The event will promote multi-stakeholder dialogue on the role of coherent and transparent standards in accelerating the global scale-up of low-carbon steelmaking technologies and avoiding trade frictions. It will bring together WTO members, industry, standards bodies, international organizations and academic experts to share perspectives on challenges and opportunities around decarbonization standards and the potential role of the WTO in promoting trade-related international cooperation, with a focus on the iron and steel supply chain.
It will feature a Leaders’ Conversation with Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Mr Aditya Mittal, chief executive officer of Arcelor Mittal; and Princess Abze Djigma, Special Envoy of the President of Burkina Faso for Sustainable Development Goals and Climate Change.
Two “action panels” will discuss current progress in setting emission thresholds for the steel industry, challenges faced by developing countries, and opportunities for driving global transparency and coherence in decarbonization standards. This will be followed by a closing session on what role the WTO can play to address issues identified in the panel sessions.
The event builds on the WTO Secretariat’s analytical work on carbon standards, including the most recent report focusing on the steel industry as part of the Trade and Climate Change information brief series and the 2022 World Trade Report: Climate change and international trade.
This work highlights the risk of fragmentation and incompatibility of standards, which can lead to uncertainty for producers, increase transaction costs, and risk trade frictions. Further cooperation among relevant stakeholders on aligning specific measurement methodologies, definitions and performance thresholds and ensuring participation of developing countries in these efforts can accelerate decarbonization and facilitate trade.
The event will be held in person at the WTO in Geneva and livestreamed. The full programme and the registration for in-person and virtual participation are available here.
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