A/HRC/42/35 Research showed that the airports and seaports of small island developing States were vulnerable under all climate change scenarios, illustrating the urgency of taking action. 64. Mr. Torres presented actions for mainstreaming trade to attain the Sustainable Development Goals. He explained how integration into the multinational trading system improved developing countries’ long-term prospects by providing access to new markets, new technologies and new investment. In Samoa and Maldives, mainstreaming trade policies to tackle capacity constraints had advanced economic growth and development. Structural changes in the global economy made the link between trade and development more complex. Automation, digitalization and new business models had revolutionized all aspects of our lives, presenting opportunities to promote growth and development. Unprecedented technological advance drove structural changes in labour markets, where productivity gains from new technologies reduced the demand for labour in traditional sectors such as agriculture or manufacturing. The “fourth industrial revolution” also posed challenges to Governments and societies. Mr. Torres illustrated cases demonstrating that the multilateral trading system brought predictability, security and fairness to international economic relations, which was particularly important for realizing the right to development in developing countries. 65. Ms. Reid Smith provided a civil society perspective on the potential of trade for achieving sustainable development. She stressed the challenge of meaningful participation by civil society in trade negotiations. In their joint report on the right to development (A/HRC/39/18), the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner had noted that preserving policy space to exercise sovereignty was crucial to promoting the right to development. Ms. Reid Smith also discussed possible negative impact of royalties, bilateral investment treaties, sovereign debt restructuring and the digital divide. The practice of requiring more commitments from developing countries and least developed countries than from existing World Trade Organization members was problematic. Relevant ongoing negotiations at the World Trade Organization included a proposed reform process, fisheries subsidies and affordable services. Acceding countries would possibly be forced to join the optional agreements deriving from voluntary negotiations. Ms. Reid Smith asked the Working Group if Governments had undertaken human rights impact assessments, as recommended by the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner in their report on the right to development. 66. In the ensuing discussion, the representatives of Bangladesh, Ecuador, Ethiopia, the European Union, the Gambia, Kenya, Mauritania, Mozambique, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela took the floor, followed by the Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII (speaking on behalf of the Working Group on the Right to Development of the Forum of Catholic-Inspired NGOs in Geneva), the Europe-Third World Centre, the International Human Rights Association of American Minorities, the Nigeria-Togo Association and the Society for Threatened Peoples. Several speakers stressed the role of international cooperation in realizing the right to development. Some delegates noted the need to enhance international cooperation, particularly in relation to the issues of climate change and technology transfer. The representative of the Gambia reiterated that the right to development also required cooperation between the United Nations human rights and trade agencies. The delegate of Bangladesh asked for recommendations regarding engagement in multilateral negotiations, particularly in relation to e-commerce and small and medium-sized enterprises. The European Union stressed the need to recognize that divergent views on the implementation of the right to development remained. The human rights-based approach remained the guiding principle of the actions conducted by the European Union, including its strategic approach to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The representative of the Syrian Arab Republic highlighted the interrelationship between international constraints and the ability of States to realize the right to development for their peoples, as some Western countries resorted to imposing unilateral economic sanctions on other States for political reasons. Challenges and constraints at the international level impeding States’ efforts to realize that right, particularly those related to the spread of terrorism and the imposition of unilateral coercive measures, must not be ignored. She reiterated that international cooperation was essential for supporting States’ national efforts to realize the right to development. 12