Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur, inaugurated the International Trade Law Summit (ITLS) 2026 on 2 October 2026, bringing together academics, policymakers, legal practitioners, researchers and students for a three-day engagement on “The WTO@30: Reimagining Multilateralism in International Trade Law.” The Summit is being organised by the School for Law & Technology and the Centre for WTO & WIPO Studies, HNLU, in collaboration with its academic and institutional partners.

The inaugural ceremony had Prof V. C.Vivekanandan, Vice Chancellor of HNLU delivering the opening remarks, Shri Prabhat Malik, IAS, Director of Industries& Aviation of Gov of Chhattisgarh as the Chief Guest; Prof. (Dr.) James J. Nedumpara, of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi  as the Guest of Honour addressing the gathering.

In his inaugural address, Prof. (Dr.) V. C. Vivekanandan situated the Summit within a changing international environment marked by geopolitical rivalry, technological competition, supply-chain concerns and declining institutional trust. He emphasised that trade has significance beyond the movement of goods and services, as it can contribute to either the management of confrontation or the cultivation of habits of cooperation.

Reflecting on the WTO at thirty, the Vice-Chancellor observed that the international economic landscape has evolved considerably, with emerging economies acquiring greater influence and new questions arising from digital trade, artificial intelligence, environmental measures and global value chains. He framed the Summit around four questions: how multilateralism can be reimagined without abandoning its foundational legal principles; how development concerns can be accommodated; how national policy space can coexist with global economic interdependence; and how established and emerging powers can work towards a renewed equilibrium.
Calling for a reform-oriented rather than merely diagnostic conversation, Prof. Vivekanandan concluded: “I hope this summit will not merely diagnose the fractures in the trading system. I hope it will imagine the architecture of repair.”
Addressing the gathering as Guest of Honour, Prof. (Dr.) James J. Nedumpara, Head, Centre for Trade and Investment Law, IIFT, stressed that international trade cannot be examined in isolation from wider social and economic concerns. Referring to human rights, environmental protection, sustainability and labour conditions, he observed that “Trade cannot actually work in silos” and emphasised that WTO agreements extend beyond trade liberalisation alone.
Prof. Nedumpara further highlighted the need to reform the WTO rulebook in response to emerging challenges while retaining the centrality of the multilateral system and its judicial function. He underlined the responsibility of all actors within the system, observing that “Everyone has to behave like a responsible actor,” and emphasised that “The judicial function of the WTO has also to be maintained.”
Shri Prabhat Malik, IAS, Chief Guest, brought a state-level perspective to the Summit, highlighting the ways in which international trade rules intersect with industries, businesses and citizens at the regional level. In the context of governance and administrative reform, he stated: “Either you improve the rules, either you enforce compliance, or you make the process easy.” He also encouraged students and researchers to examine international trade through the lens of Chhattisgarh and to consider how regional industries and communities can engage with and benefit from the multilateral economic system.
The inaugural session concluded with a forward-looking observation from Shri Malik: “While we might not change the world, we can optimise the processes within ourselves to become a net gainer in the economy.”
The programme also featured a welcome address by Dr. Deepak Srivastav, Registrar in Charge; an overview of the Summit by Dr. Ankit Awasthi; the release of the Abstract Book; and a Vote of Thanks by Dr. Mayank Srivastava. The programme was anchored by Ms Satvika and Ms Prajna. The academic proceedings commenced with a training session on “Mastering WTO Trade Negotiations”, followed by technical sessions and other engagements scheduled over the three-day Summit.
A major feature of the inaugural day was a panel discussion bringing together trade law professors from different jurisdictions to examine the relationship between academia and the WTO in the context of public policy. The eminent professors included Prof. Dorotea López Giral, Director, Institute of International Studies, Universidad de Chile (Chile, WTO Chair); Prof. Poppy Sulistyaning Winanti, Professor of International Relations, Center for World Trade Studies, Universitas Gadjah Mada (Indonesia, WTO Chair); Prof. Vu Kim Ngan, Deputy Head, Department of Planning and Finance, Foreign Trade University (Vietnam, WTO Co-chair); Mrs Varsha Mooneeram-Chadee, Senior Lecturer and Member, WTO Chair at the University of Mauritius and Centre of Excellence for International Trade and Investment, University of Mauritius (Mauritius, WTO Chair); Prof. Victor Saco, Associate Professor of International Economic Law, Maestría en Derecho Internacional Económico (MDIE), Escuela de Posgrado PUCP (Peru, WTO Chair); and Prof. (Dr.) James J. Nedumpara, Head, Centre for Trade & Investment Law, IIFT, New Delhi (India, WTO Chair).

The session opened with remarks by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Vivekanandan and featured Dr. Navneet Roy, Ms. Aditi Singh and Dr. Priyanka Dhar, with Ms. Yaashita Gupta, student volunteer, anchoring the discussion.
The discussions on the opening day set the intellectual context for the Summit’s wider examination of the future of multilateral trade, including development, sustainability, technology, digital trade, governance and dispute settlement. Rather than treating the WTO@30 moment simply as a celebration of institutional continuity, the deliberations placed emphasis on the need to examine how the multilateral trading system can respond to a more complex and changing international environment while retaining the legal predictability and cooperative framework that underpin international trade.
The three-day International Trade Law Summit 2026 continues at HNLU with further academic and policy-oriented deliberations on the future of multilateralism in international trade law.

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