This year’s Public Forum will provide an opportunity for participants to go beyond the anti-trade rhetoric and examine the realities of trade – the opportunities it offers and the challenges it can bring. It will provide a platform to discuss how trade and the WTO can contribute to attaining  the Sustainable Development Goals, how the benefits of trade can be shared more widely among countries, businesses and individuals and how best to tackle the challenges of the changing trade landscape. Further information on this year’s theme is available here.

All sessions at the Public Forum are organised by 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 application form contained in the note should be completed and sent to [email protected] no later than 4 June 2017.

Background

The Public Forum is the WTO’s largest annual outreach event. It provides a unique platform for heads of states, 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. See more information on previous Public Forums.