Second Stakeholders Steering Committee (SSC) Meeting for BioTrade

Background

In March 2018, the UNCTAD BioTrade Initiative launched its programme “Linking trade, biodiversity and sustainable development” with the financial support of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO. This 4-year programme aims to contribute to the advancement of SDGs 15 and 17, and relevant Aichi targets by increasing coordination and knowledge sharing among stakeholders; creating an enabling policy environment for BioTrade companies; and facilitating market linkages for companies selling BioTrade-related products. To achieve these objectives, the programme is implemented by UNCTAD in close collaboration with its BioTrade partners and relevant stakeholders.

A central part of the programme is the Stakeholders Steering Committee (SSC), which serves as the international coordination mechanism set out under the programme to promote sectoral collaboration and upscale BioTrade initiatives worldwide. The SSC brings together various BioTrade partners on an annual basis to review past and future activities, set priorities, align efforts, and identify areas for potential new partnerships. The SSC also serves as a platform to coordinate joint initiatives, identify emerging issues, and share knowledge, lessons learned and good practices resulting from BioTrade related activities.

The first meeting of the SSC took place on 17 May 2018 in Geneva. It resulted in the definition and adoption of the Programme’s Roadmap as a planning tool to operationalize the strategic decisions made at the SSC meetings. This Roadmap is conceived as a living document that lists relevant partners' activities and pledges for the purpose of  monitoring and implementation. Discussions among partners also identified a number of emerging issues for future discussions, as well as new partnership opportunities.

Objective

Building on the achievements of the first SSC, the second meeting of the Steering Committee will aim to review new and upcoming activities. It will provide an opportunity for participants to plan and coordinate future joint collaboration; enhance their knowledge and understanding of relevant emerging issues in the BioTrade world; and share lessons and best practices based on their practical experiences. As the project enters its second year, the SSC will prioritize joint action on high impact initiatives such as contributions to the post-2020 process, reviews of SDG implementation, or the revision of the BioTrade Principles and Criteria.