Summary Report of the Four Thematic Sessions
on supply chain resilience

Note by the Secretariat[1]

Addendum

1  Introduction

1.1.  At its formal meeting of 16-17 October 2023[2], the Committee on Market Access (CMA or Committee) agreed to hold a series of thematic sessions on supply chain resilience based on a proposal from the United Kingdom.[3] Four thematic sessions took place on 21 November 2023, 6 May 2024, 18 October 2024, and 17 January 2025, covering the following topics:

·_              Definition of supply chain resilience by key international organizations. Experts from the World Bank; World Customs Organization (WCO); UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the WTO Secretariat were invited to present at the session (summary report _JOB/MA/173);

·_              Members' response to supply chain challenges and their resilience-building approaches (_JOB/MA/173/Add.1);

·_              Data underpinning the assessment of critical supply chains and the flow of goods in certain sectors (_JOB/MA/173/Add.2); and

·_              Examples of multilateral and regional initiatives and how the WTO, and the Committee on Market Access, can support Members to use available data and information to enable their supply chain resilience policy responses (_JOB/MA/173/Add.3/Rev.1).

1.2.  This report seeks to summarize and compile the main information shared by speakers and subsequent discussions across the four sessions as contained in the individual summary reports. The report reproduces only views expressed by Members during the course of the discussions in these sessions.