International cooperation is difficult, and it is especially hard in times of increasing polarization. The last few years of trade policy have felt like ongoing crisis management, and the forces pulling governments away from cooperation have been persistent. However, we also know that cooperation—where it makes sense—delivers better outcomes, and many of the long-term challenges to global sustainable development cannot be met without it. The question is, how can we find our way back to cooperation on trade policy?

The Closing Plenary of this edition of the IISD Trade and Sustainability Hub will bring together thought leaders from outside government to set an agenda for action in response to the key questions the Hub has asked on the topic of cooperation: are we spending wisely as we tackle climate change through industrial policy? How do we allocate the burden of change when we use trade policy to protect the natural environment? What would a fairer, more inclusive trading system look like?