COVID-19-induced trade measures and economic consequences highlight the importance of shaping resilient and sustainable trade policies. For acceding countries, the WTO accession process, with its all-encompassing trade-related reforms, have the potential to pave the way towards a sustainable economic recovery, thereby contributing to the implementation of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
This session will provide a platform for exchange of views among accession negotiators on the interlinkages between the accession process, SDGs, and Agenda 2030. More specifically, the session will offer an opportunity to examine trade-related policies, undertaken as part of the WTO accession process, aimed at building resilient value chains, trade inclusiveness (SMEs), and discuss new and emerging topics such as sustainable trade and the transition to a circular economy.
The session will also offer a platform to explore further cross-fertilization and synergies between trade and sustainability-related work streams undertaken in international organizations, including the WTO and UNECE.
Key questions:
- What are the implications of “building back better”, the United Nations SDGs and Agenda 2030 for WTO accession processes and vice versa?
- How can international organizations harness potential synergies between their respective work streams with a view to creating more resilient, inclusive and sustainable trade in the UNECE region?
- How do the experiences of recently acceded WTO members and acceding governments support the objectives of Agenda 2030? What can be done to address the specific WTO accession-related challenges in the context of the SDGs?
Note:
- This session will not include an interactive audience discussion, but will feature a significant Q&A component. Participants via Webex can use the chat features to pose questions for the moderator and panelists.
- This session will be translated into Russian, and participants can tune in via Interactio (see below).
Continue the conversation in the dedicated chat on the Beyond Trade Network.
This session will be simultaneously translated into French, Spanish and back into English (when needed) via the Interactio application, by entering the code GTW2020 (please use headphones). Open the application in your Web browser or download it for iOS Mobile App or for Android App.