Building on ICTSD’s twenty-year history of encouraging innovative thinking on trade and sustainable development issues at WTO Ministerial Conferences, this year’s Trade and Development Symposium (TDS) will act as a crucial platform for intellectual enquiry and dialogue on the future of the multilateral trading system.
From ad-hoc civil society meetings in Singapore (1996), Geneva (1998), Seattle (1999), and Doha (2001), to the more formalised multi-stakeholder gatherings seen since Cancun (2003), the Trade and Development Symposium has emerged as the most important venue for sharing ideas, engaging in dialogue, and influencing trade policy negotiations.
This year’s TDS – organised by ICTSD in partnership with the University of Nairobi and the Saana Institute, with the support of the Republic of Kenya – will bring together the widest range of stakeholders yet. Global thought leaders, key private sector actors, active civil society groups, as well as high-level governmental and intergovernmental organisation representatives will all be represented.
As many as 40 partner organisations will be hosting sessions on a range of pressing issues on the trade and sustainable development agenda, including the rise of Africa, climate and energy issues, food security, natural resources, and emerging governance.
TDS attendees can expect to benefit from unparalleled access to the world’s most active thought leaders and institutions influencing policy at the trade and sustainable development nexus.
Moreover, an array of networking opportunities – information breakfasts, lunch sessions, cocktail receptions, and special dinners – will have an even stronger presence at this year’s Symposium.