At the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), the Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate hosted an event on “Priorities and opportunities for collective trade action and cooperation to contribute to achieving climate goals” on 15 November in the Trade and Investment House.
The Coalition’s presence at COP29 reflects the commitment of its members to breaking down silos between trade and climate and cooperating in their contribution to the global response to climate change. The event also advanced one of the key priorities noted in the Coalition’s launch statement, namely to “build alliances and partnerships with climate and finance communities and relevant stakeholders to foster climate action, transitions, and climate-resilient development on the ground.”
The event provided an opportunity for Coalition members to highlight the Coalition’s priorities and Menu of Voluntary Actions, and also to engage with a diverse set of leaders from the climate community, who provided a range of perspectives on concrete trade-related actions and collaborations that can advance climate goals and support inclusive cooperation on trade, climate and sustainable development.
Speakers from stakeholder organizations highlighted the importance of cooperation on trade and climate to support global climate agenda priorities on tripling renewable energy, addressing climate vulnerability, advancing sustainability in agriculture, decarbonization of industry, and responding to natural disasters. Speakers also underscored the need for cooperation on trade and climate that supports economic diversification in developing countries, climate-resilient development in light of climate priorities, and promoting an equitable trading system that supports economies rich in critical minerals required for the clean energy transition.
We encourage you to view a video recording of the interventions by the Coalition co-lead ministers:
H.E. Luis Alberto Jaramillo, Minister for Production, Trade, Investment, and Fisheries, Ecuador
H.E. Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice President & Commissioner for Trade, European Union
The full agenda and speakers are noted below.
Moderator: Bernice Lee OBE, Hoffmann Distinguished Fellow, Chatham House
Coalition Ministers and representatives
H.E. Luis Alberto Jaramillo, Minister for Production, Trade, Investment, and Fisheries, Ecuador, Coalition co-lead (video message)
H.E. Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice President & Commissioner for Trade, European Union, Coalition co-lead (video message)
Rachel Kyte CMG, UK Special Envoy on Climate, United Kingdom
H.E. James Baxter, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the WTO
Senior Leaders from multilateral organizations
Jean-Marie Paugam, Deputy Director-General, World Trade Organization
Roundtable participants
Ben Backwell, CEO, Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and Chair-Elect, Global Renewables Alliance (GRA)
Saliem Fakir, Founder and Executive Director of the African Climate Foundation (ACF)
Marit Kitaw, Interim Director, African Minerals Development Center (AMDC)
Dominic Waughray, Executive Vice President, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
Andrew Wilson, Deputy Secretary-General, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
Theo Mitchell, Director, Climate - Europe and International, Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)
Hans Verolme, Senior Strategic Advisor, Forest, Agriculture & Commodity Trade (FACT) Dialogue
Closing remarks
H.E. Erwin Bollinger, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the WTO, Switzerland, Chair of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE)
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The Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate brings together 64 Ministers from a diversity of countries from different regions with varying levels of development, climate vulnerabilities and trade circumstances.