Speakers at the conference included Advisory Board members Marcelo Olarreaga (Professor of Economics, University of Geneva) and Lionel Fontagne (Director of the Centre d’Economie de la Sorbonne, Professor of Economics).

Marcelo Olarreaga participated in a session that discussed the value of a rules-based system of international cooperation. The panelists said that international cooperation could be achieved by greater certainty and transparency as well as through market access. Furthermore, commitments to the multilateral trading system would result in greater welfare and stronger growth.

Lionel Fontagne participated in a session on 'the design of trade agreements: rationale and policy reality check'. The session discussed the economic rationale for reciprocity and non-discrimination as well as special and differential treatment. Mr Fontagne said that on a macro level trade is marked by the intensity of bilateral relationships between trading countries and the dynamic shift towards Asia. On a micro level, he highlighted market power and trade tensions due to the massive redistribution of market shares since the creation of the WTO. He also provided some recommendations for reform and how rules can address these two perspectives.