Nature-positive trade: how trade-related policies and measures can support the delivery of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework?

There is increasing recognition of the relevance of trade and trade-related policies and measures to current global biodiversity crisis. Trade can exacerbate biodiversity degradation and loss but it also has the potential to support conservation, sustainable use, and restoration—and related benefits to sustainable development.

The post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework provides a fresh reference point for (re)examining how international cooperation on trade and trade policies could support the global biodiversity agenda.

Alongside, there is also an increasing focus on environment and sustainable development in the context of trade at national, regional and multilateral levels. For example, climate and biodiversity related considerations are becoming more integral to bilateral and regional trade negotiations, with biodiversity-related provisions becoming a regular feature of regional trade agreements (RTAs). Furthermore, the interest in environmental and sustainable development issues at the WTO has been growing, as demonstrated by the launch of three separate member-led statements and initiatives in 2021 on trade and environmental sustainability, plastic pollution, and fossil fuel subsidy reform.

Together, these developments present an opportunity to explore how the trade and biodiversity agendas could be more mutually supportive, and how trade and trade policies could be harnessed to support the implementation of post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF) and the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.  

This side event will identify and explore the range of trade-related policies and measures relevant to supporting the implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF) targets and opportunities for international cooperation on trade that supports biodiversity and sustainable development objectives.

The discussions will focus on opportunities, challenges and feasibility of using specific trade policies and measures to support countries in the post-2020 GBF implementation,  with a view to reaching net positive outcomes for both biodiversity and sustainable development.

This side event will follow on a series held in July 2022 exploring a nature positive trade agenda to support sustainable development, which was organized under the UNCTAD-ITC “Trade and Biodiversity Series” together by UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Global BioTrade Initiative, International Trade Centre (ITC), World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs (TESS).