On 01 September 2026, the World Trade Organization (WTO) announced that this year’s Public Forum, entitled Powering the Future, would feature 113 sessions – with a focus on trade in services – from 15 to 17 September 2026. Sessions are organised by WTO member governments, businesses, non-governmental organisations, academia and international organisations, with many sessions livestreamed on the WTO website.
The 2026 Public Forum will examine the role of services as an engine of development, source of income and driver of job creation and empowerment worldwide, particularly for women and young people.
The forum will kick off with a high-level panel focusing on what will shape the trading system of the future, jointly organised by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). It will be followed by the launch of the WTO’s World Trade Report, which examines why the multilateral trading system stands at a critical juncture and why the WTO’s founding logic remains essential.
Other high-level panel discussions on day one will cover the importance of rules-based services trade from a private-sector perspective and the role of digital services as an enabler of growth. The opening day will conclude with a discussion on the role of trade within a new world order, led by the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE).
Days two and three of the forum will feature more than 100 sessions covering the full spectrum of issues affecting services trade and broader macroeconomic topics. Innovative features include the Trade Policy Hub, which brings together researchers and policymakers, and the WTO Chairs Programme (WCP) Research Hub. For the first time, the forum will host a series of “Curated Conversations,” organised in partnership with the Geneva Trade Platform, to create opportunities for candid policy exchanges on key topics important to the international trade community. Other features include “Meet the Author” presentations, podcast sessions and networking receptions, which allow participants to engage in informal discussions on trade policy.
The full programme is accessible at:
https://www.wto.org/english/forums_e/public_forum26_e/pf26_programme_grid_e.htm
The forum is an in-person event held at the WTO’s headquarters in Geneva. For those unable to attend, many sessions will be livestreamed on the WTO website. Please note that registration is now closed and no further registrations are permitted.