WASHINGTON — April 1, 2026 — The Global Data Alliance (GDA) expressed disappointment that WTO members at the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaoundé, Cameroon were unable to reach consensus on a longer-term extension of the Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmissions, allowing the moratorium to lapse. The GDA called for urgent action to restore the moratorium as crucial backstop for the seamless cross-border movement of information across transnational digital networks.
The GDA commends WTO members and negotiating teams for their sustained engagement and good-faith efforts to reach consensus under challenging circumstances. A durable extension of the moratorium, alongside a strengthened Work Programme on Electronic Commerce, remains essential to supporting cross-border access to knowledge, know-how, information, and data that underpins economic activity across all sectors of the global economy.
Across industries—including agriculture, automotive, aerospace, energy, finance, film and other media, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, and telecommunications—businesses of all sizes rely on the seamless movement of information to innovate, compete, and grow. Over 100 associations from Brazil, India, South Africa, and other developing and developing economies recently published a Global Industry Report calling for WTO members to commit to a permanent moratorium.
“Cross-border access to information is foundational to modern economic development,” said Joseph Whitlock, GDA Executive Director. “While it is disappointing that WTO members were unable to reach agreement at MC14, the need for a durable solution has never been clearer. We urge members to act quickly to restore the moratorium and provide the certainty that businesses and economies around the world depend on.”
The GDA urges WTO members to use the period ahead of upcoming WTO meetings to urgently re-engage and reach agreement on a longer-term extension, ensuring that cross-border data flows continue to support job creation and economic opportunity across industries, across businesses of all sizes, and across economies.