UN Trade Forum: SDGs and Climate Change will bring into focus the need for action on the means of implementation – finance, technology and capacity building – and the role of trade as an enabling factor in meeting this need and leveraging the various co-benefits – economic diversification, jobs, innovation, better management and communications.
- Trade and Climate Change: Bringing SIDS into focus
9 September 2019. Room XXVI
With its focus on islands and coastal communities, the agenda of the Trade Forum practically mirrors the Chilean vision of a “blue” COP 25, which has oceans as its overriding theme. SIDS and coastal communities may not be able to change the political course of efforts to mitigate climate change, but what the international community does or does not do will determine their fate. The Forum also reflects other priorities recently set out by the Chilean presidency: circular economy and biodiversity. While striking – the two events have been conceptualized independently of each other – this convergence is indicative of the critical importance of all these areas.
- Third Oceans Forum: Oceans economy, climate and harmful fish subsidies
10 September 2019. Room XXVI
Oceans-based economic diversification could enhance the Nationally Determined Contributions of SIDS to the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Trade can be an enabling factor in adaptation and in mainstreaming oceans-based economic activities in SIDS, where domestic markets remain small and remoteness is an intractable hindering factor. Taking stock at current developments in the final phase of WTO fish subsidies negotiations on potential approaches on prohibitions, harmful effects and cap-based systems as well as complementary options could be quite timely when devising trade related policies on oceans-based activities. Disciplining fish and related fuel subsidies as well as a sound tax policy reform, can support mitigation efforts and create incentives for carbon-neutral technologies and best practices in key sectors such as transport, fisheries, and tourism.
- Circular Economy, Oceans and Plastics Pollution
11 September 2019. Room XXVI
Plastic pollution constitutes a serious threat to the world’s oceans, affecting biodiversity, ecosystem services and livelihoods. Curbing plastic pollution is not simply a matter of changing consumer and municipality waste patterns because pollution sources are often linked to technologies and decisions applied in the manufacturing stages of products entering the global supply chains. At the same time, remediating plastic pollution already dispersed throughout the oceans is infinitely more challenging, although efforts are succeeding in removing plastics from coastlines and neighboring waters. As some aspects of manufacturing-related plastics pollution can be dealt with by circular approaches and other strategies, this session brings together advocates, researchers, producers and donors to discuss research, industrial and behavioral initiatives aimed at dealing with this problem.
- 5th BioTrade Congress: Linking Trade and Biodiversity
12–13 September 2019. Room IX
The fifth BioTrade Congress will provide an international platform where BioTrade partners, practitioners and stakeholders can share experiences in implementing inclusive and sustainable business practices. This edition focuses on the transformational change needed for businesses and trade to curb biodiversity loss. Its conclusions will be contributed as inputs in the ongoing negotiations on the post-2020 global biodiversity Framework.
Discussions will explore how sustainable trade in biodiversity-based products and services can contribute to biodiversity conservation and discuss possible policy frameworks and incentive measures to promote the sustainable use of biodiversity-based products at all levels. In doing so, experts and business representatives will review major trends in sustainable sourcing, non-tariff barriers, ecolabels, transparency and packaging and their implications for biodiversity the conservation and sustainable use.
VENUE:
Geneva, Switzerland
9-13 September 2019
Original source: UNCTAD
Published on 09 September 2019
