Call for Papers: India-Peru Joint WTO Chairs Programme Academic Research Conference on 'Beyond the Text: Re-Imagining International Trade through a Gendered Lens', CNLU Patna [15-16 December 2026]

Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), Patna, Bihar and the Centre for Trade and Investment Law (CTIL), Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, under the aegis of the WTO Chairs Programme — Chairs of India and Peru in collaboration, jointly invite paper submissions for an International Academic Research Conference titled 'Beyond The Text: Re-Imagining International Trade through a Gendered Lens', to be held on 15-16 December 2026 at CNLU, Patna, Bihar, India.

The conference seeks to foster dialogue and encourage scholarly contributions on the overarching question: is international trade truly gender-neutral merely because its rules are framed in gender-neutral terms? Or does the apparent neutrality of trade law conceal differentiated realities, opportunities and burdens across gendered and intersecting social contexts? The conference has been set up in this context and endeavours to encourage discussions on reimagining trade rules through a gendered lens.

Chanakya National Law University, Patna (Host Organiser): In the State of Bihar, where the seeds of the earliest republic were sown and the crop of democracy cultivated, a need was felt by the government for a university that would provide quality legal education, raise national legal standards to a competitive international level and promote legal awareness in the community, leading to the realisation of goals embodied in the Constitution of India. CNLU came into being at Patna on 15 July 2006. It has established a dedicated Centre for Research in International Trade and Investment Laws.

Centre for Trade and Investment Law (CTIL), IIFT: CTIL is housed at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, and hosts the India Chair of the WTO Chairs Programme.

WTO Chairs Programme (WCP): The WTO Chairs Programme enhances knowledge and understanding of the multilateral trading system among academics, policymakers and other stakeholders by supporting trade-related research, curriculum development and outreach activities at academic institutions in developing and least developed WTO members and observers.

• Critically examine the intersections of gender in international trade law and policy.
• Encourage and highlight best practices and innovations that inform inclusion in international trade rules and policy making at the domestic level.
• Create a platform for meaningful dialogue between academics, practitioners, policy makers and institutions for integrating gender equality in global value chains and for capacitating domestic policy spaces for inclusive trade policy making.

Original, unpublished research papers are welcome from students, academics, policy makers and researchers addressing issues including but not limited to:

• FAIL (Feminist Approaches to International Law) approach to theoretical/praxis-related international trade law
• Fourth World Approaches to International Trade Law
• Indigenous women as stewards of sustainable economies
• Disability, inclusion and international trade
• Gender dispositions in bilateral or plurilateral trade agreements and their impact on gender equality in international trade
• Intersectionality and international trade
• Gender inclusive trade facilitation policy making
• Mainstreaming gender in trade agreements and domestic policies
• Women's access to trade finance and credit
• Women representation as negotiators in trade agreements
• Digital trade and gender equality
• Barriers to women's participation in global value chains
• Regional approaches and best practices on gender in international trade
• Gender-inclusive Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in investment policies
• Women-led enterprises' access to electronic commerce, technology and artificial intelligence
• Unpaid care burden and access to resources in international trade

Participation in the conference is open to students (undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral), academics, policy makers, think tank professionals, practitioners and institutional representatives.

In the spirit of encouraging a meaningful interactive exchange between participants and experts, this conference requires in-person participation. However, in exceptional circumstances, online participation may be allowed by the Conference Directors on a case-to-case basis.

• Abstracts must be submitted by email only to tradegender@cnlu.ac.in, clearly outlining the title of the paper, research problem, relevance, methodology and argument.
• Use the subject line: WCP2026 Patna: Abstract Submission.
• The abstract should be 350-500 words.
• The abstract must be accompanied by a mini-bio of all authors with their current institutional affiliations (maximum 150 words per author).
• Submissions may be co-authored up to a maximum of two authors.
• Submissions will be assessed on originality, relevance, scholarly quality and the potential to contribute to discussions at the conference.
• Papers with explicit AI generated content will not be considered for the publication opportunity.
• Full papers should be within a word limit of 6,000-8,000 words, excluding references and footnotes. Details on formatting requirements, citation style and structure will be communicated to authors upon acceptance of their abstract.

Selected papers will be considered for publication in a Special Issue of the CNLU Journal of International Trade and Investment Law, a flagship peer-reviewed and refereed journal of CNLU Patna published by Thomson Reuters; or in an edited volume published by a reputed international publisher.

• On acceptance of the abstract, registration must be completed by the author/authors. Details will be shared in the abstract acceptance email.
• For Indian nationals, the registration fee is Rs 3,000. This is an individual fee payable by an author upon acceptance of the abstract. Where a paper is authored by more than one author, each author is required to pay the registration fee.
• For overseas/foreign participants, the registration fee is waived.
• The registration fee does not include accommodation. It covers the registration kit, reading material, lunch, refreshments and access to all conference sessions across both days.
• Where a participant seeks the host institution's support for accommodation, the host institution will facilitate lodging in a suitable accommodation or hotel in Patna. The host institution will also publish a 'Logistics Note' guiding participants on good hotel accommodation available in the city.

Email your abstract of 350-500 words, together with a mini-bio of every author (maximum 150 words each) stating current institutional affiliations, to tradegender@cnlu.ac.in using the subject line WCP2026 Patna: Abstract Submission, on or before 5 October 2026, 11.59 PM IST.

Acceptances will be notified by 10 October 2026, after which registration must be completed by 18 October 2026 and the full paper submitted by 5 December 2026.