Participants to these events provided significant feedback on the drafts and commented in detail on the
role of trade in facilitating the transition to a green economy, as well as on green economy measures
creating trade opportunities. They noted that significant sustainable trade potentials already exist in some
sectors, and that assistance will be needed to fully capture them. The participants particularly highlighted
the importance of support of intergovernmental organisations and the need for regional and international
coordination and cooperation to benefit from new opportunities.
Against this backdrop, the report, through real life examples and a review of available literature, aims to
provide governments, investors, private sector representatives and civil society with an overview on how
the transition to a greener economy can create sustainable trade opportunities particularly for developing
countries. While illustrating how green economy policies and investments in trade-related sectors are means
to achieve economic, social and environmental objectives in a mutually supportive manner, the report also
considers some of the main trade-related challenges faced by developing countries to take advantage of
the benefits arising from the transition to a greener economy. It explores how addressing these challenges
can present opportunities to advance economic and social development in a sustainable way.
This report adopts a case-based approach with a view to stimulating further analytical work and policy
dialogue, particularly at the national and regional level. It is composed of an introduction, six sectoral
chapters on agriculture, fisheries, forests, manufacturing, renewable energy, and tourism, and a conclusion.
The introduction provides an overview of the context, synergies and potential challenges of the nexus
between international trade and the transition to a green economy. Each of the sectoral chapters reviews
the environmental and economic context for greening the economy; presents green economy measures and
assesses how they can and do create new trade opportunities particularly for developing countries; and
finally discusses enabling conditions, policy tools and actions that can help support the creation of trade
opportunities in connection with green economy reforms. Each chapter includes case studies prepared by
field experts and academics, as well as a list of resources for further information.