Green Industrial Policy Round Table 1: Setting the Stage
Green Industrial Policy Round Table 1 brought together policy-makers and experts to identify key issues and lay the groundwork for future work in the area.
This first round table in a series exploring green industrial policy set the stage for a multi-year dialogue on the future of industrial policy in a rapidly changing global landscape. Against the backdrop of climate urgency, development challenges, and fractured geopolitical relationships, participants explored how industrial policies are evolving and what this means for trade, development, and global cooperation.
The opening session examined the drivers of today’s industrial policy resurgence, focusing on how major economies are reshaping global strategies and redefining the rules of engagement. This was followed by a discussion on the evidence base: what current data reveal about the tools governments are using, their priorities, and the impacts on competitiveness, sustainability, and trade flows. Participants highlighted both the insights and the limitations of available analysis in capturing the full consequences of policy choices.
Discussion later shifted attention to the experiences of emerging, developing, and least-developed countries. Discussions emphasized the unique challenges these economies face in designing and implementing industrial policies that balance growth and climate ambition, while also responding to policy shifts in larger economies. Participants then turned to geopolitics, exploring how security concerns, techno-nationalism, and shifting power dynamics are reshaping industrial strategies. This raised critical questions about the resilience of the multilateral trading system and the prospects for cooperation in an increasingly fragmented order.
Together, these discussions underscored the complexity of today’s industrial policy debates and the need for deeper analysis, dialogue, and inclusive governance to ensure that industrial strategies support both national objectives and global well-being.
Insights from these discussions will help shape the direction of IISD’s Green Industrial Policies workstream and guide future research.
These round tables are part of a 4-year project led by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and funded by Open Society Foundations.
Green Industrial Policy Roundtable Series
- Round table 1 | Setting the Stage
- Round table 2 | Deep Dives into Sectoral Industrial Policies and Development
- Round table 3 | Industrial Policies and the Global Trade Framework
Upcoming events
2026 Investment Policy Forum
The 17th edition of IISD's Investment Policy Forum will take place from September 16 to 18, 2026, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Weathering the Waters: Building climate resilience that pays off
Join us to explore Canada’s adaptation progress, the rising costs of delay (water, floods, drought), and new ways to finance resilience.
Natural Solutions for Water Security: Canada's Policy Path Forward
This 2-day forum aims to advance strategic priorities and define practical next steps for accelerating the adoption of natural infrastructure as a new normal.
Unpacking National Investment Laws: Dispute settlement
Join IISD and UNCTAD for a webinar on May 7 as we explore key findings and recommendations from two recent publications on national investment laws and their investor–state dispute settlement provisions. A panel of experts will discuss the risks posed by dispute settlement provisions in investment laws, emerging good practices, and the urgent need for coherence between domestic legal frameworks and international treaty reform efforts.