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
The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism: Implications for Viet Nam's Steel and Aluminum Sectors
This workshop offers Viet Nam-based steel and aluminum exporters practical guidance on meeting their EU CBAM compliance obligations.
Bridging the Gap Between Tax and Investment Communities: Understanding tax incentives in investment laws
Webinar bringing together tax and investment communities to discuss coordination challenges in the design, approval, and oversight of tax incentives.
The Hidden Billions: Tax expenditure reform for sustainable finance
As national budgets tighten and overseas development aid shrinks, the global search for sustainable finance has reached a critical turning point. At the FCDO Global Partnership Conference, IISD Tax and Sovereign Debt Director Alexandra Readhead will deliver a feature talk revealing how the hidden tax expenditures can be harnessed to create immediate fiscal space and steer investment toward a green, inclusive future.
ASEAN Regional Workshop on Carbon Pricing and Carbon Markets
This workshop will explore policy design options suited to national contexts in the ASEAN region, and strengthen readiness for participation in international carbon markets, including under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.