Morocco, Rwanda join 12 other WTO member states to support open and fair trade

In a bold step to safeguard global trade from rising protectionism, fourteen small and medium-sized countries, including Morocco and Rwanda, have officially launched the Future of Investment and Trade (FIT) Partnership, a new international alliance aimed at promoting open markets, attracting investment, and addressing modern trade challenges.
Announced during a virtual ministerial meeting attended by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the FIT Partnership brings together Brunei, Chile, Costa Rica, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Rwanda, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Uruguay. The partnership is the product of a year-long dialogue, initiated by trade ministers from New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, and the UAE. Positioned as a flexible and forward-looking coalition, FIT aims to reduce non-tariff barriers, facilitate investment, boost supply chain resilience, and harness emerging technologies. “We are trade-dependent nations determined to open markets and remove barriers,” said New Zealand’s Trade Minister Todd McClay.
Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong emphasized that small nations “must be pathfinders and bridge-builders for a trade system that is open, fair, and future-ready.” The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Trade will lead its national efforts within the group. The inaugural FIT Ministerial Meeting will take place in Singapore this November, where members plan to announce concrete initiatives. Designed to support the rules-based multilateral system, the FIT Partnership welcomes like-minded countries to join, positioning itself as an agile platform for modern trade challenges and solutions. It comes as economic analysts caution that U.S. President Trump’s unpredictable tariff strategy could disrupt global trade and disproportionately impact small, open economies.