WilmerHale, the Institute of Small and Micro States (ISMS) and the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) are delighted to host a two-day conference on trade and investment as they relate to small and micro states. The conference is the seventh in our series of conferences on issues relating to small states.
The importance of trade and investment and the need to rethink them have been highlighted by the recent health crisis, as well as by environmental challenges and technological advances. Trade has been essential to saving lives and livelihoods; and international co-operation has been needed to keep trade flowing. Investment has been and will be important to overcome some of the pandemic’s impact.
While small states are often treated as dependent and highly vulnerable to the whims of global markets, they have shown considerable resilience and ability to thrive in economic niches. Each small state is unique and needs to address its development prospects in the context of its own cultural, historical and social realities. There are also differences between regions. But most small states share a number of common characteristics.