WTO Launches Call For Proposals For 2020 Public Forum

The WTO has issued a call for proposals for this year’s Public Forum, whose theme is ‘Building on 25 Years of the WTO’. Participants interested in organising sessions at the Forum, scheduled to take place from 29 September to 2 October, are invited to submit their proposals by 1 June 2020.

This year's Public Forum will examine the important role the multilateral trading system has played over the past quarter of a century and will look ahead to how the WTO might be strengthened to address existing and future challenges to trade and the global economy, not least unexpected crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Further information on this year's theme and three sub-themes — WTO: past, present and future; Innovation in the digital age; and Collective action for sustainable trade — is available here.

All the sessions at the Public Forum are organised by the participants. These include civil society, academia, business, governments, parliamentarians and intergovernmental organizations. Participants interested in organizing working sessions or workshops will find further details in this information note. The online application form can be accessed from the information note and should be completed no later than 1 June 2020.

Background

The Public Forum is the WTO’s largest annual outreach event. It provides a unique platform for heads of states, parliamentarians, business people, students, academics and civil society to come together and debate a wide range of trade and development topics. Over 1,500 participants attend the Forum each year. See more information on previous Public Fora.

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