IISD Trade + Sustainability Hub alongside the WTO 13th Ministerial Conference

Name: IISD Trade + Sustainability Hub alongside the WTO 13th Ministerial Conference
Start: 2024-02-26
End: 2024-02-28
Location: United Arab Emirates

26 - 28 February 2024

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Overview
Schedule

The WTO's 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) will take place from 26 to 29 February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Ministers from across the world will attend to review the functioning of the multilateral trading system and to take action on the future work of the WTO. IISD's Trade + Sustainability Hub will take place in the sidelines of MC13, providing a space for civil society and those with a stake in trade policy to convene these conversations, bringing their distinct perspectives, priorities, and approaches to the key question of finding a way back to cooperation on trade policy. UNEP Environment and Trade will co-organise two side events. We invite you to attend the side events in person or follow them online by registering here.

Who's speaking

Asad naqvi

Head, Economic and Trade Policy of UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
Carolyn Deere Birkbeck

Director of Forum on Trade, Environment and the SDGs (TESS)
Chantal Line Carpentier

Head, Trade, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Daniel Esty

Professor at Yale University
David Vivas Eugui

Chief of Section a.i. at UNCTAD
Fred Stolle

Deputy Director of World Resources Institute
Ieva Baršauskaitė

Senior Policy Advisor at the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD)
Jose Samuel Valencia Amores

Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the WTO and other international economic organizations in Geneva.
Mathieu Lamolle

Senior Advisor Sustainability Standards at the International Trade Centre (ITC)
Pamela Coke-Hamilton

Executive Director at the International Trade Centre (ITC)
Peter Andreas Nielsen

Impact Investment Manager of Common Fund for Commodities
Ute Collier

Acting Director, Knowledge, Policy, and Finance Centre (KPFC), IRENA

27 Feb 2024

12:00

Room B, Pearl Rotana Capital Centre, Abu Dhabi

Delivering Deforestation-free Global Value Chains: How do we allocate the burden of change? Co-organised by UNEP Environment and Trade, International Trade Centre (ITC), the World Resources Institute (WRI).

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report highlights that forest conservation, improved management, and restoration offer the most substantial potential for economic mitigation.

The primary goal of this roundtable at MC13 is to facilitate meaningful and solutions-oriented dialogue and knowledge-sharing toward achieving deforestation-free global value chains, which are effective, fair, and inclusive. It will also increase trade policymakers’ awareness around the interlinkages of trade policy and related measures, environmental regulations, livelihoods, and environmental protection.

Key themes of the discussion will be national and international efforts of forest protection, private sector initiatives, innovative sustainable business models, and key enabling policy solutions. In recognizing that deforestation is just one facet of climate change and nature loss challenges, participants will explore how businesses, including smallholders, local communities and indigenous peoples can prepare for potential supply chain disruption resulting from additional environmental sustainability market regulations, and the role of trade and trade policy to support in this transition.

The session will explore the fair allocation of the burden of change in global supply chains, and support for small business, producers, and marginalized communities to enable a just climate transition.

Mathieu Lamolle Senior Advisor Sustainability Standards at the International Trade Centre (ITC)

Fred Stolle Deputy Director of World Resources Institute

Peter Andreas Nielsen Impact Investment Manager of Common Fund for Commodities

Jose Samuel Valencia Amores Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the WTO and other international economic organizations in Geneva.

Asad naqvi Head, Economic and Trade Policy of UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

Ieva Baršauskaitė Senior Policy Advisor at the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD)

Pamela Coke-Hamilton Executive Director at the International Trade Centre (ITC)

28 Feb 2024

10:30

Room C, Pearl Rotana Capital Centre, Abu Dhabi

Enabling a Just Transition: Trade and industrial policy options for developing countries on climate action and principles for cooperation Co-organised by UNEP Environment and Trade, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), The Forum on Trade, Environment and the SDGs (TESS), and the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy.

Developing countries are disproportionately affected by climate change, which has significant economic and social impacts due to climate-related events and disasters.

To limit future climate change impacts, all countries must transition to net-zero emissions by the middle of this century. At the same time, developing countries are seeking to foster climate resilient development pathways, particularly for the most vulnerable. This requires transformative approaches with large public investments and support to scale up renewable energy supply and efficiency, introducing infrastructure adaptation programs, and novel green industrial and services policies to drive growth, value addition, economic diversification, and job creation.

The European Union Green Deal and the United States Inflation Reduction Act are examples of a new direction for the world’s largest economies, with a strong emphasis on industrial decarbonization to achieve the Paris Agreement targets. Developing countries need to reflect on what type of industrial and trade policies and cooperation for climate action is available and would make sense for them in today’s context. What are some of the principles that all countries need to consider when designing trade-related climate policies to enable a just transition?

David Vivas Eugui Chief of Section a.i. at UNCTAD

Daniel Esty Professor at Yale University

Asad Naqvi Head, Economic and Trade Policy at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

Chantal Line Carpentier Head, Trade, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Carolyn Deere Birkbeck Director of Forum on Trade, Environment and the SDGs (TESS)

Ute Collier Acting Director, Knowledge, Policy, and Finance Centre (KPFC), IRENA