Reimagining global trade governance for an inclusive and sustainable future
This event forms part of the IISD Trade + Sustainability Hub, convened alongside the 14th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Saturday, 28 March 2026 | 16:00 – 17:30 WAT (GMT+1)
IISD Trade + Sustainability Hub
Hilton Yaoundé Hotel, Room B (livestream)
Description
Global trade governance is at a crossroads, presenting both challenges and opportunities to advance a fair, low-carbon, and sustainable future. This session will explore how the multilateral trade system can drive environmental and social sustainability while addressing systemic barriers faced by Global South countries, including limited access to climate finance, green technologies, and equitable market opportunities.
Drawing on research, policy analysis and experiences from Africa and the wider Global South, participants will examine practical pathways to align trade, climate, biodiversity and development objectives. The discussion will highlight how current governance gaps and unilateral climate-related trade measures, such as Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAMs), affect competitiveness, industrialisation, and livelihoods in developing economies.
Speakers will also explore how ongoing WTO negotiations and processes, in conjunction with other international forums, can be leveraged to create a just and inclusive trade system. The session aims to generate actionable recommendations for reforms that support sustainable, low-carbon global trade while advancing inclusive development goals.
This session will:
- Assess ongoing climate-related WTO trade negotiations and discussions, their implications for inclusive and equitable climate action, and generate policy recommendations that enhance coherence between WTO discussions, the Paris Agreement, the global biodiversity agenda and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
- Identify approaches to advance the trade and development inspirations of member states to achieve green industrialisation across multiple levels of trade policymaking.
- Examine the impacts of WTO negotiations and emerging unilateral climate-related trade measures, such as CBAMs, on export competitiveness, industrialisation and livelihoods in developing economies.
- Explore approaches to ensure that emerging sustainability standards are science-based, transparent and legitimate, and that WTO subsidy rules reinforce the WTO’s overarching mission of promoting sustainable development.
