The Expert Forum discussed, among other issues, key challenges of a transition to a green economy, options for managing the transition at the national level, and possible trade tensions created by green policies and options for international collaboration to mitigate such tensions.
November 2011: The Ad Hoc Expert Meeting on the trade and sustainable development implications of the transition to a green economy, convened by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP), considered key aspects and challenges of the transition to a green economy.
The meeting, which took place from 8-10 November 2011, in Geneva, Switzerland, included a high-level session on the necessary conditions for the green economy in the context of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), during which speakers also discussed the need and options for moving beyond the green economy discourse.
Two panel sessions addressed key aspects of a transition to the green economy, focusing on county perspectives and management aspects of the transition at the national level, such as the role of green technology innovation, technology transfer, limitations in access to green technologies, compulsory licencing and international cooperation.
A panel on trade issues considered the role of trade-related measures in supporting the transition, including potential trade tensions created by green policies and options for international cooperation to mitigate such tensions.
A final panel discussed UNCTAD’s message to Rio+20, with a focus on: UNCTAD’s role in providing assistance to deal with key development challenges in the context of the transition; and UNCTAD’s role as neutral, non-negotiating forum for evidence-based policy discussions and promoting better understanding of issues at the intersection of trade and the green economy. [UNCTAD Road to Rio+20 Website] [Summary and Presentations of Expert Forum]