‘Trade Advisory and NWU-TRADE WTO Chair User Group Webinar (15 October 2020)’

As COVID-19 wreaked havoc on global trade, Martin Cameron (Managing Director of Trade Research Advisory, a spin-out company of the North-West University) and Prof Wilma Viviers (Research professor) in the TRADE (Trade and Development) research entity and holder of the WTO Chair at the North-West University, South Africa hosted the 8th TRADE-DSM User Group Webinar under the auspices of the WTO Chairs programme.

“Financial Risk Management in the Anthropocene era”, in T. Walker et al,

We examine the financial risk management of the climate crisis from three perspectives. First, we assess the serious risks from climate change. The ecological and financial consequences of climate change depend on the future path of emissions, as well as the specific circumstances of specific countries and populations. Second, we assess the previous success of market solutions through pricing sulfur and carbon dioxide emissions.

“To Dystopia and Beyond: The WTO in a Warming Megaregional World” in Lewis, et al (Eds.) A Post-WTO International Legal Order

This chapter highlights the linkages between the climate crisis and trade negotiations in a dystopic post-WTO world. It argues that the window of opportunity to achieve an effective multilateral trade regime has closed and will be sealed shut by accelerating climate change. The post-WTO regime is a megaregional regime, and it will exclude those countries that do not get on board before the destabilizing effects of the climate crisis make their inclusion impossible to achieve. Geopolitical shifts destabilized the WTO regime and have led to its collapse.

Regional Trade Agreements: Fall 2020

Students will analyze legal aspects of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) in their historical, economic and political contexts. The principal topics include: trade in goods, trade in services, trade remedies (subsidies and dumping), foreign investment regulation, trade & environment (with an emphasis on climate change), intellectual property rights, and dispute settlement. The foundation of the course will focus on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA & USMCA), and the course will compare NAFTA approaches to more recent developments in other RTAs, such as the CPTPP.

Emissions Trading Schemes under International Economic Law. by JAMES MUNRO.

In this book review, Bradly Condon, WTO Chair in Mexico, finds that Emissions Trading Schemes under International Economic Law is a well-written and timely book, which addresses many important issues regarding the application of the international economic law regime to the climate regime. It is a welcome contribution to the literature on climate change and international economic law.

"Governance and renewable energy investment in MENA countries: How does trade matter?" appeared in Energy Economics

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries have recently developed renewable energy (RE) markets. However, their rate of investment in renewable energy remains small compared to other regions in the world despite their relatively abundant endowments, particularly in wind and solar. While the literature identifies some barriers to investment in renewable energy, we assume that the investment of MENA countries could be impeded by specific governance factors. Furthermore, we consider recent literature showing that trade openness reduces the negative effects of weak governance.

Seminario sobre las Reformas en la OMC

Angel Villalobos, Director General De Comercio Internacional de Servicios e Inversión de la Secretaría de Economía del Gobierno de México, organizó un panel
en las oficinas de la Secretaría de Economía en la Ciudad de México, para funcionarios de gobierno y el sector privado, sobre las Reformas en la OMC. Los Panelistas de este Seminario de tres horas sobre la OMC fueron:

PAOLO CADIRI
Jefe de la Sección Económica y Comercial de la Delegación de la Unión Europea en México.

RYOSUKE KUWANA
Ministro de la Embajada de Japón en México.

ITAM hosted SIEL Regional Conference: V BIENNIAL CONFERENCE OF THE LATIN AMERICAN NETWORK OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC LAW

ITAM hosted SIEL regional conference for Latin American International Economic Law Network on 14-15 October 2019. The conference theme was: “STEPS BACK IN THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC LAW ORDER: IMPACTS TO LATIN AMERICA”. Twelve panels, more than 45 speakers from 10 different countries, on issues such as gender and trade, regional integration, trade and technology, trade and health, and trade and investment. The program is attached. Papers can be provided on request.

On the Blue Economy: Concepts and Recent Developments in reference to Sustainability and Climate Change

The focus of the lecture will be on the concept of the Blue Economy and other related concepts which are used globally; the contribution of the Blue Economy at global level in promoting growth and generating employment; Blue Economy as a paradigm shift; the essentials of Blue Economy; the issues involved in the Blue Economy such as the Measurement of the Blue Economy; Accounting of the natural capital; Ocean Acidification; health of the ocean and the optimization of the benefits from the ocean/marine resources.

Climate Change and Trade Governance: Implications for the Travel and Tourism Sector in SIDS and the Caribbean

The Public Forum is the WTO’s largest annual outreach event, which provides a platform for participants to discuss the latest developments in world trade and to propose ways of enhancing the multilateral trading system. This paper explores the evolving intersection between climate change policies and trade governance with emphasis on the issues for the travel and tourism industry based on the recognition that it is not sufficient to cope solely with the challenges of environmental change.