THE CENTRE WILLIAM RAPPARD, HEADQUARTERS OF THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, CELEBRATES ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY

On 1 July, the 100th anniversary of the Centre William Rappard, the headquarters of the World Trade Organization, was commemorated in Geneva.

The ceremony was attended by WTO Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva Tatiana Valovaya, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre Pamela Coke-Hamilton, President of the Council of State of the Republic and Canton of Geneva Anne Hiltpold, representatives of the Rappard family, Permanent Representatives and Ambassadors based in Geneva, and representatives of international organizations.

The event also featured the official launch of the WTO Marketplace at the WTO headquarters, marking the start of activities to promote and sell products made by small and medium-sized enterprises from WTO Members. Mongolia joined this initiative, and cashmere and felt products made by Goyol Cashmere and BOG, beneficiaries of the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund jointly implemented by the WTO and the International Trade Centre, are now available for sale. 

This provides an important opportunity to promote high-quality and sustainably produced goods made by Mongolian women entrepreneurs to representatives of international organizations and visitors, while also helping expand export markets for national producers and raise international awareness of Mongolian brand products.

It is worth noting that the Centre William Rappard, inaugurated in 1926, was the first building in Geneva constructed for international organizations. It formerly housed the International Labour Organization and later the Secretariat of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and has served as the headquarters of the World Trade Organization since 1995.