While a lot of discussion is already taking place on the trade and climate change interface, the debate is still largely driven by concerns of more advanced economies in OECD countries with only limited attention paid to priorities in developing countries. The meeting aims to contribute to re-framing the debate by identifying priority area for action and recommendations for the multilateral trading system from the perspective of least developed countries, the Caribbean region, South America, and Africa.

Speakers presented the key findings and recommendations from a series of research papers commissioned by TESS in partnership with regional organizations and think tanks with the aim of providing regional perspectives on the nexus of climate, trade, and sustainable development.

The session saw presentations from speakers about their research on priorities of least developed countries, the Caribbean region, South America, and Africa. [Further commissioned papers are underway with regional partners on perspectives from the ASEAN region and from South Asia.]

Questions addressed included

• What are the key climate change adaptation and mitigation priorities in developing countries?
• How can trade and trade-related policy measures support adaptation and mitigation efforts in those regions and advance climate-resilient development?
• What are the implications for international cooperation on trade in general and for the WTO in particular?

Speakers

• Faizel Ismail, Director, Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, University of Cape Town, South Africa

• Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director, Centre for Policy Dialogue, Bangladesh

• Lorena Palomo Parada, Independent Consultant, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)

• Jan Yves Remy, Director, Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services, Barbados

Click HERE for Jan Yves Remy's presentation.

Moderator

• Christophe Bellmann, Head of Policy Analysis and Strategy, TESS