International trade and trade policies can exacerbate unsustainable production and consumption patterns that drive biodiversity loss and also play a vital role in promoting the conservation, sustainable use, and restoration of biodiversity, and fair and equitable distribution of benefits.

As governments and stakeholders seek to ensure trade and international supply chains support biodiversity and sustainable development goals, international cooperation and collective action on the design and implementation of trade-related approaches is essential for ambition, effectiveness, and equity.

The Trade and Biodiversity Hub, organized alongside the sixteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16), took place as part of the COP16 Trade Day activities and provided a space for informal exchanges on topics related to trade and biodiversity.

This opening session of the Trade Hub provided an overview of the policy landscape, governance frameworks, and issues at the nexus of biodiversity, trade, and sustainable development, highlighted the importance of international cooperation for an effective trade contribution to the global biodiversity agenda that also serves wider sustainable development priorities, and pointed to collaborative opportunities for governments and stakeholders to harness cooperation on trade to advance achievement of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Speakers

• H.E. Anna Chrisp, Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Colombia
• Daniel Mukubi, Head of Biodiversity Office, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Olivia Carolina Bonner, Policy Advisor, Plastics Treaty and MEAs, TESS
• Pallavi Kalita, Asia Lead, Business for Nature

Moderator

• Chantal Line Carpentier, Head, Trade, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Branch, UN Trade and Development