IISD at the WTO Public Forum 2022

The WTO's Public Forum is taking place from September 27 to 30, 2022, in Geneva, Switzerland. The theme of this year's Public Forum is "Towards a sustainable and inclusive recovery: Ambition to action." Specifically, this year's event looks at how trade can contribute to post-pandemic economic recovery, as well as how trade rules can be strengthened and government policies improved to create a more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive trading system. Please note that you must be registered for the WTO Public Forum to attend.

IISD Co-organized Events

The Trade System is Changing: Can it deliver for the future?

• Co-organized with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and CUTS International, Geneva
• September 27, 2022, 15:45–17:00

Regional and national stakeholders, including businesses and consumers, are increasingly looking to trade policy for solutions that help advance other policy priorities, from economic growth and development to fair trade and environmental protection. The outcomes from the WTO’s Twelfth Ministerial Conference (MC12) in June show that the WTO can respond to these imperatives but also how difficult it is to produce agreements that live up to expectations. This interactive, audience-led session will explore how the system of trade rules and the process of their development are changing and will ask what these developments mean for the future of trade policy.

Moderator

Alice Tipping, Lead, Sustainable Trade and Fisheries Subsidies at IISD, is moderating this workshop.

Watch it live here.

International Trade Cooperation to Address Plastic Pollution: Options and pathways to enhance environmental outcomes

• Co-organized with The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs (TESS Forum), the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
• September 29, 2022, 17:30–18:45 CET

The session will identify and explore concrete ways in which international cooperation on trade could support efforts to reduce plastic pollution. Panellists will address the relevance of trade and trade policy in the fight against plastic pollution, as well as specific ways in which cooperation around trade can make a difference in reducing plastic pollution. They will also identify concrete options and pathways for pursuing such cooperation, including in the context of ongoing work within the WTO's Informal Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (IDP).

Moderator

Ieva Baršauskaitė, Senior Policy Advisor at IISD, is moderating this working session.

Watch it live here.

IISD Speaking Events

The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies: What happened at MC12 and what comes next?

• Organized by the World Trade Organization
• September 28, 2022, 14:00–15:15 CET

The objective of this session is to provide an overview of the new WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, how members reached this groundbreaking result at MC12 this past June, and what the future agenda on fisheries subsidies at the WTO could look like.

Alice Tipping, Lead, Sustainable Trade and Fisheries Subsidies at IISD, is participating in this working session.

Building Resilience, Circular Economy, and an Inclusive Energy Transition: How can trade policy help?

• Co-organized by the Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations Office and International Organizations in Geneva and the Permanent Mission of Uruguay to the WTO and other International Economic Organizations in Geneva
• September 28, 2022, 15:45-17:00 CET

At this interactive and inclusive session, experts and audience members will discuss how circular economy solutions can help drive the energy transition and the role of trade.

Alice Tipping, Lead, Sustainable Trade and Fisheries Subsidies at IISD, is moderating this working session.

Towards a Sustainable and Inclusive Recovery: Ambition to action

• Organized by the World Trade Organization
• September 29, 2022, 14:00–15:15 CET

The panellists will examine how the WTO can be a catalyst for the global transition to a green economy and assist the technological transformation required, thus helping ensure that all countries, businesses, and individuals can reap the benefits of the digital transformation.

Alice Tipping, Lead, Sustainable Trade and Fisheries Subsidies at IISD, is participating in this plenary debate.

Trade and Environment: Convergence of bilateral and regional agreements with the WTO

• Organized by Trade Tank Mx Consultoría TTMx (TradeTankMx)
• September 29, 2022, 14:00–15:15 CET

This session will analyze and consider the potential implications that environmental measures have for the multilateral trading system.

Florencia Sarmiento, Policy Analyst at IISD, is participating in this working session.

Rethinking Trade Rules on Subsidies to Enhance Sustainable Development

• Organized by TradeExperettes
• September 29, 2022, 17:30–18:45 CET

This session will include a discussion on subsidy rules and ways in which they can be reformed to reflect contemporary concerns. Panellists will analyze how existing rules facilitate or limit WTO members' ability to promote sustainable development and assess possible solutions, including the necessary measures to adapt the current legal regime on subsidies to promote climate change-responsive measures and a shift toward net-zero.

Alice Tipping, Lead, Sustainable Trade and Fisheries Subsidies at IISD, is participating in this plenary session.

Please note that further details on additional session participation may come closer to the date.