Call for Participants: Curated Conversation on the Role of Secretariats in International Organisations at the WTO Public Forum, Geneva Trade Week 2026 [Sept 16, Geneva]
University of Geneva (Prof. Gabrielle Marceau), within Geneva Trade Week 2026 run by the Geneva Trade Platform.About the session
On 16 September 2026, a Curated Conversation titled “The Role of the Secretariats in International Organisations’ Activities” will be held inside the World Trade Organization as part of the WTO Public Forum 2026. The Geneva Trade Platform’s official listing records the session as organised by the University of Geneva (Prof. Gabrielle Marceau), running from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm CEST in Room Y on Day 3 of Geneva Trade Week.
The convenors have put out an open call for participants and are inviting people from a range of backgrounds to write in and ask for a place. This is not a general-admission panel: it is a one-hour, closed-door, off-the-record roundtable, and the convenors decide who sits at the table.
What Geneva Trade Week and the Curated Conversations series are
Geneva Trade Week runs from 14 to 17 September 2026 and is organised by the Geneva Trade Platform, which is based within the Geneva Graduate Institute. For 2026 the Platform is a formal partner of the WTO Public Forum and is in charge of the Curated Conversations series — 48 closed-door, invitation-only roundtable discussions held in the rooms off the WTO’s Salon des Pas Perdus on 16 and 17 September.
- Curated Conversations are described by the organisers as off-the-record participatory discussions among specifically invited guests.
- Participation is at the discretion of each individual session organiser, and their contact details are published alongside the agenda.
- The Platform has confirmed that hybrid and virtual participation is not possible for any Curated Conversation, for reasons of candour and for technical reasons.
- The call for session proposals closed on 30 June 2026; what is still open is the individual convenors’ search for participants.
Theme and what the discussion will cover
The convenors state that the problem the session aims to address is the ongoing challenges that the secretariats of international organisations face, including funding problems, the curtailing of their responsibilities, and increasing discredit.
- Brainstorming ways to reassert the value of IO secretariats.
- Offering concrete examples of situations in which secretariat action has proven essential for members.
- Discussing what could be improved in how secretariats work.
At the end of the session, and under the Chatham House Rule, the convening team will draft a summary capturing the key ideas, which will then be shared online.
Who can ask to take part
The call is addressed to participants from various backgrounds, and the convenors specifically name:
- Former members of the secretariats of international organisations.
- Government officials.
- Academics.
- Students.
No nationality, bar membership or institutional affiliation restriction is stated, so applicants from India are not excluded. What the format does require in practice is physical presence at the WTO in Geneva on 16 September 2026, since there is no remote option.
How to ask for a place
Applications are by email only. Write to all three convenors — gabriellezoemarceau@gmail.com, ana.balcazar@graduateinstitute.ch and andre-philippe.ouellet@graduateinstitute.ch — before 10 August 2026.
- Explain your background in a few lines.
- Set out the idea you would like to bring forward in the discussion.
The Geneva Trade Platform’s own session page directs anyone wanting more information about the session or asking about attendance to contact the session organisers directly at gabriellezoemarceau@gmail.com. Since the window is short, write in as soon as you can rather than on the closing day.
WTO Public Forum registration is separate and mandatory
An invitation to a Curated Conversation does not get you into the WTO. The Geneva Trade Platform states plainly that registration for a Curated Conversations session does not constitute registration for the WTO Public Forum, and that you need both to participate.
- The WTO Public Forum 2026, themed Powering the Future and focused on services trade, runs from 15 to 17 September 2026 at the WTO premises in Geneva.
- Registration is mandatory for all participants who do not already hold a valid pass granting access to the WTO premises for those dates.
- The WTO requires online registration to be completed by 21 August 2026 (23:59 CET), and states that late registrations will not be accepted.
Fee, travel and format
No participation fee is stated for the Curated Conversation, and the WTO states no fee for Public Forum registration. Travel to Geneva, visa arrangements and accommodation are not covered by the organisers and would be at the participant’s own cost.
The session is in person only and lasts one hour. There is no certificate, no stipend and no travel grant mentioned anywhere in the official material, and no hybrid stream will be offered.
Contact and queries
For anything about this specific session, including whether a place is still available, contact the convening team directly at gabriellezoemarceau@gmail.com, ana.balcazar@graduateinstitute.ch and andre-philippe.ouellet@graduateinstitute.ch.
For questions about Geneva Trade Week as a whole, the Curated Conversations series or the wider schedule, the Geneva Trade Platform can be reached at info@genevatradeplatform.org.