Acceding members remain a source of hope for the future of the trading system at a time when the multilateral framework is under pressure, Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang said at an event held on 22 and 23 October in Geneva commemorating the WTO membership anniversaries of Georgia and Kazakhstan. High-level government officials, including accession negotiators, discussed how governments in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) region play an important role in the multilateral trading system, emphasizing the benefits that trade brings to their economies.World Trade Organization — Latest news