The Roundtable on Promoting Trade for Sustainable Development will focus on the positive contribution that trade can make to the sustainable development process of developing countries. Key issues to be addressed include:

• Opportunities that growing global markets for environmentally preferable products (such as organic agriculture) may provide for export diversification, poverty alleviation and rural community development;
• Opportunities for competitiveness gains and possible benefits from enhanced natural resource efficiency, occupational safety, consumer health and improved environmental conditions that can be derived from pro-active adjustment policies to environmental requirements in the international marketplace;
• The role of environmental goods and services in the sustainable development process of developing countries and the abilities of their companies, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises, to respond to environmental requirements and enhance international competitiveness;
• Opportunities to harness traditional knowledge for trade and development.

Further information on UNCTAD XI can be accessed at the official UNCTAD XI website.