The roundtable brought together Geneva-based trade and environment delegates in the WTO with leading experts from think tanks, research centres, stakeholder organizations, and international organizations in an informal and off-the-record setting. The dialogue provided an opportunity for in-depth exploration of key trends and policy developments as well as challenges and opportunities for trade-related cooperation around trade, climate adaptation, and climate-resilient development.

Agenda

8:30 – 8:50 Coffee & networking

8:50 – 9:00 Welcome remarks, introductions

• Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, Executive Director, TESS

9:00 – 10:20 Setting the scene: trade and climate trends relevant to adaptation and climate-resilient development

Invited thought starters

• Maureen Wanzala, Scientific Officer, World Meteorological Organization
  

Click HERE for Maureen Wanzala's presentation

• Jodie Keane, Senior Research Fellow, Overseas DeveIopment Institute
• Anne Hammil, Associate Vice-President, Resilience, International Institute for Sustainable Development
• Matthew McKinnon, Founder and Executive Director, Aroha, Senior Advisor, Global Center on Adaptation

Open discussion among delegations and experts

Key questions for discussion:

• What are the greatest trade-related climate risks and impacts, and which sectors are most impacted?
• What are the challenges and opportunities for developing and vulnerable economies?
• What trade-related policy measures and initiatives are being - or should be - mobilized to support climate adaptation and address climate impacts and risks? What are their limitations, and where is there potential to do more? Where are the gaps?
• What would a trade policy agenda on trade, adaptation and climate-resilient development look like?

10:20 – 11:50 Enhanced trade-related cooperation on climate impacts, adaptation and climate resilient development

• Jimmy Rantes, Director General, Ministry of Trade and Commerce of Vanuatu
• H.E. Ali Sarfraz Hussein, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to WTO
• H.E. Salomon Eheth, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Cameroon to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva
  
• Loretta Hieber-Girardet, Chief, Risk Knowledge, Monitoring and Capacity-Development Branch, United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
  
• Ratnakar Adhikari, Executive Director, Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF)
  

Open discussion among delegations and experts

Key questions for discussion:

• How can trade policies, agreements, partnerships and cooperation be leveraged to support cooperation on climate adaptation and climate-resilient development? What are the priorities?
• What are the avenues for a scaled-up inclusive discussion on trade, climate adaptation and climate impacts in the WTO and other IOs? How could
  the needs of vulnerable countries be addressed at MC14?
• How can Aid for Trade and the Enhanced Integrated Framework address trade priorities related to climate impacts, adaptation and climate-resilient development?
• What are practical next steps and research priorities that could help advance cooperation and discussion?

11:50 – 12:00 Key takeaways and closing remarks