ITC celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ contributions to trade at WTO Public Forum 2024

This year the International Trade Centre (ITC) is celebrating six decades of working with developing countries to transform their economies through trade. During the WTO Public Forum 2024, held between 10-13 September, ITC will partner with the World Trade Organization and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to host an immersive exhibition space on Indigenous Peoples’ unique contributions to trade, through traditional cultural expressions and fashion.

Visit the exhibition to enjoy live demonstrations of weaving from Burkina Faso and ceramics from Brazil, kava tasting from Vanuatu, and displays of handmade products from across the world. Meet internationally acclaimed Māori designers and try your hand at weaving on a traditional loom before taking a virtual reality trip to explore the role of intellectual property in protecting traditional knowledge.

Ahead of the opening of the experience space, ITC and WIPO will host the accompanying Public Forum session ‘Towards Ethical and Inclusive Trade:  A Focus on Indigenous Peoples, Traditional Cultural Expressions and Fashion’ (10 September, 9:00-10:15).  Other sessions hosted or co-hosted by ITC include: ‘Women Exporters in the Digital Economy’ (11 September, 13:30-14:45), ‘Digital Transformation: Empowering women entrepreneurs in government procurement’ (12 September, 9:00-10:15), ‘Trade for Stability: Leveraging Private Sector Innovation with ITC's Conflict Sensitivity Methodology’ and ‘The Key to IFD: Maximizing Benefits for Developing and LDC Countries’ (both 13 September, 9:00-10:15).

Register for the WTO Public Forum here by 23 August.