Event

ITC @ 13th WTO Ministerial Conference

United Arab Emirates

Overview

The World Trade Organization's 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates brings together Ministers from across the world to review the functioning of the multilateral trading system and to take action on the future work of the WTO.

The International Trade Centre (ITC) supports MC13 with contributions to discussions and practical solutions for a more inclusive trading system. ITC activities include the WTO-ITC SheTrades Summit featuring the launch of the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund. ITC will also contribute to the IISD Trade and Sustainability Hub, the TradeTech Forum 2024, the UAE MC13 MSME side event, as well as discussions on trade facilitation and WTO accession.

Programme

Saturday, 24 February – Sunday, 25 February

WTO-ITC High-Level Event on Women and Trade

WTO-ITC SheTrades Summit

Link to event information

The two-day event for women entrepreneurs and other changemakers, featuring high-level discussions and new initiatives.

Panels: Women reshaping global trade, trailblazing a green and digital transition, building inclusive supply chains, gender-sensitive trade facilitation

Campaign launch: Gender-responsive public procurement

Innovation Festival: Competition for young women entrepreneurs, with numerous public and private sector sponsors

Masterclasses: green, digital trade, intellectual property

Partnership initiatives: UPS Foundation, FCDO and Unilever, Maersk

Launch: SheTrades Hub, Middle East and North Africa

New reports: Compendium on women in finance, data on women in trade

Saturday, 24 February

12th China Round Table on WTO Accessions

What's next? Translating into Policy Action and Technical Assistance/Capacity building support

Devika Rajeev

Associate Programme Officer, Trade Policy Trade Facilitation and Policy for Business, ITC

Sunday, 25 February

Arab Countries Trade and Investment Organizations Network (ACTION) meeting

The establishment of ACTION under the Aid for Trade Initiative for the Arab States (AfTIAS) Program marked a pivotal step towards fostering Arab regional integration. ACTION emerged from the collective ambition of Arab nations to enhance their trade and investment landscape, driven by a mutual commitment to prosperity and interconnectedness within the region. One of the goals of this meeting in the margins of MC13 is to develop a roadmap for the network.

Monday, 26 February

Role of Agritech in Contributing to Sustainability and Food Security

Many emerging economies, in particular the least advanced ones, face challenges in ensuring food security and that have been made worse by climate change, covid and, more recently, shortages and price hikes in inputs related to supply chain disruptions. By leveraging digital technologies applied to agricultural production and distribution, known as agritech, countries can unlock opportunities to transform their agro-food sector and contribute to development.

H.E. Geoffrey van Leeuwen

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation

Pamela Coke-Hamilton

Executive Director, International Trade Centre

Dr. Sjaak Wolfert

Theme Ambassador Digital Innovation in Agri-Food, Wageningen University & Research (WUR)

Stella Lugalambi

Director Business, Hamwe East Africa

Tuesday, 27 February

IISD Trade and Sustainability Hub 2024 Opening Session

Link to event information

Can We Find Our Way Back to Cooperation? What to expect – and not expect – of MC13

The ITC Executive Director is part of this scene-setting plenary.

For participation in this and other IISD Trade and Sustainability Hub 2024 sessions hosted by ITC and partners in person at the Pearl Rotana Hotel Abu Dhabi or online, please register here: https://iisd.swoogo.com/trade-and-sustainability-hub-2024

Ms. Pamela Coke-Hamilton

Executive Director, International Trade Centre (ITC)

Helene Budliger Artieda

State Secretary, SECO

Nathalie Bernasconi

Senior Director, Economic Law and Policy, IISD

Seruwagi Jane Nalunga

Executive Director, Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) Uganda

TradeTech Forum 2024 panel: How do we boost the TradeTech ecosystem?

Join the ITC Executive Director and global business leaders for the World Economic Forum’s inaugural event.

IISD Trade and Sustainability Hub 2024: Delivering Deforestation-free Global Value Chains: How do we allocate the burden of change?

Link to event information

Delivering Deforestation-free Global Value Chains: How do we allocate the burden of change?

Hosted by ITC, UNEP and WRI – ADNEC, Room B

Mathieu Lamolle

Senior Advisor Sustainability Standards, ITC

Fred Stolle

Deputy Director, World Resources Institute

Peter Andreas Nielsen

Impact Investment Manager, Common Fund for Commodities

TradeTech Forum 2024 - ITC Roundtable on Enabling MSME trade through technology and innovation

IISD Trade and Sustainability Hub 2024: Making Use of the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement to Attract Sustainable and Inclusive FDI

Link to event information

Making Use of the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement to Attract Sustainable and Inclusive FDI

Hosted by ITC, World Economic Forum and the Permanent Mission of Chile to the WTO – Pearl Rotana Hotel Abu Dhabi, Room C

Axel Berger

Deputy Director, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)

Maria Sonsoles Garcia Leon

Minister of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments and Fisheries, Ecuador

Sofia Boza

Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Chile to the WTO

Wednesday, 28 February

SME MC13 Side event: Fireside chat with the ITC Executive Director

Hosted by the Government of the United Arab Emirates at ADNEC

IISD Trade and Sustainability Hub 2024: Building Inclusive Policies for Sustainable and Fair Trade: A forum for action and commitment

Link to event information

Escipión Oliveira Gómez

Director, Division of Enterprise Competitiveness and Institutions, ITC

Sophie Aujean

Director of Global Advocacy, Fairtrade International

SME MC13 Side event: Inclusion, Equity & Diversity

Workshop with Raimund Moser, Chief, Women, Youth and Vulnerable Communities, ITC

WTO-ITC High-Level Event on Women and Trade

At the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13), the journey towards an inclusive trading system accelerates. WTO and ITC, in collaboration with the Government of the UAE, will hold a two-day high-level event to celebrate the progress made by women entrepreneurs in international trade and inspire governments and private sector to take bolder actions in their support for the trade and women’s economic empowerment agenda.

WTO and ITC will convene governments, corporations, financial institutions, and thought leaders for a joint high-level event. The high-level event will witness the launch of the WTO-ITC Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund—a pioneering initiative that aims to leverage digitalization to boost the competitiveness of and unlock new markets for women-led businesses. The event also includes a series of thought-provoking panel sessions, networking opportunities, and the ITC SheTrades Innovation Festival.

Some key programme events:

24 February

Fireside Conversation - 10:30-12:45 (Panel session)
Masterclass 1 - Elevate Your Competitive Edge with Sustainability
Masterclass 2 - Enhancing Market Opportunities through New Technologies
Masterclass 3 - Leveraging Intellectual Property Right for Global Competitiveness

25 February

Industry Visits to Masdar City
Joint WTO-ITC High Level Event on the Launch of the WEAF: Welcome Remarks and Opening Ceremony
Launch of the WTO-ITC Women Exporters Accelerator Fund - 14:30-15:00
From Barriers to Breakthroughs: Narrowing the gender-financing gap - 15:00-15:30 (Panel session)
Trade Policy and Public Procurement Policy: Zooming on Women’s Economic Empowerment - 15:30-16:00 (Panel session)
SheTrades Innovation Festival - 16:00-17:30

For more details, please follow the link below.

WTO-ITC High-Level Event on Women and Trade