30 September 2016: Participants at the 15th World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum discussed how WTO rules can help ensure that everyone, including innovative businesses, small enterprises and women, benefits from the global trading system. The 2016 Forum focused on the theme ‘Inclusive Trade.’Over 2,000 participants gathered in over 100 sessions at the Public Forum, which took place from 27-29 September 2016, at WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
On women’s participation in international trade, discussions addressed how to overcome constraints that prevent women from benefiting from trade, observing that women often lack financial or technical capacity to engage in trade, or lack confidence and land title rights, and that patriarchal cultural practices also hinder women from participating in trade. Participants identified capacity building, financing, peer mentoring, networking and government policies, such as quotas, as essential for women to take advantage of trade opportunities. Participants also: recognized that trade can only be considered truly inclusive if women around the world are empowered to participate; called for overcoming stereotypes that prevent women from entering particular sectors; and recommended promoting positive role models, including by connecting buyers with women-owned enterprises worldwide. Panels underscored women’s contributions towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly on gender equality, education, decent work and economic growth.
On the relationship between trade and innovation, the Forum focused on how the trading system can support innovation. Participants discussed how trade can help countries innovate and how innovation can enhance developing countries’ trading capacity and drive development. Participants also highlighted: the importance of addressing infrastructure and skills gaps to help small enterprises; regulatory trade barriers; and lack of access to finance, secure payment solutions and broadband infrastructure as challenges, particularly for young entrepreneurs. The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) highlighted its e-Trade for All Initiative.
UNCTAD launched the UN Forum on Sustainability Standards’ (UNFSS) second flagship report, titled ‘Voluntary Sustainability Standards,’ which finds that over 60% of respondents in a 60-country survey are willing to pay a premium for sustainable brands. Speaking at the launch, Joakim Reiter, UNCTAD, highlighted the growth in VSS, from the Rainforest Alliance to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), but reflected that the number of schemes and their complexity can overwhelm exporters in developing countries, acting as a barrier to market entry. He urged governments to work harder to utilize VSS to accelerate the SDGs, particularly SDG 12 (Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns) and SDG 15 (Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss).
WTO and Cambridge University Press launched ‘African Perspectives on Trade and the WTO,’ which analyzes how enhanced participation in the multilateral trading system could help Africa achieve further growth and overcome challenges related to economic diversification, governance and integration into global value chains. At the launch event, speakers called for aligning trade with African regional priorities, highlighted the private sector’s role in leveraging investment, shared national experiences and recommended structural reforms to support the continent’s economic transition.
WTO also launched the 2016 World Trade Report, a Spanish translation of WTO law, a book on how regional trade agreements affect WTO rules. [WTO Press Release on Women] [WTO Press Release on Digital Economy] [WTO Press Release on Trade in Africa] [WTO Public Forum News] [UNCTAD Blog Article] [Voluntary Sustainable Standards Report]