Nature-positive Trade for Sustainable Development: Opportunities to Promote Synergies Between the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and Work on Sustainable Trade at the WTO

This document examines how trade and trade-related policies can be aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to advance sustainable development goals by 2030. It highlights the dual role of trade as both a driver of biodiversity loss and a potential enabler of conservation, sustainable use, and restoration of ecosystems. The paper reviews key international frameworks, including the Convention on Biological Diversity and the WTO’s evolving trade-environment agenda, to identify synergies and opportunities. It outlines explicit and implicit links between biodiversity targets and trade policies, such as regulating illegal wildlife trade, reforming harmful subsidies, integrating biodiversity into supply chains, and promoting environmental goods and services. The proposed actions emphasize fostering international cooperation, strengthening capacity building, and ensuring fair benefit sharing, while setting out options for WTO members to incorporate biodiversity considerations into negotiations, aid-for-trade initiatives, and subsidy reforms to support nature-positive trade by 2030