Climate change and other forms of environmental degradation are placing greater pressure on economic activities and obstructing the pursuit of sustainable development. Developing countries, especially those highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, face the challenge of balancing sustainable economic growth with their national development priorities. Recognizing the need for international cooperation, the Global Mutirão decision from COP30 initiated a sequence of dialogues on trade and climate change, with the explicit participation of UNCTAD.

UNCTAD’s work is based on the premise that developing countries can bridge trade and climate change policies to strengthen sustainable productive capacities and promote economic diversification. Integrating trade policy can also catalyze climate actions and build resilience to external shocks, including climate-related shocks. 

UNCTAD activities on climate change and green export respond to the mandates outlined in the Geneva Consensus, including: 

• Assist Member States to design and implement Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) measures related to trade and investment policies (para. 80.50);
• Support developing countries in identifying relevant trade and investment policies to contribute to the climate and environmental goals of the 2030 Agenda (para. 80.51);
• Collaborate with relevant international organizations and stakeholders to study the current frameworks that facilitate access to technologies for sustainable development with regard to developing countries (para. 80.54);
• Conduct analysis on the impact of trade-related environmental measures on the economies of developing countries and the impact on their trade and investment flows (para. 80.55).
• UNCTAD also contributes to the Integrated Forum on Climate Change and Trade (IFCCT), which was launched at COP 30 by the COP30 Presidency Brazil. The Forum aims to help countries collectively explore practical approaches to make trade a driver of a just, sustainable and inclusive transition. As outlined at a briefing held alongside the WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), in Yaoundé, Cameroon, the IFCCT is intended to run for an initial phase of 3 years.