This year’s World Trade Organization Public Forum which held on October 1, 2021, observed the effects of the pandemic on trade and how the multilateral trading system can help build resilience to COVID-19 and future crises. The forum is the WTO’s largest annual outreach event, providing a unique platform for heads of states, parliamentarians, businesspeople, students, academics and civil society to come together and debate a wide range of trade and development topics.

Dr. Chukwuka Onyekwena participated in the working session titled “Building productive capacities in LLDCs in a post-COVID world”, which explored the impact of the pandemic on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and their development prospects, and the policies and measures required to build resilience.

The session provided a platform for panelists to address and provide policy recommendations on the role of export diversification and structural transformation in achieving inclusive growth and building resilience.