G20 countries have pledged to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, and negotiations are ongoing in the WTO, APEC and elsewhere to reduce barriers to trade in environmentally friendly goods and services.  However, progress on each of these efforts is halting due to many challenges and obstacles. Could a like-minded group of countries breathe life into green growth cooperation by agreeing on the Sustainable Energy Trade Agreement?  What is such an agreement most likely to include?

Moderator

Mr. Ricardo Melendez-Ortiz, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD)

Discussion Leaders:

H.E. Bark Tae-ho, Minister for Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Republic of Korea
Dr. Peter Brun, Senior Vice President, Vestas Wind Systems

http://www.gggsummit.org/

The European Union (EU) is vital for the global market for SEGS. The EU is the biggest importer and exporter of sustainable energy goods and services and a major holder of technologies in this field. In addition, the EU has proven to be the leading force behind progress in the climate change negotiations. Therefore, the EU has a unique position to take the lead in policy discussions about a SETA.
The Dialogue, which will bring together policy makers, civil society and representatives of the private sector, will discuss the rationale for a SETA, explore current obstacles to trade in SEGS, and highlight some governance gaps that prevent countries from effectively addressing these barriers. A primary objective of the Dialogue is to serve as a platform for an exchange of views on opportunities for further green trade liberalization and how the EU can contribute to them.

By invitation only.

Against this background, this lunchtime dialogue will reflect on the range of measures and options discussed in the IGC  on the basis of a new ICTSD study entitled “Bridging the Gap on IP and Genetic Resources in WIPO’s IGC” by David Vivas-Eugui, from Anamika Innovation Policy Advisors.

The study considers the binding or non-binding nature of the instrument(s) that might emerge from the IGC and their different implications and makes recommendations regarding processes, substance and existing research gaps that could contribute towards advancing the IGC deliberations. After a presentation by the author, a number of commentators will share their views followed by a general discussion with the audience.

Download the issue paper here.

To register please email Ms. Daniella Allam dallam@ictsd.ch

The initiative aims to add value to the official follow-up and review mechanism of the IPoA, in line with the  IPoA’s  mandate.  Working  outside the official intergovernmental process, LDC IV Monitor provides credible, evidence-based and policy-oriented assessment of the state of delivery of the promises contained in the IPoA. It strives to enhance the transparency of the Istanbul follow-up process, promote accountability by development partners, agencies and national governments, and foster efficiency in the graduation of LDCs.

For more information and registration, please contact: coordinator@ldc4monitor.org

The WTO as an institution is not what it used to be a decade ago. Many countries have since joined, and shifts in the balance of global economic and political power have transformed the playing field. Accordingly, new needs and different expectations have emerged, including demands  for a reformof the decision-making process to increase its fairness, inclusiveness, and transparency.There has been considerable debate as to whether institutional reform is needed in the WTO - and in what form  - ever since it was first established. To target this need for improvement, the expert group will be asked to tackle topics such as the role of regular committees, notification, the idea of a trade forum, accession, possible proposals to reform the way in which negotiations are conducted,including the prospects for “plurilateral” agreements, the role of business and the “single undertaking”.

Preferential Trade Agreements

Regional pacts have become a permanent and increasingly important feature of the world trading environment. Currently, more than half of world commerce takes place among countries linked by such pacts. Furthermore, these trade agreements have grown not just in number, but also in depth. Many agreements deal with matters that remain outside the WTO’s scope or capacity to address, such as rules pertaining to investment and competition policies. The expert group will be asked to identify solutions on how to embrace and respond to this increasing number of regional and preferential trade agreements in the multilateral trading system and how these agreements could be more transparent.

Next steps

The expert meeting is the first of a series of meetings that ICTSD with the support of the Netherlands intends to organize throughout 2012 with a view to clarifying and discussing some of the most pressing issues that the multilateral trading system currently faces. As in this first meeting the idea is to convey a group of experts that in their individual capacity would help moving this process forward. In each future meeting two different topics will be discussed. These include, but are not limited to, energy, exchange rates, food security and climate change.

At this first meeting it would be convenient to seek the views of the participants on the process we are envisaging and on the topics for discussion.

On 16 December 2011, at the occasion of the eight ministerial conference of the WTO in Geneva, ICTSD organised a high-level lunch addressing the urgent need to switch from fossil based to sustainable energy as a key measure for addressing climate change, and how this shift could be promoted using trade policies. Discussions revolved around various options and vehicles to do this, including through negotiating a sustainable energy trade agreement (SETA).

Renate Christ, Secretary of the IPCC highlighted issues such as the current state of climate change, current and expected levels of emissions, the contribution of energy supply and use to carbon emissions, and the
mitigation efforts required to stay below a 2 degree temperature increase. In particular, she highlighted the role of renewable energy in this effort.

Ricardo Melendez-Ortiz Chief Executive of ICTSD then outlined the relevance of trade and trade-policy in facilitating the rapid scale up of sustainable energy in the context not only of the environmental challenge but also other key sustainable development challenges such as providing energy access to millions of people through low-carbon means.

The lunch sparked a lively debate on the relevance and interplay of trade and sustainable energy policies. Participants encouraged ICTSD to continue its momentum on the initiative and to provide informed input through research and dialogue to policy makers.

Questions on the consistency with WTO provisions have been frequently raised as sustainability criteria and implementation measures were defined and adopted under the RED and FQD. However, no thorough analysis has been carried out on this topic. The objective of the worksho is to engage in an informed and constructive discussion on the technical and legal arguments surrounding the compatibility of the EU sustainability requirements with international trade rules. Special attention will be given to recent WTO jurisprudence.

Speakers include Andrew Shoyer, chair of Sidley Austin’s international trade and dispute resolution practice; Dr. Alan Swinbank, Emeritus Professor of Agricultural Economics at Reading University; Malena Sell, Senior Programme Officer, Environment and Natural Resources, ICTSD; and high-level representatives from the European Commission and the European Parliament.