The panel was entitled "Bridging the Gap: Equitable, Transparent, and Sustainable Instruments and Innovative Policies to Maximise the Benefits of Global Trade while Ensuring Environmental Objectives", with Dr. Jan Yves Remy, Director of the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services at the University of West Indies and Doctor of Philosophy in Law from the Geneva Graduate Institute; Dr. Moises Covarrubias, Research Fellow of the Earth System Governance Project and WCE, and Climate Change Scientist, C4U Project; Miriam Rebecca Ouma, Associate at Adroit Law; and Marios Tokas, PhD Candidate at the Institute and Research Fellow at the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law.
During an online course organised by the University of Cambridge, Ana Balcazar-Moreno joined forces with classmates Miriam Rebecca Ouma, Moisés Covarrubias, Wisdom Kana, and Elred Lawrence due to their shared passion for equitable and sustainable trade laws, policies, and practices. Together, they successfully applied to the WTO Public Forum 2024.
We quickly realised that, despite our varied backgrounds, we have a common vision: ‘To challenge prevailing concepts and to rethink trade frameworks to ensure the effective inclusion of local and gender nuances in environmentally sustainable initiatives and regimes that foster meaningful interlinkages and address systemic gaps.’
- Ana Balcazar-Moreno
The panel explored the intersection of trade, development, and environmental issues by going beyond purely economic and environmental considerations and engaging with dimensions of equity, innovation, sustainability, and transparency. The discussions provided insight into decolonising trade laws, policies, and practices toward a more inclusive global economy that more equitably shares the benefits of trade. They addressed crucial issues such as the protection of indigenous knowledge, equitable participation of marginalised actors, and how the digitalisation of international trade can increase transparency and accountability toward accessibility and participation of low-developed economies.
Diversity brought us together. From indigenous people’s descendants to justice advocates and from early-career to mid-senior sustainable trade and international law professionals, we represent a committed group passionate about rethinking the laws and policies that serve to bridge the gap between access, capacity-building, and inclusive participation of local communities. We espouse policies and instruments that deliver equity, responsible investment, transparency, accountability, and sustainability of global trade, thus maximising the benefits beyond "greening" framing virtues. Global Trade is also about diversity, and this multiplicity has fuelled our collaborations and engagements to advance genuinely holistic approaches to diversity and inclusion in trade-related activities.
- Ana Balcazar-Moreno
The panellists would like to acknowledge the crucial support in preparing their presentation of Professor Lucile Maertens, Professor Neha Mishra, Professor Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, Professor Meredith A. Crowley, Dr Markus Gehring, Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz, Matheus Frederico Paes Garcia, Tejas Rao, and Dmitry Grozoubinski, Executive Director of the Geneva Trade Platform, Joan Okitoi-Heisig, and Joanita Kalibala.