MAP Director chairs conference on Multilateral Trade in 2025

George Middleton with WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

In his role as Associate Programme Director at Wilton Park, MAP Director George Middleton designs, convenes and facilitates policy events focusing on international trade, resilience and growth.

A stable multilateral trading system is key to global economic growth and prosperity. The challenges facing the system and the need for reform are widely recognised but there remains a gap around clear and practical solutions.

The Multilateral Trade in 2025 conference, held in partnership between Wilton Park and the UK government, helped to deepen understanding of what would be needed from a multilateral trading system of the future.

It also surfaced ideas for the reforms needed to achieve that vision and for what a process to gaining support could involve.

World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Sir Chris Bryant, Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade participated and opened the event.

In a Financial Times piece in September, the WTO Director-General wrote:

“More than a few people have proclaimed the demise of the World Trade Organization. Such obituaries of the multilateral trading system have appeared since at least the 1980s but the ongoing disruptions are unprecedented in speed and scope, and have undeniably shaken confidence in open and predictable trade. World trade did collapse in the 1930s. So understanding where it may go from here requires a close look at the facts.”

George brings his experience in both the public and private sector to support Wilton Park’s core objective of bringing together experts and policy-makers to address the most complex global challenges.

For more information, please make contact via: info@mapukinternational.com.