.”
Saudi Arabia has seen a surge in the construction and real estate sector’s involvement with the sports sponsorship industry and occupies a significant portion of the higher-value partnerships across the sector. Brands including Roshn and Red Sea Global, both are owned by the Saudi backed Public Investment Fund (PIF) have both partnered with teams competing in the Saudi Professional League, the top-flight soccer league in Saudi Arabia. Roshn’s naming rights partnership with the Saudi Professional League is one of the largest partnerships across the sector.
Snooks continues: “The PIF’s involvement in the sponsorship activities across the Saudi Professional League has had a major impact on soccer across Saudi Arabia. The PIF has essentially taken control of the biggest clubs across the Saudi Pro League, as well as the league itself. Through Roshn serving as the league’s title partner and the PIF owning four of the biggest clubs across the league, this enables the fund to not only benefit from one of their brands gaining exposure but also four of their teams gaining more revenue.”
Despite a decline in the number and total value of transactions within the construction and real estate sector from 2018 to 2019, the industry has experienced consistent year-over-year growth in both the quantity of agreements signed and their cumulative annual worth through 2023. Between 2023 and 2024, the volume of deals signed plateaued; however, the annual value of these deals increased. Taking this into consideration, it could be suggested that even though the volume of deals agreed upon has not increased, the value of the deals that brands across the sector are committing to is growing.
Snooks concludes: “2025 will present uncertainty for the global economy given the tariffs, which have been implemented by US President Donald Trump. As tariffs elevate the expense of imported materials, including steel and aluminum, construction firms frequently find themselves absorbing these increased costs. The degree to which these developments will influence the construction and real estate sector’s engagement in the sports sponsorship arena remains to be determined.
“However, it is important to mention that as the tariffs only apply to materials being imported into the US, for brands that do not do business in the US, they are less likely to be affected; the situation is also very changeable with tariff rates changing and having already been postponed for 90 days since the original announcement.”
Source: GlobalData
Cautious investor sentiment pulls global deal activity down 5% YoY in first four months of 2025, finds GlobalData
Posted in Business Fundamentals
Cautious investor sentiment has weighed heavily on the global deal landscape, with mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and venture financing activities collectively declining by approximately 5% year-on-year (YoY) during the first four months of 2025. Geopolitical uncertainty and macroeconomic headwinds have prompted dealmakers to adopt a more selective, risk-averse approach, leading to a slowdown across major markets, reveals GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
The contraction in deal volume during the first four months of 2025 can be primarily attributed to 4.3% reduction in M&A activity, which accounts for more than half of the combined total of all deal types.
An analysis of GlobalData’s Deals Database revealed that private equity and venture financing deals also faced contractions, indicating a cautious approach from investors amid uncertain market conditions.
The number of private equity deals announced during the first four months of 2025 showcased a decline of 4.5% compared to January-April 2024 while venture financing deals volume were down by 6.8% YoY.
Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The global decline can be attributed to several factors, including geopolitical tensions and macroeconomic challenges that have made dealmakers risk-averse. As companies reassess their growth strategies, many seem to have opted for organic growth over acquisitions, leading to a slowdown in M&A activity. Additionally, investors are becoming selective and cautious while making investment decisions.”
North America continues to dominate the global deal activity. However, it has not been immune to the slowdown, recording a YoY decline of around 4%. The US, historically a powerhouse in deal-making, reported a decrease in deal volume, reflecting a broader trend of caution among the dealmakers. Similarly, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and South and Central America also experienced declines of around 7%, 3%, 11% and 13%, respectively.
Bose adds: “Despite the overall downturn, certain markets have shown resilience suggesting that these may serve as a beacon of opportunity amid the global decline.”
India, for instance, recorded a growth of around 13% in deal volume. Japan also demonstrated a positive trend with a growth rate of approximately 25%. Meanwhile, the US, the UK and China witnessed their respective deal volume fall by around 4%, 7% and 15%, respectively, during January-April 2025.
Bose concludes: “The global deal landscape is undergoing a significant transformation as we move further into 2025. However, it is essential to recognize that certain markets are still thriving, reflecting a shift in focus towards nations that offer growth potential despite broader economic challenges.”
Note: Historic data may change in case some deals get added to previous months because of a delay in disclosure of information in the public domain.
Source: GlobalData
Supply chain remains resilient in M&A landscape despite 13% YoY fall in deal value in Q1 2025, reveals GlobalData
Posted in Strategic Intelligence
Amid the impact of heightened geopolitical uncertainties and low growth across all the major economies, the first quarter of 2025 saw an overall decline in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deal value of 13% compared to the same quarter in 2024. Supply chain resilience was the single most important theme, with $84 billion in supply chain-related transactions across 25 deals, covering sectors like healthcare and materials, reveals GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’s latest Strategic Intelligence report, “Global M&A Deals in Q1 2025 – Top Themes by Sector,” reveals that mega-deals, deals with a transaction value greater than or equal to $1 billion, decreased by 11% to $453 billion, compared to $507 billion in Q1 2024.
Priya Toppo, Strategic Intelligence Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Amid rising geopolitical tensions, demographic shifts, stricter ESG regulations, persistent labor shortages, and rapid digital transformation, companies are sharpening their focus on supply chain-related M&A activity. To mitigate risks and boost operational efficiency, they are increasingly investing in resilient, localized, and technology-enabled supply chains. This was especially true in the healthcare, materials, industrials, and consumer sectors.
The biggest supply chain deal was Sycamore Partners’ acquisition of Walgreens Boots Alliance for $23.7 billion. This deal was also the biggest in the consumer sector in Q1 2025. It was followed by Borouge Group International’s acquisition of Nova Chemicals for $13.4 billion and QXO’s acquisition of Beacon Roofing Supply for $10 billion.
Toppo continues: “An ongoing trend is the dominance of North America in M&A deal activity, accounting for 2,920 deals worth $380 million during Q1 2025. However, North America, Europe, China, APAC Ex-China, and the Middle East and Africa all saw a YoY decline in deal value.”
Toppo concludes: “The M&A outlook for the rest of 2025 is cautiously optimistic. Prospects of rate cuts in certain markets and an overall improving global growth outlook could drive increased activity. However, mega-deals may continue to face challenges, particularly in the US, where antitrust scrutiny remains a key focus for regulators.”
Source: Lufthansa Group
Lufthansa Group’s passenger airlines, including Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, SWISS, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and Discover Airlines, have published their winter flight schedules for 2025/26. The winter flight schedule begins on October 26, 2025. All destinations can be booked now.
“A stable, punctual, and reliable flight schedule for all Lufthansa Group airlines for the winter, especially for the Christmas holidays, is our top priority. Our employees at the airports will ensure that everything runs smoothly. In addition, with the expansion of the Allegris offering at Lufthansa Airlines, we are bringing a significant upgrade in the premium segment to many core markets,” said Dieter Vranckx, Chief Commercial Officer Lufthansa Group.
Winter flight schedule highlights for Lufthansa:
For the 2025/2026 winter flight schedule, Lufthansa will offer additional long-haul flights whereby passengers can enjoy the new Allegris cabin in all classes: Economy, Premium Economy, Business, and First Class. Starting October 26, the new aircraft, with state-of-the-art cabin interiors, will fly daily from Munich to New York (John F. Kennedy and New Jersey-Newark), Chicago, Miami, Shanghai, Cape Town and Tokyo. In addition, Bengaluru in India will be served three times a week. This is the largest number of Allegris destinations operating simultaneously since its debut. Passengers already booked with these flights can now look forward to the Allegris seat.
Ten A350-900s with the new cabin interior are already flying for Lufthansa in the winter schedule. More than half a million passengers in all classes have now enjoyed the new seats with extremely high satisfaction rates of nearly 100 percent. This year, Lufthansa also plans to introduce Allegris in Frankfurt with the Boeing 787-9 and the retrofitting of its existing fleet, starting with the Boeing 747-8.
More news from Lufthansa: due to high demand, flights from Frankfurt to Bydgoszcz (Poland) and from Munich to Oradea (Romania) will continue next winter. These connections were added to the flight schedule in summer 2025. The winter season Airbus A380 destinations from Munich have also been confirmed: A380 enthusiasts can look forward to flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Bangkok andDelhi with the A380, which is extremely popular with guests and crew alike.
Further news from Lufthansa Group Airlines:
Austrian Airlines will add Amsterdam as a fourth destination from Innsbruck this winter, in addition to its existing connections to Brussels, Warsaw, and Copenhagen. Austrian Airlines is also expanding its service from Vienna to Bangkok: up to two daily connections are now on the flight schedule. From October 26, 2025, Austrian Airlines will now fly to Linate Airport instead of Malpensa for all flights to Milan. This change was made by taking over the corresponding slots from ITA Airways, which, like Austrian Airlines, has been part of the Lufthansa Group since the beginning of the year. Linate Airport is much closer to Milan, significantly reducing the travel time to the city center for passengers.
SWISS is expanding its service to the Polish city of Krakow. In addition, the destinations Cluj-Napoca (Romania) and Košice (Slovakia), which were served for the first time last winter, will continue to be served from Zurich. The long-haul destination Washington D.C. (USA) will also continue from Zurich this winter. From Geneva, SWISS is focusing on connections to and from the UK, Ireland, and Scandinavia – especially for winter sports travelers planning a vacation in Switzerland.
Brussels Airlines is continuing to expand its services from Brussels to Africa. Lomé (Togo), Dakar (Senegal), Conakry (Guinea), Monrovia (Liberia), Accra (Ghana), and Freetown (Sierra Leone) will all receive additional weekly connections. Brussels Airlines is thus strengthening its role as the “Africa expert” within the Lufthansa Group.
Eurowings, Germany’s largest leisure airline will connect Berlin with Abu Dhabi with three non-stop flights per week beginning in November 2025. After Dubai and Jeddah, this will be the third long-distance route for the German capital within a short space of time. The Berlin service to the booming metropolis of Dubai will also be expanded: Eurowings will fly to Dubai up to eleven times a week (instead of the previous seven times a week). Eurowings is also providing a real winter highlight in Lower Saxony: With the inaugural flight on November 4, there will be three direct flights a week from Hanover to Dubai. The third new destination will be reached from Baden-Württemberg: Eurowings will connect Stuttgart with Jeddah in Saudi Arabia twice a week going forward. The program to Egypt is also being expanded: In the new winter flight schedule 25/26, Eurowings will be flying to Marsa Alam from Cologne, Hamburg and Berlin.
Discover Airlines is adding another highlight to its route network: starting in winter 2025/26, the leisure-focused airline will fly non-stop from Frankfurt to the Seychelles for the first time. This is a first for the Lufthansa Group: no airline in the group has ever flown to the island paradise before. Flights to Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, are also on the schedule – the only direct connection from Munich to the popular Caribbean vacation destination. Discover Airlines is also adding Alta in Norway to its schedule from Frankfurt for the first time.
Source: Samsung
In a time when many people are being more thoughtful about their purchases, getting more out of the tech you already own has become more important. That’s where Samsung Care comes in — providing support that helps you protect your investment and extend the life of your devices, without sacrificing convenience or quality. Whether you’ve had your device for two months or two years, Samsung Care delivers trusted support that keeps your tech in top shape — saving you time, money, and stress.
Consumers today aren’t just looking for the best product — they’re looking for long-term value and a brand that follows through. Samsung understands that. And now, it’s official:
Samsung’s Mobile eXperience (MX) Customer Care has been ranked #1 in the 2025 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey for customer satisfaction, service quality, and ease of arranging service.1 Surveying thousands of U.S. consumers from April 2024 to March 2025, the ACSI stands as the nation’s leading authority on customer satisfaction.
This recognition is a testament to Samsung’s commitment to standing by our customers, not just when they buy – but every step of the way to keep devices running efficiently for longer.
So, What Makes Samsung Care #1?
Here’s what sets the experience apart — and why more and more customers are turning to Samsung for support that actually supports them:
Convenient, Fast Service When You Need It
Samsung Care is designed for real life — whether you’re on the go, at home, or somewhere in between.
Same-day repairs available to most U.S. customers
Mail-in service accessible nationwide
860+ repair locations and 2,500 certified technicians across the country
Walk-in repairs typically completed within two hours
Quality You Can Count On
Every repair is backed by Samsung’s commitment to craftsmanship and care.
All repairs completed by certified technicians
Genuine Samsung parts used every time
Every device goes through a 70-point diagnostic test
90-day repair warranty for added peace of mind
Flexible Options, Personalized Support
You shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get help. Samsung Care meets you where you are.
In-store, mail-in, or at-home repair options
200+ million SMS messages exchanged since 2021
24/7 support through the Samsung Care YouTube channel, Samsung Members App, and Samsung Communities
Smart Support for Smart Spending
As more people focus on value and longevity, Samsung Care empowers consumers to get the most out of their devices. It’s not just about repairs. It’s about empowering you to get the most out of what you already own with support that’s reliable, flexible, and always close by.
Because support shouldn’t stop after you open the box. With Samsung Care, help is always just a call, click or visit away.
For more on Samsung Care, visit Samsung.com.
Need support from the Samsung Care Team? Visit the Samsung Care YouTube Channel, check out the Samsung Members App and Samsung Communities or call or text 1-800-SAMSUNG to start a conversation with a Samsung Care representative.
Source: ASEAN
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today participated in the Special ASEAN Economic Ministers – Ministry of Commerce (Special AEM-MOFCOM) Consultation, conducted via videoconference.
The Meeting exchanged views on the current global economic developments and their implications for regional economic integration. The Meeting reaffirmed a strong commitment to upholding a rules-based multilateral trading system, maintaining constructive engagements to address trade-related issues, and to de-escalate trade tensions. The Meeting also discussed strategic measure to advance ASEAN-China economic cooperation with a view to fostering stronger economic relations.
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Source: ASEAN
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn participated in the Special ASEAN Economic Ministers – Closer Economic Relations (Special AEM-CER) Consultation, held via videoconference, on 20 May 2025.
The Meeting exchanged views on the recent global economic developments and reaffirmed commitment to upholding rules-based multilateral trading system as a cornerstone for addressing emerging trade-related challenges concerns. The Meeting welcomed the entry into force of the Second Protocol to Amend the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA), reflecting the collective resolve of ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand to navigate current regional and global economic challenge.
The post Secretary-General of ASEAN attends the Special AEM-CER Consultation via videoconference appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
Source: ASEAN
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today hosted a luncheon for the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR), which brought together the Permanent Representatives of ASEAN Member States and the Ambassador of Timor-Leste to ASEAN. The Luncheon served as an opportunity to exchange views on ASEAN Community-building efforts and ASEAN’s external relations, including preparations for the upcoming 46th ASEAN Summit, 2nd ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit and ASEAN-GCC-China Economic Summit to be convened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 26–27 May 2025.
Source: Reserve Bank of India
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Source: Panasonic
Headline: Weaving Hope for the Future: Unleashing the Hidden Potential of Children in The Land of NOMO: Yuki Kusumi, Group CEO, Panasonic Holdings Corporation
Michiko Ogawa, who is overseeing the Expo, along with the pavilion working group worked tirelessly to bring their ideas to life and to create a pavilion where children could experience hope for the future. The result was the Panasonic Group’s pavilion concept of The Land of NOMO — “Set your heart and mind free, and the world will open up.”
At the core of this concept is the idea of affluence both in matter and mind, which reflects the true mission and foundational philosophy of our founder, Konosuke Matsushita. He believed that only after there is spiritual peace of mind and a limitless supply of material goods will humanity achieve true happiness. While material wealth has undoubtedly increased in many advanced nations since the 1970 Expo, what about the heart? This pavilion focuses on the hearts of children, the world’s future leaders, offering them an experience that unlocks their inner potential.
This approach is distinctly the Panasonic Group, and in the founder’s philosophy, he also believed that humans are born with unique characteristics and talents and that success is to fully harness these talents we are endowed with. The Land of NOMO is a true manifestation of that philosophy.
The Land of NOMO is built around the idea that how you see things can change dramatically depending on your mindset. In a sense, the world around you mirrors the ways you think and feel. This idea also inspired the name. Konosuke Matsushita once said, “The human spirit, like the almighty staff wielded by the mythic Monkey King, can extend or withdraw at will.” This means that, depending on how we approach life, we may uncover new possibilities within ourselves that we weren’t aware of. If children like this are the ones to lead the future, then a wonderful future will surely open up. I hope the message of The Land of NOMO will remain with the children who visit the pavilion, leaving a lasting impression in their hearts.
The overarching theme of this Expo is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” But when I think about who will design that future, it’s clear that the responsibility lies with today’s children. At the 1970 Expo, people felt a sense of hope for the future by seeing the evolution of things. But today, uncertainty about the future is growing. In such times, I believe that unlocking the hidden potential within the hearts of children, who will lead the future, and helping them tap into their talents is key to designing that future society.
That’s why I hope that everyone, especially children and young people who visit the pavilion, will thoroughly enjoy The Land of NOMO and awaken to their own possibilities. I also hope that visitors will feel that there’s still much to be done and carry that inspiration forward with them.
Source: American Clean Power Association (ACP)
Headline: ACP Statement on Empire Wind 1 Resuming Construction
WASHINGTON D.C., May 19, 2025 — The American Clean Power Association (ACP) issued the following statement from ACP CEO Jason Grumet after the Department of the Interior lifted its April 16, 2025 stop work order that halted offshore construction for the Empire Wind 1 project (15-30 miles south of Long Island):
“We commend the Trump Administration for allowing construction on Empire Wind 1 to proceed, putting more than 1,500 workers, in construction and maritime trades, back to work. This is the right decision for American workers, consumers, and the reliability of our electric grid.
“Fully permitted projects must have policy consistency and certainty to deliver the infrastructure required to meet America’s growing electricity demand. Our nation needs all types of energy infrastructure to lower energy prices and support economic growth. In lifting the stop work order, the Administration has honored a principle that is essential to all infrastructure investment. The decision is a critical step toward supporting an all of the above energy policy and is consistent with the Administration’s commitment to reducing the bureaucratic obstacles that are undermining critical infrastructure development across the nation.”
Source: African Development Bank Group
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), “Corruption is the main obstacle to economic and social development in the world. Every year, $1 trillion is paid in bribes, while an estimated $2.6 trillion, equivalent to more than five per cent of global GDP, is stolen.”
Source: African Development Bank Group
What: Launch of the Inaugural Edition of the Public Service Delivery Index in Africa (PSDI) Report
Who: African Development Institute, African Development Bank Group
When: May 29, 2025, 14:00-15:30 GMT
Where: Sofitel Hotel, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; and online
Source: Microsoft
Headline: Great to have Jensen Huang at Build to talk about our partnership and how we are building and scaling the largest AI supercomputer in the world on Azure. Watch our full conversation here.
Thank you so much, Jensen for joining yet again for our Build Developer conference. You were here a couple of years ago and we had a chance at that time to talk about all the great innovation you are bringing to our Azure and how customers were going to benefit. And in fact, you know that type of compounding of scarves, right, You’re innovation, our innovation coming together ultimately driving that frontier forward is just unbelievable, Satya. In fact, two years ago we had just launched. The largest AI supercomputer in the world together on Azure. And then right now as we speak, we are in full production with Grace Blackwell. We are ramping and scaling and building the largest AI supercomputer in the world in Azure. This is the insane execution of our two organizations now hyperlinked if you will, and the the beautiful thing is because of because of our natural understanding of the importance of. Reserving, enhancing developer productivity and developer value for the life of the architecture. We support software when we fine tune software for as long as we shall live. Ultimately, it’s not just tokens, but it’s all workloads per dollar per Watt. Can we really accelerate them all as we continue to innovate across both the hardware and the software boundaries and really have the compounding effects ultimately show up for our customers?
Source: Microsoft
Headline: Thanks for joining us at Build, Sam! Great to talk to you about SWE agents and how the role of developers is evolving.
We are really excited about opening eyes Codex agent that was just launched on Friday and I’m thrilled to have Sam Altman join us virtually. Welcome, Sam to build. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Hey. Yo, one of the things I know you’ve thought a lot about, you know, all these various form factors that developers use for software engineering. Of course, you did the CLI and now, yes, you know, last week you did the coding agent. You want to talk a little bit, Sam? It’s sort of the vision you have for how software engineering evolves and actually how developers will use all these various form factors together. Yeah. So something you and I have talked about this for a long time. In fact, the very first version of Codex, I think it was all the way back to 2021 of the very first things we did together in GitHub. And we’ve been talking about how someday we’d get to like a real agentic coding experience. And it’s, it’s kind of wild to me that it’s, it’s finally here. I think this is one of the biggest changes to programming that I’ve ever seen. But this idea that you now have a, a real virtual teammate that you can assign work to that you can say, hey, go off and do some of the stuff you were just doing and increasingly more advanced things. You know, at some point say, like, I got a big idea, go off and work for a couple of days. And do it. And then you can issue many requests in parallel that you can be fixing bugs, implementing new features, answering questions about the code. This is like true software engineering task delegation. And I think it’ll only get better from here. But but this is just a tremendously exciting moment. It integrates very deeply with GitHub. You can give it access to a repo in an environment and you can get some pretty amazing stuff done. Yeah, I know it’s really exciting to see that. And it’s also sort of great to have developers stay in the flow, work with essentially peer programmers. You know, this agents as well as other, you know, people that we collaborate with and just have the developer process process itself and the lifecycle get faster. You know, obviously you also working on a lot of models and a very sort of fantastic. In fact we’ve had a chance to sort of SIM ship a lot of the models you guys have built. Just talk, tell us a little bit about what sort of coming as far as the model road map itself. The, the models are already very smart. They will continue to get smarter too. But I think one of the most exciting things is the models will get simpler to use. You won’t have so many to pick from. It’ll just sort of automatically do the right thing. They’ll get much more reliable. You’ll be able to trust them for much more. There’ll be a lot more features like multi modality and great tool use and integration. It’ll be closer to the IT just works, you know, it can, I can talk to it. I can do a complicated coding agentic thing. I can rely on it. And I think people are going to be surprised at how much. How fast we’re going to make progress in those directions now. Yeah, I know we’re really excited about your model road map. And obviously, you know, when you look at ChatGPT, it’s the most at scale state full agentic app today that you guys built. And of course Codex is another sort of agent app that you build. And this conference is all about unpacking so that every developer can in some sense build these new agentic apps, you know, that use the model, use do their own model scaffolding, go on to even do multi agent. Orchestration and so on. You know, any advice you have as people build out these high scale production stateful agentic apps, Sam, based on obviously what you guys have been doing and leading? I, I, I think one of the hardest, most difficult things to manage about this is just the, the rate of change. You know, if you think about what was possible two years ago or one year ago or now and what will be possible in another year or two years. Sort of planning for this incredible increase in model power and how, how people are going to build products and software and companies in, in the kind of near future. And really leaning into the new tools and the, the sort of new workflows that are possible. Again, we haven’t seen many technological shifts like this in history, but every time one has come, like leaning in early and hard has been very rewarded. No, it’s yeah, Yeah. And that’s absolutely well said. Because at some level, one of the things we want to really unpack at this conference is what’s that app server that allows you to take the latest news sample that comes and keep moving at that pace? Because I think that’s the challenge we have as developers building these applications. But it’s fantastic. Again, go ahead. Yeah, it was just going to say it was amazing to watch. Over the last few months as we were working on Codex internally, you know, there are always a few people that are the early adopters and how quickly the people who were just using Kodaks all day change their workflow and just the incredible amount they were able to do relative to someone else was was quite interesting. No, it’s fantastic. Thank you so much, Sam. Thanks for the partnership. See you again again at build again. All right, thank you. Thank you.
Source: Independent Petroleum Association of America
Headline: IPAA Support Letter One Big Beautiful Bill Act
The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) strongly supports H.Con.Res.14, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” and urges the House of Representatives to pass the measure as soon as possible.
Source: Microsoft
Headline: Stanford Medicine is orchestrating multiple agents to connect medical data, clinical trials and more – all with the goal of delivering more effective cancer care. Incredible to see in action. Learn more about our new healthcare agent orchestrator.
Stanford Medicine is orchestrating multiple agents to connect medical data, clinical trials, and more – all with the goal of delivering more effective cancer care. Incredible to see in action. Learn more about our new healthcare agent orchestrator: https://lnkd.in/gGJd-uQG
Sanford Medicine is the at the forefront of Cancer Research in the context of treatment. Tumor boards are a really important meeting of many different clinicians who convene because a patient presents in a way that they’re not familiar with. You have to pull together information about medications, procedures, radiology, labs, a patients history and the medical literature. That information is fragmented in a bunch of different places. Those are things we do manually and we can’t do them 4000 times per year. Their health care agent Orchestrator is a way of bringing all this together at the beginning so that we can help make patient decisions more efficiently, faster, and perhaps more accurately. This is an agentic AI solution deployable through Azure AI Foundry. We’ve been able to build, customize, and deploy our own agents to provide a comprehensive report that brings together all of these disparate information sources. They’re already using Word to summarize things. They often make PowerPoint slides. This enables us. To put everything in an integrated setting into one summary, it took just a few lines of code to deploy these agents into teams so that we could start interacting with them directly. It’s being delivered as a platform on which we can build. We can package things to share with others. We wanted to develop tools that would help physicians all over the world. I think it’s going to be transformative.
Source: WTO
Headline: WTO members discuss duty-free electronic transmissions, hear views from private sector
Four private sector representatives from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and Latin America underlined the importance of maintaining the moratorium during the workshop, which was convened by the facilitator following requests from several delegations.
The private sector speakers were Andy Berahazar and Kristoff Pragg of Coded Arts, an animation firm in Trinidad and Tobago; Pinaman Owusu-Banahene of ADJOAA, an online marketplace for African fashion designers; Pascal Kerneis of the European Services Forum; and Sofía Pérez Gasque Muslera of the Mexican Association of the Information Technology Industry, which represents a network of technology companies.
During the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13), held in Abu Dhabi in early 2024, members had agreed to maintain the current practice of not imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions until MC14 or 31 March 2026, whichever is earlier. The private sector speakers suggested that allowing the moratorium to lapse would destabilize the digital trade environment and disproportionately impact small enterprises by raising costs.
Martine Julsaint of UNCTAD gave an overview of its recent report, “Indirect taxation of e‑commerce and digital trade: Implications for developing countries.” The report focuses on the taxation challenges in digital trade, policy gaps, and revenue mobilization strategies.
Members then had the opportunity in a dedicated session of the workshop to discuss the reasons underlying their positions on the moratorium. Ambassador Matthew Wilson of Barbados, coordinator of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group; Saut Mulia, Finance Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Brussels; and Maha Gabbani from the Mission of Saudi Arabia to the WTO provided presentations to kickstart members’ discussions. This was followed by a discussion among all members.
Further details can be found on the event webpage.
Concluding the meeting, the facilitator said the discussion will help members consider how to move forward on the issue in preparation for MC14. The facilitator said he will hold bilateral consultations and convene a mid-year stocktaking meeting.
“I encourage delegations to further reflect on what they have heard today and on possible next steps, both on the moratorium, including its scope and coverage, and on the Work Programme more broadly,” Ambassador Brown said.
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