With the COVID-19 crisis and the climate emergency negatively impacting the three dimensions of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental), what the world needs is a more coherent policy mix to protect the planet and ensure more inclusive development.
Inevitably, this must include trade policy. However, designing a coherent policy mix is a challenge. Some policy tools may contribute to environmental sustainability but may appear protectionist, while some trade-enhancing economic policies may appear adversary to the progress of a green/blue economy.
This session will discuss the main national and multilateral trade elements needed to foster climate change action, and green and circular economy solutions.
In particular, speakers will address how trade policies and rules can better support green development, and how the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” and the need for trade-climate readiness can be mainstreamed within the trade system.
Speakers:
- H.E. Mr. Augusto Santos Silva, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Portugal (video address)
- Rt Hon Patricia Scotland, QC, Secretary-General, The Commonwealth Secretariat
- Ms. Reina Sotillo, Member of the Board of the Green Climate Fund and Minister Plenipotentiary, Directorate of Environmental Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Relations, International Trade and Worship, Argentina
- Mr. Sonam P. Wangdi, Chair of the Least Developed Countries Group on Climate Change, and Secretary, National Environment Commission, Kingdom of Bhutan
- H.E. Mr. Chad Blackman, Ambassador and Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Barbados to the United Nations Office and WTO and former WTO CTE Chair
- Ms. Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, International Trade Center
Moderator:
- Ms. Teresa Moreira, Officer in Charge, Division on International Trade and Commodities, UNCTAD
Augusto Santos Silva was born in Oporto in 1956. He has a PhD in Sociology from ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (1992) - and is a Professor in Faculdade de Economia da Universidade do Porto. His political career has included many high-ranking posts in the Portuguese Government as Minister for Foreign Affairs (2015-2019), Minister of National Defense (2009-2011), Minister of Parliamentary Affairs (2005-2009), Minister of Culture (2001-2002), Minister of Education (2000-2001) and as Secretary of State for Educational Administration (1999-2000). He was also a Member of Parliament (2002-2005 and 2011). Between 1998 and 1999 he was Dean of Universidade do Porto and Chairman of the scientific council of Faculdade de Economia do Porto. Affiliated with Socialist Party since 1990, he is – nowadays – member of its national political commission. He has several books published related to Sociology and Political Ideas.
The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC is the 6th Commonwealth Secretary-General. She was born in Dominica and was their candidate for the post at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta in 2015. She is the 2nd Secretary-General from the Caribbean and the 1st woman to hold the post.
Patricia Scotland was born in the Commonwealth of Dominica. She completed her LLB (Hons) London University at the age of twenty and was called to the Bar at Middle Temple at the age of twenty-one.
Her career has been marked by achieving a number of extraordinary firsts, not least of which was to be the first woman in the more than 700-year history of the office to serve as Her Majesty’s Attorney-General for England and Wales and for Northern Ireland.
While holding these and other senior ministerial offices she was given responsibility, inter alia, for gender equality, domestic violence, forced marriage, and international child abduction, and from these positions promoted diversity and equality of opportunity, particularly for women and girls.
As the only woman to have been appointed Secretary-General of Commonwealth she is placing special emphasis on mobilising the 54 nations of the Commonwealth to tackle climate change – including its disproportionate impact on women – and, through women’s enterprise, to build the resilience of smaller or more vulnerable countries. Eliminating domestic violence and violence against women and girls is another area of focus.
Sonam P. Wangdi is the Secretary, National Environment Commission and Chair of the LDC Group under UNFCCC and selected as one of the 100 most influential people in climate policy by apolitical. He is a recipient of the Civil Service Gold Medal for 30 years of distinguished service. Prior to his present post, he was Director-General of the Department of Hydropower and Power Systems. He is a well-known Trade and Industry expert in Bhutan and in the region.
He served as the Chief Negotiator of Bhutan for Bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements, and as Deputy Chief Negotiator for Bhutan’s accession to the WTO from 2005 till 2012. He has represented the country in numerous negotiations, conferences, roadshows, seminars, and workshops abroad. He has served on some of the most important Task Forces, Committees, and Boards instituted by the Royal Government from time to time. In addition to his official functions, he serves on the Boards of Government Owned Companies, Public Listed Companies, Autonomous Agencies and serves as the Co-Chair to LoCAL. He has a wealth of experience in the economic sector at policy, enforcement, and corporate domains.
Chad Blackman, Barbadian politician and former diplomat, was appointed to the Senate of Barbados by the Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley, as well as Minister in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Investment.
He served as the Senior Advisor to the Director-General of the ILO, and as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, Vienna, and Rome, and Barbados’ Ambassador to Austria, Hungary, and Serbia
He was the President of the G77 and China Group in Geneva. He is the former Chair for the Trade and Environment Committee and former Chair of the Trade and Development Committee, both in the WTO. He chaired the SIDS Group at UNCTAD, was the Americas Co-ordinator for the Government Group in the ILO, and is a UN International Gender Champion Global Board Member.
Mr. Blackman holds a Law degree and a Master’s in International Trade Law from the University of Essex.
Pamela Coke-Hamilton has served as Executive Director of the International Trade Centre since 1 October 2020. She joined ITC from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), where she was Director of the Division on International Trade and Commodities.
Ms. Coke-Hamilton has a breadth of experience and expertise in trade-related capacity-building and sustainable development. She served with the Jamaican Government, the Caribbean Forum in trade negotiations, and multilateral institutions, including the Organization of American States and InterAmerican Development Bank. She previously served as Executive Director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, strengthening the private sector and micro, small and medium enterprises through investment promotion.
She has a deep understanding of the challenges faced by vulnerable economies such as the small island developing States and least developed countries. Ms. Coke-Hamilton has worked extensively with the private sector across African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and academia to build trade-related institutional strength within member States. She also established the Women Empowered through Export (WeXport) platform to address the disadvantages that women-owned firms experience in accessing markets.
Ms. Coke-Hamilton holds a Juris Doctor in Law from the Georgetown University School of Law in Washington, DC, and a BSc in International Relations and Economics from the University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.
