Trade + Sustainability Hub 2024

Our Trade + Sustainability Hub provides a space for civil society and those with a stake in trade policy to convene these conversations, bringing their distinct perspectives, priorities, and approaches to the key question of finding a way back to cooperation on trade policy. Within its overall theme, conversations at the Hub will focus on three key issues:

When and Where

The Trade + Sustainability Hub will begin on the afternoon of Monday, February 26, and conclude on Wednesday, February 28. The Hub will be held in person at the Pearl Rotana Capital Centre Hotel, a 5-minute walk from the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre Conference Centre where MC13 is taking place. It will also include a virtual component: selected Hub sessions will be streamed live to registered participants, and recordings of these sessions will be available on the Hub’s website.

The Hub will utilize a range of spaces at the Pearl Rotana Capital Centre Hotel: 

• seminar-style sessions and press conferences held in a dedicated 80-person theatre-style room, enabled for live-streaming;
• boardroom-style sessions held across two smaller 20-person rooms, organized in parallel streams throughout each day; and
• networking spaces with tea and coffee available between sessions, to build and strengthen relationships.

How Do I Apply to Organize a Session?

We are opening applications to organizations with a stake in trade policy—in particular civil society organizations—who would like to organize a session within the Trade + Sustainability Hub. There are no fees associated with organizing a session, but session organizers will be responsible for covering their own costs of attending the Hub as well as the costs of any speakers they invite to their session. Organizers of networking events will need to cover the cost of catering (to be provided by the venue) for their event.

Applications open on September 4, 2023 and will close on October 2, 2023.

Priority will be given to sessions that bring together a diversity of perspectives (geographic, sectoral, ideological), reflect diversity in the speakers proposed, and bring constructive approaches to the challenges articulated above.

Apply to run a session

Communications Support

IISD will be using its many communication channels to promote attendance at the Trade + Sustainability Hub. Promoting specific sessions will be the responsibility of session organizers, but our communications team will provide social media and email toolkits to aid in promotion, using the Hub branding.