Informal discussion on Aid for Trade, environment and sustainable development

In the lead up to the upcoming Aid for Trade Global Review (27-29 July 2022) in Geneva, the Forum on Trade, Environment and the SDGs (TESS) organised an informal breakfast discussion on Aid for Trade, the environment and sustainable development on Thursday 30th June at the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva.

As WTO Members prepare the Aid for Trade work program from 2022 onward, ensuring that future work strengthens attention to environmental issues as a key pillar of sustainable trade will be critical to advancing a green, resilient and inclusive global economy. The agenda for the 2022 Aid for Trade Global Review includes a strong focus on sustainability, with a plenary session on Sustainable Aid for Trade and numerous sessions focused on environmental topics, including fisheries, climate, circularity, and plastic pollution.

Recognising the opportunity the Global Review offers to shape future cooperation on these topics, the breakfast drew together 23 participants (delegates from developing countries and Aid for Trade donor countries as well as experts from stakeholders and international organisations) for an informal exchange on:

• developing country priorities and needs at the interface of trade, environment and sustainable development,
• existing efforts, recent developments at the WTO, and plans for the Global Review and beyond relevant to environmental sustainability,
• opportunities for strengthening the contribution of Aid for Trade to a just transition for sustainable trade, and
• ways to promote greater synergies between Aid for trade and wider development, climate, environmental and trade finance.