This if the first World Trade Organization conference in nearly five years. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the world has changed over that time. “I wish I could say for better, but it has certainly become more complicated. We are still trying to cope with a pandemic that has cost the world millions of lives. We have an international security crisis with the war in Ukraine. We have a major food crisis.” In a prepared statement, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said Russia’s war against Ukraine has created a humanitarian crisis. Tai said supply chain disruptions and inflation have increased the risk of food insecurity.