Overview

This Curated Conversation, co-convened by the TASC Platform and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, brought together experts and delegates working on trade, labour, digital and environmental issues for an informal exchange under Chatham House Rule.

Building on the Trade and Labour Programme, undertaken by the TASC Platform and the World Economic Forum, the session focused on new dynamics at the intersection of trade and labour, asking what critical issues need to be addressed in collaboration. Most importantly, it sought to strengthen relationships and identify opportunities for alignment and cooperation between ILO, WTO and the broader trade and labour communities.

Agenda

Welcome

·         Kitrhona Cerri, Executive Director, TASC Platform, Geneva Graduate Institute  

·         Andreas Oeschger, Policy Advisor, SECO International Labour Affairs

·         Aditi Verghese, Head of Trade Governance and Policy, World Economic Forum  

Opening

·         Matthew Wilson, Ambassador to Austria, Italy and Switzerland, and Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations, WTO and other International Organizations in Geneva

Curated Conversation

Moderated by:

·         Richard Samans, Senior Fellow, Geneva Graduate Institute

With conversation-starters from:

·         Marva Corley-Coulibaly, Chief of the Globalization, Competitiveness and Labour Standards Unit, ILO

·         Desirée Leclercq, Associate Professor, Faculty Co-Director, Dean Rusk International Law Center, Georgia University School of Law

·         Maria Mexi, Senior Advisor, Labour and Social Policy, TASC Platform, Geneva Graduate Institute

·         Charlotte Sieber-Gasser, Senior Researcher in International Law, Geneva Graduate Institute