A truck laden with produce from a record harvest idles in a queue beneath the searing sun, waiting to cross a border to feed the population of a country where this year, the rains did not come.

An entrepreneur with a lucrative new idea considers giving up on her dream, frustrated at being unable to attract the foreign capital she needs to take her business to the next level.

A factory manager frets, wondering if export restrictions in his supplier’s countries will mean his production line grinds to a halt, unable to produce the critical life-saving equipment his clients need.

Each of these stories repeats itself, in a million variations all over the world. Sometimes, the ending is a positive one. A border process quickly navigated, investors secured and inputs obtained. At other times, the story is tragic. The ending, as often as not, is driven by trade policy.

2020 has demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt the impact of trade on issues as diverse as health, the environment, equality and even weather forecasting. In this high level plenary session, representatives from very different worlds, all touched by trade, discuss:

• How to improve the dialogue, cooperation, and understanding between trade policy and their respective fields?
• Where should lines be drawn on what is and is not a trade issue?
• How can we build trust across silos and communities when it comes to trade?
• What are the coming challenges trade will be needed to meet, and is existing governance up to the task?

This session will be simultaneously translated into French, Spanish and English (when needed) via the Interactio application, by entering the code GTW2020 (please use headphones). Open the application in your Web browser or download it for iOS Mobile App or for Android App.