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- By Native News Online Staff
Two national Native American organizations, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (The Natioanl Center) are in Geneva, Sweitzerland this week to join forces with the World Economic Forum and to host a World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum ‘22 session on international trade and Indigenous peoples.
The public forum has the theme: “Towards a Sustainable and Inclusive Recovery: Ambition to Action.” The forum runs from Sept. 27 - 30, 2022 and will address how trade can contribute to post-pandemic economic recovery, in particular how trade rules government policies can be strengthened and improved to create a more sustainable, inclusive trading system.
“As sovereign nations, Tribal Nations in the United States retain the right to establish and carry-on trade relations with foreign countries, and I am excited about this event,” NCAI President Fawn Sharp said. “This is my first opportunity to engage with the global business community at this level, but it is a long time in coming. The sessions will address critical issues such as digital platforms, food security, sustainable trade, production of products, gender equality and trends in carbon border adjustment mechanisms."
NCAI and The National Center will participate in a forum session titled, “Framing the Future: Inclusive Trade and Indigenous Peoples,” will focus on business challenges that indigenous peoples face while discussing sustainable, inclusive policy development, indigenous-led multi-stakeholder strategies, and implementation plans to improve outcomes.
Other keynote speakers at the session will include moderator Chris James, President/CEO of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development; Marcia Banda, Head of the Inclusive Trade Department, Undersecretariat for International Economic Affairs of Chile; Hone McGregor, Board Member of TeTamata; and Carrie Stoddart-Smith, Founder and Principal of OpinioNative.
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