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Add to Preferred Sources📅 28 – 30 September 2021
Virtual
The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented health crisis with far-reaching socio-economic effects. It has increased poverty and deepened inequality across the world – with women, youth, and children the most affected. According to the ILO, global employment losses stood at 114 million jobs relative to 2019, with the highest number of losses affecting women (5% decline) and young workers (8.7%). Job losses and subsequent loss in income have had far-reaching consequences, including increased stress and mental illness, greater domestic violence, and fewer children going to school.
The World Bank estimates that the pandemic will push as many as 163 million people into poverty by this year, threatening progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Forum’s subthemes are “Enhancing resilience beyond COVID-19”, “Strengthening the multilateral trading system” and “Collective action towards sustainable trade”.
In light of the uncertainties and restrictions related to COVID-19, the WTO will continue to monitor the situation to determine whether the Forum will be held virtually or in hybrid mode.
The Public Forum is the WTO’s largest annual outreach event. It provides a unique platform for heads of state, parliamentarians, leading global business people, students, academics, and non-governmental organizations to come together and debate on a wide range of WTO issues and on some of the major trade and development topics of the day. Over 1,500 participants attend the Forum each year.