The hot-button issue in the world of trade is the Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmissions — this reflects the dynamic nature of trade, the disparity between developed and developing nations and the big question of whether the digital economy should remain free of tariffs. While the status quo of the moratorium is that it is still in place, tensions fester among nations who are on opposing ends. Two teams from the Geneva Graduate Institute and the World Trade Institute (WTI) took on the challenge of bringing out their best arguments on the biggest stage at the WTO’s Public Forum through a debate hosted by the Geneva Debate and the Geneva Trade Platform.
Institute students Arghadeep Das, Jingle Fu, and Saniya Khanna firmly stood against the moratorium. Meanwhile, the team from WTI — consisting of Anand Nandakumar, Francisco Montoya, and Gauri Tyagi — argued in favour of it, ultimately taking home the champion trophy. The Best Speaker Awards were given to Anand Nandakumar and Gauri Tyagi.
On the adjudication panel were the best and brightest in the trade world: Yasmin Ismail, Senior Policy Advisor at TESS, Dr Jan Yves Remy, Director of the Shridath Ramphal Center for International Trade Law, Policy, and Services; and Dr Mona Paulsen, Assistant Professor in International Economic Law, LSE Law School.
This was the second debate hosted by the Geneva Debate at the World Trade Organisation’s Public Forum and the stakes were high with fiery cross-fire rounds from both the teams and judges who took longer than expected while deliberating on the winning team on such a contentious motion. They were incredibly impressed with the quality of the arguments and the depth of knowledge from both sides of the debate. In the closing remarks, Dmitry Grozoubinski, the Executive Director of the Geneva Trade Platform, lauded the WTO Secretariat for their courage in creating a space for young minds to be loud and critical about the very issues drawing the ire of high stakeholders who would be attending the debate, and Isabelle van Damme, Director of Studies at the WTI earnestly hoped the competition would continue in the future.
“The public forum debate was a great experience and an opportunity to engage with like-minded peers on cutting-edge issues”
Saniya Khanna, Geneva Graduate Institute
The Moratorium Mayhem Debate provided a unique opportunity to dive deep into the complex legal, political, and economic aspects of a trade policy issue of great contemporary relevance. Together with the highly talented team from the Graduate Institute, I believe we were able to present the audience with a comprehensive overview of the issue.
Anand Nandakumar, WTI
Having the opportunity to debate the Graduate Institute's team was a very enriching experience and, also, a challenge due to the complexity of the proposition. Moreover, we were able to learn a lot from the other team in the process.
Francisco Montoya, WTI
