Ahead of G20 Summit, Trade Ministers Commit to Sustainable, Inclusive Recovery From Pandemic

Trade and Investment Ministers of G20 member and guest countries came together at the G20 Trade and Investment Ministers' Meeting in Sorrento, Italy, on Oct. 12, 2021, to commit to sustainable and inclusive economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong represented Singapore in the meeting, which is the third of a series of meetings before the G20 Leaders' Summit happening from Oct. 30-31, according to the Ministry of Trade and Industry on the same day.

The ministers' endorsed the Trade and Investment Ministerial Statement, which outlines their commitment to ensure a strong, sustainable and inclusive economic recovery; support the reform of the World Trade Organization; emphasise the importance of promoting trade and environmental sustainability; and boost the global competitiveness of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

“[Strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic] will require efforts across the various key stakeholders to collaborate in identifying creative approaches and to take concrete actions to scale up and address the imbalance of manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccines,” Gan was quoted as saying.

“Singapore will also play an active role in this and will continue to work with manufacturers to scale up and diversify the production of vaccines for the region.”