Commodities amid the climate emergency: Sustainable trade and value addition
The Global Commodities Forum – organized by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) with the support of its partners – is a major multi-stakeholder conference aimed at discussing pragmatic solutions to challenges faced by stakeholders in agriculture, mineral and energy-related commodity value chains, with a focus on developing countries. The theme of the tenth session is “Commodities amid the climate emergency: Sustainable production, trade and value addition”.
The Forum will bring together stakeholders from the public and private sectors, international organizations and academia for policy dialogues that address challenges to and opportunities in commodity production, trade and value addition in the context of the increasing risks and disruptions caused by climate change. The ongoing climate emergency has significant implications for agriculture, mineral and energy-related value chains worldwide.
At each session of the Forum, panellists will examine particular aspects of the ongoing climate emergency and the energy transition that affect sustainable production, trade and value addition in different commodity sectors.
The four sessions are dedicated to the following issues:
- Adaptation to the energy transition in fossil fuel-dependent developing countries
- Promoting natural fibers in the climate action agenda
- Fostering sustainable trade in agricultural commodities: The role of standards and traceability
- Critical minerals and the energy transition
Participation
This session is open to all member States of UNCTAD. Participants may include representatives from national Governments, international commodity bodies and the private sector, as well as policymakers and experts, from all regions of the world.
Registration
Online registration is mandatory for all those wishing to attend the session, including invited government representatives, experts and speakers.
Logistics
The session will be held with physical participation in room XIX of the Palais des Nations, with simultaneous interpretation into the six official languages of the United Nations.
Those who cannot attend the meeting in person will be able to listen to the live audio stream in the six official languages of the United Nations.
The link to listen live will be sent to registered participants, at the email address used for registration, one day in advance of the start of the session.
Mr. Pedro Manuel Moreno of Spain, is Deputy Secretary-General of UNCTAD.
He has over 20 years of experience of working for multilateral and intergovernmental organizations in programme, management and strategic positions both in the field and at headquarters.
He was Deputy Secretary-General of the Communication for Development Committee at the Spanish National Commission with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (1999-2004), and for the United Nations Development Programme, at the Country Office in Ecuador and, in New York City, as part of the Human Development Report team, at the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean and at the Executive Office.
In 2014, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Ibero-American Conference in Madrid, where he coordinated key political processes and South-South cooperation projects.
In September 2021, he was named Chief of Staff and Director of the Office of the Secretary-General of UNCTAD.
Ms Chandrima Chatterjee is the Secretary General of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), New Delhi.
Ms. Chandrima Chatterjee with her 25 years of experience of research, policy, advocacy and trade facilitation.
Besides working on trade facilitation and competitiveness issues for the textile value chain, she has been associated with skilling, sustainability and responsible business initiatives, recognizing the growing role of these as competitiveness tools.
Having worked on domestic and export sector and dealt with issues of the entire textile value chain through her earlier stints at AEPC, CITI and national bodies like ASSOCHAM, she has been lending her expertise for an overall growth of the textile value chain, in line with CITIs vision of a strong textile industry in India.
Elisabeth van Delden is the Sustainability Manager Europe at Woolmark and Campaign Manager for Make the Label Count
Elisabeth started working in the natural fibre industry in 2011 when she joined the International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) as Secretary General in Brussels. This was the time and place where she developed her passion for natural fibres and gained expertise in navigating the EU's legislative processes. Before joining Woolmark, she consulted with natural fibre companies along the entire supply chain, from farm to fashion. In her role as Campaign Manager for Make the Label Count, Elisabeth advocates for a level playing field for natural fibres within EU textile legislation. Make the Label Count is building an international coalition of organisations representing a wide range of natural fibre producers and environmental groups, who are all working together to ensure that sustainability claims for textiles in the EU are fair and credible.
Robert Antoshak has over 30 years of experience in the fiber and textile industries. As a partner with the Gherzi Textil Organisation, he manages the Gherzi USA office and consults with various companies throughout the textile supply chain.
He has held executive positions with the Fiber Economics Bureau as editor of the Fiber Organon, the American Fiber Manufacturers Association as Director of International Trade, the American Textile Manufacturers as Associate Director of International Trade, Trade Resources, Inc. as President, Werner International as Vice President, INTL-FCStone, LLC as Managing Director of the Fibers & Textiles Division, and Olah Inc. as Managing Director.
In addition to an extensive background in marketing, mergers & acquisitions, sourcing, information services, and strategic planning, Mr. Antoshak has strong experience in trade negotiations and worked as an FBI-cleared industry advisor to the U.S. government on numerous bilateral quota trade agreements, NAFTA, the MFA, and the WTO.
Widely published, Mr. Antoshak is a regular contributor to just-style.com and sourcingjournal.com.
Registration Register online for this meeting 
Related
Topic
Commodities Meeting series
Event
- Session 1: Adaptation to the energy transition in fossil fuel-dependent developing countries
- Session 2: Promoting natural fibers in the climate action agenda
- Session 3: Fostering sustainable trade in agricultural commodities: The role of standards and traceability
- Session 4: Harnessing benefits from critical energy transition minerals
Contact
Communications concerning representation:
UNCTAD secretariat, Intergovernmental Support Service
F.: +41 (0) 22 917 0214
E.: [email protected]
All other enquiries:
Commodities Branch
T.: +41 (0) 22 917 6286 / 5261
E.: [email protected]