The aim of the discussion forum, which is hosted on the WTO website, is to encourage debate on the topic of the 2013 World Trade Report. In the months leading up to publication of the report in July 2013, short articles on this topic will be posted on the web page. Members of the research and policy community can contribute to this discussion by submitting papers or by commenting on the papers already submitted. Comments are also sought from any individuals with an interest in this topic. All contributions will be taken into consideration by the authors of the World Trade Report 2013.

The report will discuss perspectives on the future of world trade. International trade is the transmission belt that links global production and consumption. This implies that trade is principally driven by the supply potential of countries, the demand for traded goods and services as well as geographical and policy-driven “frictions”, which determine the transmission belt's efficiency. But what factors will determine how these fundamental driving forces of world trade develop over the next decades? And are these developments likely to reinforce, moderate or reverse currently observed trends, such as the increased fragmentation of production, the rising importance of trade in services or the continued growth in trade between developing countries? In other words, to what extent will the volume, composition, geography and nature of trade, as we know it today, change over the coming decades, and why?

More information on the discussion forum can be found here.