Organizers: UNECE, WTO, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Belarus to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva
Date: Wednesday 30 September from 11:00 - 12:30
Theme: Harnessing trade as a means for strengthening Agenda 2030/SDGs – the case of WTO accession
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuDLXrv-6u0&feature=youtu.be
Background:
COVID-19-induced trade measures and economic consequences highlight the importance of shaping resilient and sustainable trade policies. For acceding countries, the WTO accession process, with its all-encompassing trade-related reforms, have the potential to pave the way towards a sustainable economic recovery, thereby contributing to the implementation of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
This session will provide a platform for exchange of views among accession negotiators on the interlinkages between the accession process, SDGs, and Agenda 2030. More specifically, the session will offer an opportunity to examine trade-related policies, undertaken as part of the WTO accession process, aimed at building resilient value chains, trade inclusiveness (SMEs), and discuss new and emerging topics such as sustainable trade and the transition to a circular economy.
The session will also offer a platform to explore further cross-fertilization and synergies between trade and sustainability-related work streams undertaken in international organizations, including the WTO and UNECE.
Key questions:
- What are the implications of “building back better”, the United Nations SDGs and Agenda 2030 for WTO accession processes and vice versa?
- How can international organizations harness potential synergies between their respective work streams with a view to creating more resilient, inclusive and sustainable trade in the UNECE region?
- How do the experiences of recently acceded WTO members and acceding governments support the objectives of Agenda 2030? What can be done to address the specific WTO accession-related challenges in the context of the SDGs?
Moderator:
- Ms. Maika Oshikawa, Director, Accessions Division, World Trade Organization (WTO)
Speakers:
- Ms. Olga Algayerova, Executive Secretary and United Nations Under-Secretary-General, UNECE
- H.E Mr. Yuri Ambrazevich, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Belarus to the UN Office and other International Organizations in Geneva
- H.E. Ms. Zhanar Aitzhanova, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the UN Office and other International Organizations in Geneva
- Mr. Hamdo Tinjak, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession
- Mr. Mark Linscott, former Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia and for WTO and Multilateral Affairs
- Mr. Badriddin Abidov, Deputy Minister of Investments and Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession, Uzbekistan