Public Forum 2019 — “Trading Forward: Adapting to a Changing World”

The trading landscape is increasingly characterized by changes in technology, production methods, employment patterns, demand patterns, demographics, and climate – to name a few. Last year’s WTO Public Forum considered some of the changes influencing the trading system and how global trade would evolve over the coming decades.

This year’s Public Forum theme is ‘Trading Forward: Adapting to a Changing World’. The sub-themes will be:

• services — the next trade frontier;
• the next generation — what do Millennials & Gen Z want to see from global trade; and
• the next chapter of the WTO — strengthening the trading system.

Technology has been a major driver of economic advances – making production easier, more efficient, cheaper and making services more tradeable. Production methods and processes have evolved due to factors such as automation and consumer expectations. Services have become the fastest growing segment of output, employment and trade and have rendered manufacturing activities and value chains more efficient. Employment patterns are shifting – with growth in skilled work outpacing that of unskilled work, the labor market becoming more flexible and the informal sector still representing a major part of developing economies. Environmental considerations have a bearing on all these factors and to a large extent are shaping most decisions from investment decisions to consumer choices.

With these and other factors transforming the trading landscape – how can countries, businesses and traders around the world best prepare and adapt? How can they ensure that the opportunities presented by technological advances benefit all sectors of the economy and at the same time address the challenges that come with such advances?

While the changes shaping the trading landscape offer opportunities and potential for growth, they also present challenges. How can the WTO respond to a world that is changing at such a rapid pace?

The Forum will bring together representatives of governments, private sector, civil society, academics and students to debate these issues and consider how the trading system can adapt to these changes and remain relevant.

VENUE:

Geneva, Switzerland
8-11 October 2019

Original source: WTO
Published on 07 May 2019