By TIOL News Service

GENEVA, JUNE 28, 2017: TO commemorate the 20th anniversary of the ITA, the WTO launched a new publication yesterday titled “20 Years of the Information Technology Agreement: Boosting trade, innovation and digital connectivity”. The publication describes how this agreement has evolved over the past two decades and the significant impact it has had on worldwide trade in IT products.

The ITA entered into force in July 1997. Since then, it has committed participants in the Agreement to eliminate tariffs on a wide range of IT products with a current annual value of approximately US$ 1.7 trillion. Its membership has grown to 82 WTO members, which currently cover 97 per cent of world trade in ITA products.

Since the elimination of tariffs is included in their WTO schedules of commitments, ITA participants have extended duty-free treatment to all members on a most-favoured nation (MFN) basis, thereby bringing the benefits of the Agreement to the entire WTO membership.

Launching the publication, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said:

“In addition to the significant economic impact, the success of the ITA is notable because of what it says about the WTO. It shows that members can work together – in different formats – to tackle the obstacles that they face and bring solutions to the table. I think there are important lessons to learn from this deal. And that's why we have produced the new publication that we are launching today. It reviews the impact of the ITA and its expansion, and shares insights on the role of ICT for development, including its contribution to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.”