2010-04-Geneva

Geneva Trade and Biodiversity Day

22 Apr 2010
World Meteorological Organisation
Geneva, Switzerland

The International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) organised this event to explore the intersection between trade and biodiversity policy in the promotion of sustainable development. From WTO negotiations on fisheries subsidies to sustainability certification schemes, trade policies have strong implications for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity around the globe. The Geneva Trade and Biodiversity Day sought to identify and explore key issues at the trade and biodiversity nexus and provide inputs to the perceived lack of synergies between the two policy communities.

In the opening plenary session, Dr Francis Vorhies of the GDM 2010 Initiative presented the case for a green development mechanism to harness the opportunities of international trade to reduce the loss of biodiversity. He highlighted how a GDM, like the CDM, could provide the international framework for an international market for a certified environmental product — in this case, the supply of certified biodiversity-protected areas.

Event overview and agenda
GDM presentation
Event website: http://ictsd.org/i/events/dialogues/71583/

Roundtable lunch discussion on the GDM