WTI researcher participates in E15 Initiative briefing at WTO in Geneva

The session aimed at providing an overview of the E15 Initiative launched at Davos, whilst highlighting options immediately relevant to the WTO and the broader global trade and investment system. The other panellists were Richard Samans, managing director and member of the Managing Board of the World Economic Forum; Bernard Hoekman, professor at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies of the European University Institute; Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy; Harsha V. Singh, senior associate for strategic research and policy analysis at the ICTSD; Jaime de Melo, emeritus professor at the University of Geneva and scientific director of the FERDI; and Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz, chief executive of the ICTSD. 

At the core of the E15 Initiative, jointly implemented by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), the World Economic Forum and 16 partnering institutions, are 15 thematic expert groups and three task forces, each comprising leading thinkers from developed and developing countries drawn from different fields and backgrounds.

The entire process has brought together more than 375 leading international experts in over 80 interactive dialogues and has yielded approximately 150 analytical papers. Its deliberations have stimulated a fresh look at the long-term challenges and opportunities facing the global trade and investment system in the 21st century, especially in respect of its efficacy, inclusiveness and contribution to sustainable development.