Organized by:

The Geneva Trade Platform, UNEP Environment and Trade Hub, the Global Governance

Place:

Virtual Meeting (Zoom)

Date:

18 Nov 2020

Start time:

09:15

The Geneva Trade Platform, UNEP Environment and Trade Hub, the Global Governance Centre, and Chatham House Hoffmann Centre for Sustainable Resource Economy are pleased to invite you to this event alongside the WTO’s Trade and Environment Week.

As governments grapple with Covid-19 responses and recovery, how can international trade cooperation help drive the economic transformation — and just transition — needed to address urgent environmental crises and risks, achieve the world’s environmental goals, and foster economic resilience?  How can we harness multilateral cooperation on trade and trade policy to advance more environmentally sustainable production and consumption?

During the WTO Trade and Environment Week, a diverse group of WTO Members will present a statement on Trade and Environmental Sustainability, launching open, structured discussions that aim to provide an opportunity for governments and stakeholders alike to re-engage and deepen action-oriented dialogue.

In response, this roundtable will draw together a diversity of stakeholders to respond to the statement and share their views on priorities and options for a  proactive, inclusive and forward-looking WTO agenda on environmental sustainability and trade that helps advance progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Experts from a sample of the many IGOs, NGOs, business organisations and research centres from both developed and developing countries keen to contribute to this conversation will make a concise 3-minute intervention responding to three questions:

1. What are 3 key environmental sustainability priorities for the multilateral trade agenda?
2. How can these be addressed in ways that reflect the wider sustainable development goals and development priorities of developing countries and countries in transition?
3. What concrete policy options could advance progress and what will be required politically to make progress?

As no short event can hope to capture the full range of views and perspectives on the many topics, opportunities and challenges at hand, the event will be accompanied by a dedicated discussion space on the Geneva Trade Platform’s online network BTN, through which all those joining the event can share views and exchange resources.