Re-globalization: Better Trade for a Better World

The 2024 Public Forum will explore how re-globalization can help make trade more inclusive and ensure that its benefits reach more people.

Since the WTO's inception in 1995, global trade has rapidly expanded and become more and more interconnected. Helping to lift 1.5 billion people out of extreme poverty, the multilateral trading system has transformed countless lives and unlocked a range of opportunities. Businesses of all sizes can access new markets, powered by the latest technologies and ideas. New, high-paying jobs are being created that are energising the global workforce of tomorrow. Meanwhile, consumers have access to a vast array of products and services that bring us closer together every day. 

At the same time, global income inequality remains a significant challenge despite a slight reduction over the last 20 years. While trade has grown significantly in absolute terms, its benefits are not always being shared equally. Underserved communities, including women, continue to be unfairly marginalised from the global economy. For Least Developed Countries (LDCs), their share of global trade has hardly increased in the past three decades, while the digital divide is widening. There is a growing belief that something needs to change, but how? 

With the global economy at an inflection point, we must seize the opportunity to re-globalize trade on more inclusive lines. With supply chains being re-organised, we have the opportunity to integrate new actors into the international trading system and build resilience. Incorporating inclusive polices into the WTO rulebook could also foster greater peace and prosperity and empower marginalised communities. Meanwhile, a progressive and responsive multilateral trading system can also promote positive environmental outcomes and ensure a just transition.

Let's come together to debate how re-globalization can deliver Better Trade for a Better World.

About Public Forum:

This year's Public Forum theme is entitled, ‘Re-globalization: Better Trade for a Better World’.

The sub-themes of the Forum are:

• Green policies to maximise the benefits of trade
• Services trade to build progress and enhance welfare
• Digitalisation as a catalyst for inclusive trade

Background

The Public Forum is the WTO’s largest outreach event, providing a unique platform for interested stakeholders from around the world to discuss the latest developments in global trade and to propose ways of enhancing the multilateral trading system. The event attracts over 2,000 representatives each year from civil society, academia, business, government, international organisations and the media.