The Public Forum is the WTO’s largest annual outreach event, which provides a platform for participants to discuss the latest developments in world trade and to propose ways of enhancing the multilateral trading system.
This year’s Public Forum marked the 20th anniversary of the WTO. With the theme “Trade Works”, the Forum was an opportunity to discuss and assess the contribution that 20 years of global cooperation in the WTO has made to the strength and stability of the world economy. It focused on how trade works through the multilateral system to boost growth, lift people out of poverty, increase access to goods and medicines, and promote peaceful, mutually-beneficial relationships between nations. Looking forward to the next 20 years, the forum looked at those areas where trade can work better and where the WTO can do more.