For those passionate about inclusivity in business, last week’s WTO Public Forum was hard to miss. 4400 people gathered in Geneva, Switzerland to attend the 138 sessions organised by the WTO. This year’s was particularly significant for those working to make entrepreneurship more accessible, as one of the conference’s sub-themes was ‘Digitalisation as a catalyst for inclusive trade’.
Each day, participants heard from renowned experts in the field about the benefits of inclusive trade on topics such as empowering women entrepreneurs, inclusive trade for people with disabilities, migrant remittances and digital entrepreneurship, among others.
Participants also witnessed the launch of the World Trade Report 2024, which focuses on trade and inclusiveness. While acknowledging that not many WTO agreements explicitly address aspects of inclusiveness, the report remains optimistic that discussions on inclusiveness are becoming more frequent and relevant, and the Public Forum is a good example of this. The report also calls for policy change to promote broader access to entrepreneurship for all:
“A more inclusive economy requires policies that reduce the barriers and obstacles that currently prevent marginalized individuals […] from participating fully in and benefitting from global markets.”
At The New European, we believe that to be competitive, we must be inclusive. That is why we wholeheartedly celebrate the WTO’s willingness to move towards more inclusive and sustainable trade.
