COVID-19 has foregrounded the importance of global trade to the economic and physical health of nations and individuals. Balancing ethical concerns with a demand-led approach to trading relationships can transform fragile value chains into resilient market systems that pay out for emerging and developed economies as well as suppliers and buyers.
Governments are looking to trade to breathe life back into their beleaguered economies. Allowing goods to move safely and efficiently across borders into businesses and consumers hands is vital to restoring faith in markets and stemming rising unemployment. But restoring trade to previous levels is not enough. Global trade actors from businesses to government officials are thinking about how to better prepare for what lies ahead.