[governance] Three things to expect from the WTO Public Forum 2019

Mon Oct 7 10:52:25 EDT 2019

The WTO Public Forum starts tomorrow - what should we expect?
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  Three things to expect from the
WTO Public Forum 2019
*8-11 October, World Trade Organization, Geneva*

The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Public Forum is its largest annual
outreach event. This year, the forum will take place from 8-11 October at
the WTO headquarters in Geneva, and will provide a platform for
participants coming from different sectors to discuss the latest
developments in world trade and to propose ways of enhancing the
multilateral trading system.

Themed ‘Trading forward: Adapting to a changing world’, this year’s event
will take us back to discussions that took place at last year’s forum,
which focused on the changes influencing the evolution of the trading
system, and will invite us to look into the future and discuss how the
trading system can adapt to these changes.

Here are three things to expect from this year’s WTO Public Forum:

*1. There are fewer sessions dedicated to digital trade-related issues*

The space dedicated to digital themes on the agenda of this year’s Public
Forum is still considerable. However, there are fewer sessions which are
fully dedicated to these issues, compared to previous years.

This may seem counterintuitive, considering that digital technologies have
been identified as key drivers of economic advances, making production
easier, more efficient, and cheaper, and making services more tradeable.

Nevertheless, it could be explained by the fact that the relative
importance of other themes has augmented, such as the need to reform and
strengthen the trading system. Several proposals on how to do it were
advanced by member states throughout the year, and the forum provides an
interesting opportunity to discuss them and to take into consideration the
views of non-state actors on this issue.

*2. The views of millennials and the generation Z will be sought much more
this year*

One of the sub-themes of this year’s Public Forum revolves around the
question ‘What do Millennials & Gen Z want to see from global trade?’

The focus on younger generations is an innovation. Trade has long been
considered a complex topic, apt to be discussed only by those with
technical knowledge and expertise. This year’s approach to trade issues
took an empirical turn: Considering the fact that younger generations are
behind some of the key innovations and entrepreneurial advancements in
global trade, the forum seeks to bring their views to the table, in order
to better understand how the trading system can support them.

*3. The interplay between trade and environmental issues takes prominence *

There are more sessions dedicated to environmental issues than in previous
years. This resonates with the broader societal movement that has
galvanised actors around environmental advocacy and action, especially in
the field of climate change.

The #FridaysforFuture initiative – a people’s movement inspired by the call
for school strikes from young activist Greta Thunberg – has become a symbol
of this changing mindset. Although discussions on the impact of trade on
the environment are not new, the interplay has always been controversial.
While market liberalisation brings economic efficiency, it could also erode
environmental protection granted by national legislation.

Since environmental issues have not been chosen as a sub-theme of this
year’s Public Forum, the growth of the topic seems to spontaneously come
from the trade community that volunteered to organise sessions. Amid
polarised views, it will be interesting to see the outcomes of this
discussion.

* Unable to attend the WTO Public Forum, or too many sessions to follow?*

You can follow the updates of the Geneva Internet Platform and
DiploFoundation, our team of rapporteurs will provide just-in-time
reporting from selected WTO Public Forum sessions that relate to e-commerce
and other digital trade-related issues. Bookmark the page:
https://dig.watch/wpf2019

Link to event and reports page
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*Invitation: Trade norms on access to source code*

If you are in Geneva, join us for our WTO Public Forum session, ‘*Trade
norms on access to the source code: What is the impact on trade in services
and development?*’, on Thursday, 10th October, from 10:15 to 11:45 CEST.

Co-organised in partnership with the International Trade Centre (ITC), the
session will discuss the legal and economic arguments advanced in favour of
and against prohibitions on requiring the transfer of or access to the
source code.
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[image: The Geneva Internet Platform's contact e-mail] <gip at diplomacy.edu>

-- 

*______________________________*

*Marília Maciel*

Digital Policy Senior Researcher | DiploFoundation
WMO | 7bis, Avenue de la Paix | 1202 Geneva - Switzerland
MariliaM at diplomacy.edu | @MariliaM
www.diplomacy.edu
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