Event Recap: Silverado Hosts Panel Discussion at WTO Public Forum 2026

Recap | WTO Public Forum 2026

Panel: What is the role of the WTO?

At the 2026 WTO Public Forum, Silverado Policy Accelerator convened a panel on the evolving role of the World Trade Organization more than thirty years after its founding and what has to change for it to stay useful.

Maureen Hinman, Silverado's Co-Founder and Executive Chair, was joined by:

• Ambassador Joseph Barloon, Deputy United States Trade Representative (USTR) and Chief of Mission to the WTO
• Ambassador Maria Martín-Prat, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the European Union to the WTO
• Ambassador Dr. Senthil Pandian C., Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the WTO
• Dereck Chapman, Director of Trade Policy, Micron.

Key takeaways from the discussion

• There definitely is a role for the WTO. Critical functions include monitoring Members’ trade policies through transparency and in accordance with existing notification obligations and rules. New rules should be developed to account for geopolitical developments and rapid technological change.
• More can and must be done within and outside the WTO to correct global trade imbalances and the creation of unsustainable dependencies that harm Members’ economic security.
• Plurilateral agreements are a vehicle for willing and able Members to drive flexibility on key sectors and issues..

Panelists' views differed at times on dispute settlement and on how the WTO's foundational principles may be reformed. Panelists agreed reform should be Member-driven and that the private sector should provide input to reform discussions. Maureen Hinman closed the session by stating: a WTO that is "more accountable to clients and Members, more adaptable to the economy we have, flexible, including small-group work where it makes sense, transparent, and focused on the needs of Members."

Silverado thanks Ambassador Barloon, Ambassador Martin-Prat, Ambassador Senthil Pandian, and Dereck Chapman for contributing to the discussion.

View the full livestream recording: https://www.youtube.com/live/qo6kw3J55LM