The E15 Initiative, organized by The International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and the World Economic Forum (WEF), released a series of papers on policy options for responding to critical global challenges, along with recommendations for reshaping the global trade and investment system.
According to the Initiative, further work is needed to gain clarity on national actions that countries must take to meet their commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change.
22 January 2016: The E15 Initiative, organized by The International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and the World Economic Forum (WEF), released a series of papers on policy options for responding to critical global challenges, along with recommendations for reshaping the global trade and investment system. According to the Initiative, further work is needed to gain clarity on national actions that countries must take to meet their commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The E15 Initiative held interactive dialogues on key challenges and opportunities for the global trade and investment system, with the aim of promoting sustainable development and improving the efficacy, fairness and inclusiveness of the trade and investment system. Over 375 international experts and 16 knowledge partner institutions participated in the dialogues. The discussions resulted in 150 papers, which are summarized in a Synthesis Report.
The Synthesis Report provides the Initiative’s proposals for, inter alia: combatting climate change and environmental degradation; boosting growth and employment; accelerating sustainable development in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs); and increasing economic diversification and competitiveness in middle-income countries (MICs). The report aims to present a blueprint for how the international community could make progress on these and other challenges through improvements in trade and investment arrangements and rules.
On combatting climate change and environmental degradation, the Synthesis Report recommends: establishing a process involving the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) to make recommendations for the trade-related legal implications of the Paris Agreement, including a clear definition of what constitutes a climate action; encouraging consistency of national mitigation strategies; and facilitating the creation of higher ambition climate “clubs.”
The paper series also addresses: agriculture and food security; clean energy technologies; competition policy; digital economy; extractive industries; finance and development; fisheries and oceans; functioning of the WTO; global value chains; industrial policy; innovation; investment policy; regional trade agreements; regulatory coherence; services; and subsidies. [Publication: Strengthening the Global Trade and Investment System in the 21st Century] [E15 Press Release] [E15 Initiative Publications Website]