Public Forum 2023 – It is Time for Action

This year’s Public Forum, entitled “It is Time for Action”, featured 131 sessions from 12 to 15 September. Sessions are organized by WTO member governments, businesses, non-governmental organizations, academia and international organizations.

The 2023 Public Forum explored three subthemes: 

• The role of the services sector in sustainable trade
• Inclusive policies for the advancement of green trade
• Digitalization as a tool for the greening of supply chains

Digital technologies provide new opportunities for developing countries to engage in global markets and grow. Seizing these opportunities, however, raises challenges. Reliable and affordable digital infrastructure, along with a digitally skilled population are crucial for engaging in and benefiting from digital trade. At the WTO Public Forum 2023, many spotlighted the development opportunities provided by digital technologies.

Watch the digital trade for development spotlight video: Digital trade for development:

 

Here below are some of the sessions we selected for you on digital trade for development with the contribution of eTrade for all partners:

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Session 54 – The Digital Boost to Green Innovation

eTrade for all partners: WTO, ITU

Description: This panel brings together leaders from international organizations, the private sector and civil society to discuss approaches to ensuring inclusive sharing of benefits and opportunities of digital technologies while serving the needs of the environment.

 

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Session 57 – Bridging the Digital Divide for Transition to a Greener Economy

eTrade for all partners: WTO, CUTS

Description: This session discusses the benefits of digital transformation, the digital gap that developing countries experience and how the bridging of this gap can help efforts for the transition of developing countries to a greener economy.

Listen to the session recording

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Session 67 – How digitalization can green international trade by reducing the environmental footprint of supply chains

eTrade for all partners: WTO, UNCTAD

Description: This session aims to address the question of making international trade more sustainable, the efficiency and optimisation of supply chains, in particular, the use of digitalisation to reduce the environmental footprint of supply chains.

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Session 68 – Measuring Digital Trade

eTrade for all partners: WTO, UNCTAD

Description: This session introduces the newly released IMF-OECD-UNCTAD-WTO Handbook on Measuring Digital Trade. The Handbook clarifies the definition of digital trade, reviews best data sources, and presents advances by countries in the measurement of digital trade.

Listen to the session recording

Read more about this publication in the previous edition of eTrade for all newsletter: eTrade for all Newsletter | August 2023 (mailchi.mp)

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Session 97 – Harnessing Digitalisation for Greener Supply Chains in LDCs

eTrade for all partners: CUTS, ECE

Description: This session explores the ways in which digital technologies can be leveraged to drive environmental sustainability, enhance efficiency, and foster inclusive sustainable economic development in least-developed countries (LDCs).

Listen to the session recording

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Session 99 – Digital Trade for Development

eTrade for all partners: WTO, World Bank, UNCTAD

Description: The IMF, the OECD, UNCTAD, the World Bank and the WTO have joined forces and leveraged their expertise to prepare a report on digital trade and development. This session discusses some of the findings of the forthcoming report.

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Session 102 – Charting an inclusive path for digitalisation and a green transition for all

eTrade for all partners: ITU

Description: This session discusses the following quesitons: How can digitalization help to achieve the green transition? How can the JSI e-commerce negotiation contribute to closing the digital divide? And how can we enable more African countries to engage in global digital trade rulemaking?

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Session 118 – Environmentally Sustainable E-commerce and Development

eTrade for all partners: UNCTAD, CUTS

Description: Through the sharing of good practices, policy experiences and business solutions, this session demonstrates how countries can advance environmentally sustainable e-commerce that contributes to inclusive economies and serves climate goals.

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Session 129 – Harnessing the Digital Creative Economy in Small Economies- Creating Pathways Towards Services-led Diversification

eTrade for all partners: PIFS, World Bank, UNCTAD

Description: This session explores how innovative technologies, advances in digitalization, and trade policy can nurture and support the creative economy, allowing smaller economies to attract investment and create jobs, kick-starting services-led economic diversification as a sustainable pathway to economic transformation.

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Session 130 – How Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) and trade institutions could leverage digital tools to create sustainable supply chain partnerships’

eTrade for all partners: EIF

Description: This session examines what tools are currently being used and how digital platforms can leverage outreach and support data-driven analysis for more sustainable development, particularly in developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs).

Listen to the session recording