The Global Grains team, made up of students from the European University Institute (EUI) and the Graduate Institute of Geneva (GVAGrad), has emerged winner of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) first-ever global policy hackathon on trade.

WTO Director-General, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, announced the result in a post on her official X handle, where she congratulated the team for their innovative contributions to global trade policy.

“Congratulations to the Global Grains team (comprising students from the #EUI_EU and #GVAGrad) for winning the first global policy hackathon on trade, organized by the WTO in partnership with Geneva Trade Platform and CropLife International,” Okonjo-Iweala wrote.

She praised the students’ forward-looking ideas on food security and agriculture, adding: “It’s a pleasure to see young people coming up with fresh perspectives on what the WTO could do to strengthen global food systems.”

The WTO chief also commended the runner-up teams, Spice Pacific and AgroStrategos, for their innovative proposals.

In addition, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala disclosed that she had received a joint letter from CropLife International and 11 agricultural associations, reaffirming their support for the WTO and the multilateral trading system.