Tulip at the WTO Public Forum 2024: Advancing Sustainable Trade

For the 2024 edition of the annual World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum, held from September 10 to 13 in Geneva, TULIP Consulting was able to send a delegation consisting of its director Colette van der Ven, and senior consultants Sanvid Tuljapurkar and Sunayana Sasmal. The forum, themed “Reglobalization: Better Trade for a Better World,” provided a platform for discussing how re-globalization can help make trade more inclusive. TULIP director Colette van der Ven was given the opportunity to talk about earlier research conducted on two different panels.

The first panel, titled “Unlocking Bangladesh’s Textile Recycling Potential for Sustainable LDC Graduation,” was organized by EuroCommerce and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). This session brought together government and business leaders from Bangladesh and Europe to explore strategic trade policies aimed at enhancing Bangladesh’s textile recycling. Colette drew from TULIP’s earlier report on circular innovation and eco-design in the textile sector, commissioned by SITRA, to highlight the challenges and opportunities Bangladesh’s textile sector faces in its transition to a circular economy and outlined the ways in which trading partners can support Bangladesh in this transition. She also discussed the implications of the European Union’s Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation on Bangladesh’s textile industry.

In the second session, “Implementing Regional Trade Agreements for Inclusive Re-Globalization,” organized by the Jacques Delors Institute and Trade Policy Exchange, the discussion centred on the role of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) within the multilateral trading system. The panel explored how RTAs can contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive global economy. Key topics included the contemporary role of RTAs, their complementarity with the multilateral system, and their potential to either foster inclusivity or contribute to fragmentation. Colette’s contributions to this panel focused on innovation in sustainability provisions in RTAs, their implementation and their impact. She also discussed TULIP’s recent publication, “Towards a Better Balance: Leveraging EU FTAs to Advance Responsible and Resilient Raw Materials Trade.” This publication highlights an imbalance in the environmental and raw materials chapters of EU Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). While provisions aimed at securing raw materials and energy create clear, binding obligations, those related to sustainability are often aspirational and lack enforceable rights or obligations.

TULIP Advisory Board Member Robert Lawrence was also present to launch his new book, “Behind the Curve: Can Manufacturing Still Provide Inclusive Growth?”, arguing that efforts to revive manufacturing employment are unlike to succeed. TULIP advisory board member Katrin Kuhlmann spoke on a number of panels and launched her new book entitled: “Next Generation Approaches to Trade and Development: Balancing Economic, Social & Environmental Sustainability” showcasing ways to navigate the complex intersection of trade and development in changing times.

The public forum also presented an excellent opportunity to meet with other experts in the trade community, and to exchange ideas on how to address key challenges at the trade-environment-development nexus. Colette van der Ven met with Pascal Lamy, Genevieve Pons and Claudia Azevedo to discus priority issues to address at the trade-environment-development nexus. The team also met with experts to discuss issues relevant to deforestation and trade, critical raw materials, food security, and the circular economy.

More generally, the discussions at this year’s WTO Public Forum underscored the need for more effective and balanced trade policies to support sustainable development and address the challenges faced by developing countries in the global trading system. It underscored the importance of going beyond discussing the problems and engaging in granular research that can identify practical and innovative solutions. This is what TULIP’s work strives to contribute to throughout the year.