Geneva, 5 September 2016 - The Environment and Trade Hub, in collaboration with the Technology Unit (Economy Division, UN Environment), hosted a workshop entitled, "The Technology-Trade Nexus: A Key Enabling Force for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals" on the 16th of September in Paris.
This workshop, constituting a part of a series of Technology Dialogues organized by UN Environment and linking to the newly established Environment and Trade Hub, discussed issues related to the connection between technology and trade and their role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. It also facilitated the exchange of knowledge, experience and lessons learned surrounding this vital nexus and proposed "next steps" and discussed the way forward in translating the technology-trade agenda into a concrete trajectory for action.
The Environment and Trade Hub also presented its ongoing work on Environmentally Sound Technologies.
"By working through a network of national, regional and international partners, the work of the Hub will foster environmentally friendly growth while contributing to several Sustainable Development Goals and finding creative solutions for achieving the 2030 Agenda", said Anja von Moltke, Head of the Environment and Trade Hub. "There is value in bringing different communities together – not just trade negotiators and the environmental community -- but also technology practitioners, private sector, and other experts. We can, and should, upscale this effort".
Feedback from attendees provided UN Environment the opportunity to see the value of, and need for, bringing the trade and environment as well as the private and public sector communities together for discussion on creative solutions and collaborative approaches. The workshop provided a forum to do so, with an array of stakeholders in attendance.
"2015 was the most important year in recent history for development, where consensus was built between east and west, north south, rich and poor, private sector and society. This is no longer business as usual after 2015. Private finance has to be part of the solution", said Henry de Cazotte, Senior Advisor to the Director of Sustainable Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France.
"The Environmental Goods Agreement is a good tool from a trade policy point of view towards global value chains, mitigation, adaption and innovation", said Mr. Alvaro Cedeno Molinari, Ambassador of Costa Rica at the World Trade Organization.
Dynamic discussions at the workshop led to several conclusions on the value of the technology-trade nexus. It was concluded that existing knowledge platforms should be customized to better inform scientists, trade negotiators and civil society in their respective capacities for decision-making. Education remains a crucial element and there is a need to employ an integrated approach in transmitting knowledge on issues related to trade, environment and climate change. In order to tackle non-tariff barriers, harmonizing technology standards across markets will become crucial after the EGA is concluded. Furthermore, existing forums to bring together actors, such as the Science, Technology and Innovation Forum of the Economic and Social Council, the United Nations Environment Assembly, and the Environment and Trade Hub, should be fully utilized.
For more information, see the outcome document here.
Background
In the context of the newly-minted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals, the intersection of trade and technology serves as a key means of implementation to tackle several global issues. In recent years, the multilateral trading system has witnessed an amplified volume of trade in technology, notwithstanding vast environmental implications. In light of a changing climate and increased environmental degradation, an imperative arises to change the portfolio of technologies traded from conventional to environmentally sound technologies (ESTs) through a range of regulatory means and incentives.
A host of environmental regulations paired with market forces have encouraged industry to reduce its ecological footprint, signalling growth in the trade of “green” technologies or ESTs. This has elevated global trade in environmental goods, of which EST are a sub-set, to USD 1 trillion annually. With international measures like the Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA), global trade in environmental goods is projected to further grow to USD 3 trillion by 2020. Developing countries increasingly outpace industrialized economies in terms of renewable energy investment, and can harness benefits from increased trade in EST. Particularly, increasing the trade and uptake of ESTs can result in several benefits for development and the environment, ranging from reduced air and water pollution to improved energy efficiency.
Yet tariff and non-tariff barriers widely hamper trade in technology, and thus its diffusion. In order to identify ways to enhance trade in ESTs and to augment access to technologies, it is crucial to address trade related barriers. In order to further the dissemination of ESTs, especially in the context of developing countries, it is critical to provide policy advice and capacity building at this important nexus in order to more effectively deliver upon the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
