WTO - Members discuss possible TESSD outcomes for delivery at MC13 WTO members taking part in the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) on 11 July considered possible outcomes to promote opportunities for environmentally sustainable trade for delivery by the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) to be held in February 2024. Members also welcomed Barbados as the newest participant in TESSD, which now includes 75 WTO members as co-sponsors.

Members advance work on environmental issues in specific sectors after stocktaking event WTO members taking part in the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) advanced work in four informal working groups covering climate measures, subsidies, environmental goods and services, and the circular economy at their first meeting of the year on 16-17 March.

WTO - Members take stock of sustainability discussions, signal priorities for concrete action WTO members participating in the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) on 2 December held a high-level event to take stock of progress made this year and to signal their priorities for further work ahead of the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13).

WTO - Participants advance work on environmental sustainability, eye high-level event WTO members participating in the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) on 11 November reviewed progress in the four informal working groups under the initiative as well as preparations for a high-level stocktaking event scheduled for 2 December.

IISD - Trade and Sustainability Discussions at WTO Approaching Next Milestone Following a ministerial statement in 2021, TESSD participants, established four informal working groups, which cover trade-related climate measures, environmental goods and services, circular economy – circularity, and subsidies.

WTO - Preparations under way for high-level event on environmental sustainability in December At a plenary meeting on 19-20 July, WTO members taking part in the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) explored the next steps in preparing for a high-level event in December and proposals for outcomes.

WTO - WTO members share early results and plans to ramp up action on trade and environment Co-sponsors of three separate environmental talks at the WTO announced on 13 June, at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12), the concrete steps they are taking to advance work on plastics, fossil fuel subsidy reform, and environmental sustainability to pave the way for outcomes that will harness trade for the planet’s protection.

IISD - Trade and Environment Agenda Inches Forward Ahead of MC12 Discussions on trade and environmental sustainability, plastic pollution, and fossil fuel subsidy reform within the WTO have continued to progress despite the postponement of the Twelfth Ministerial Conference. This policy analysis takes a closer look at the activities taking place under the three main initiatives and their areas of focus ahead of the conference.

WTO - Members deepen discussions on trade and environmental sustainability WTO members taking part in the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) held the first round of in-depth discussions on 17-18 May on four specific issues under the TESSD heading.

WTO - Members launch discussions under trade and environmental sustainability work plan for 2022 WTO members taking part in the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) met on 31 March to initiate discussions on a variety of topics as part of their agreed 2022 work plan.

WTO - Participants discuss work plan for new trade and environmental sustainability talks WTO members taking part in a new initiative on trade and environmental sustainability met on 7 February to review a proposed 2022 work plan and exchange views on priorities for discussion. Representatives from international organizations and civil society groups also offered their views on the focus for work in the coming year.

IISD - Ministerial Statement Highlights Environmentally Sustainable Trade WTO Members released the TESSD Ministerial Statement despite the postponement of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference. The ministerial statement recognizes “sustainable development and the protection and preservation of the environment” as “fundamental goals of the WTO,” and acknowledges the role of international trade and trade policy in supporting environmental and climate objectives and promoting more sustainable consumption and production to help reach the SDGs. It also notes the importance of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) in furthering these goals, including the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement on climate change, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

WTO - Proposed TESSD Statement for MC12 Published In a communication dated 15 November, the proponents of TESSD circulated their proposed Ministerial Statement for the WTO 12th Ministerial Conference as WTO document WT/MIN(21)/6.

WTO - China, US welcomed as new participants in trade and environmental sustainability talks WTO members taking part in the new initiative on trade and environmental sustainability welcomed China and the United States as new co-sponsors for the discussions at their meeting on 4 November. Participants also expressed broad support for a draft ministerial statement that would set out future work for the initiative in areas such as trade and climate change as well as fix a road map for advancing discussions in 2022.

WTO - Members advance work on trade and environmental sustainability ministerial declaration WTO members taking part in the new initiative on trade and environmental sustainability continued to advance work on a joint statement which they intend to issue at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) later this year.

WTO - Members review draft MC12 declaration on trade and environmental sustainability WTO members taking part in a new initiative on trade and environmental sustainability provided their first comments on 19 July on possible elements for a joint statement which participants hope to issue at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) later this year.

IISD - WTO Members Assess MC12 Options for Trade, Environmental Sustainability Work The group of World Trade Organization (WTO) members undertaking “structured discussions on trade and environmental sustainability” (TESSD) is moving ahead on its efforts to determine what its work may cover and how – including what they could include in a ministerial statement ahead of the Organization’s highest-level meeting in December.

IISD - G7 Trade Track Backs WTO Reform, Builds Momentum to COP 26 The G7 countries recognized the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) at the WTO as an opportunity to build momentum to achieve coordinated solutions for global problems such as climate change and biodiversity loss, including through the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow, UK, in November. The ministers agree that countries should work collaboratively to address the risk of carbon leakage and its potential impact on countries that have adopted rigorous approaches to reduce carbon emissions.

WTO - Members discuss possible MC12 deliverables on trade and environmental sustainability WTO members taking part in a new initiative on trade and environmental sustainability continued their discussions on possible outcomes to be agreed at the WTO’s upcoming 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) during the second meeting of the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) on 26-28 May.

IISD - Trade and Environment Structured Discussions Among WTO Member Group Get Underway Prior to the meeting, TESSD participants made nine submissions outlining what the structured discussions might cover, giving a sense of early priorities.

WTO - First meeting held to advance work on trade and environmental sustainability The first meeting of WTO members taking part in a new initiative aimed at advancing work on trade and environmental sustainability took place virtually on 5 March. Participants outlined their views on what the priority issues for discussion should be and what concrete outcomes could be delivered at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) and beyond.

WTO - New initiatives launched to intensify WTO work on trade and the environment Two proponent groups launched new initiatives to intensify discussions at the WTO on trade and the environment on 17 November, the second day of the WTO’s Trade and Environment Week. The initiatives establish structured discussions on trade and environmental sustainability and an informal dialogue on plastics pollution.

TESS Forum - Nature-Positive Trade for Sustainable Development Author: Marianne Kettunen

This policy brief seeks to present a mutually supportive vision for biodiversity, sustainable trade, and sustainable development towards 2030 and beyond, using the World Trade Organization’s multilateral trade framework as its backdrop. The brief provides an overview of the global biodiversity framework and how efforts to shape and implement this agenda are linked to trade and trade policies and measures. It focuses on identifying how work on sustainable trade at the WTO can contribute to the delivery of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in December 2022, while supporting sustainable development.

TESS Forum - Trade and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Latin America: A Framework for International Cooperation Author: Lorena Palomo Parada

This policy paper examines the various climate mitigation and adaptation commitments and efforts of Latin America in prioritized areas (agriculture and livestock, mining, electromobility, innovation in new technologies and processes, and circular economy). It discusses the linkages between climate measures and trade and how international cooperation on trade and trade-related policies could support these efforts. The author then identifies a set of policy priorities and recommendations.

TESS Forum - Trade-Related Climate Priorities for CARICOM at the World Trade Organization Author: Jan Yves Remy

This policy paper argues that the prospect of a new “sustainability agenda” at the World Trade Organization presents new opportunities for members of CARICOM. It proposes key elements for a trade-related climate change agenda for CARICOM countries at the WTO. It also reflects on the trade-related climate priorities of CARICOM in regional, bilateral, and multilateral trade negotiations, with a focus on how these priorities might be best formulated in the context of ongoing WTO negotiations and processes. The author then makes recommendations on how the emerging WTO sustainability agenda can be used to promote CARICOM’s trade-related climate interests.

TESS Forum - A Southeast Asian Perspective on Trade and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Author: Alice Pham

This policy paper examines the various adaptation and mitigation efforts of ASEAN in prioritized sectors (agriculture, energy, and land-use, land-use change, and forestry). It discusses how international cooperation on trade and trade-related policies could complement or support these efforts and identifies priority areas for action and recommendations at the regional and multilateral level.

TESS Forum - Trade and Sustainability in the Agricultural Sector: Options for Multilateral Trade Cooperation Author: Christophe Bellmann

This policy brief explores the complex relationship between trade, trade policies, and sustainability in the agricultural sector in light of the challenges facing the global food system and the environment. The author reviews a range of options for harnessing trade policies to promote sustainable agricultural production and trade, and to discourage unsustainable practices, in the context of the rules and functions of the World Trade Organization. He also identifies opportunities to strengthen a focus on sustainability in agricultural trade in the WTO’s negotiating agenda as well as its regular committees, and highlights the opportunities to harness deliberative platforms like the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions to explore opportunities for multilateral cooperation.

TESS Forum - Trade and Climate-Resilient Development in Africa: Towards a Global Green New Deal Author: Faizel Ismail

This policy paper argues that Africa needs to mainstream climate change into its development strategy by advancing climate-resilient development through several pathways including: renewable energy and transformative green industrialization; agriculture, food, and nutrition security and climate change adaptation; strengthening its development finance institutions; engaging in multilateral fora such as the World Trade Organization (WTO); and asserting its agency in contributing to a compact on a global green new deal.

TESS Forum - Trade and Climate Change in the World Trade Organization Author: Christophe Bellmann

This policy brief explores the relationship between trade, climate change, and sustainable development, and the potential for trade policies to help address the climate crisis in the context of international cooperation at the World Trade Organization. It looks at how and where these issues have been discussed in the multilateral trading system and suggests possible options for meaningful cooperation.

TESS Forum - Greening Aid for Trade: Pathways for a Just and Fair Transition to Sustainable Trade Author: Carolyn Deere Birkbeck

This policy paper argues that greening aid for trade requires a nuanced approach that pursues simultaneous action through six complementary pathways underpinned by the sustainable development priorities of developing and least developed countries: mainstreaming environmental goals into aid for trade, securing new resources for environment-related aid for trade support, fostering coherence between aid for trade and broader global policy agendas, ensuring aid for trade monitoring captures the environmental purpose and impact of aid for trade projects, integrating trade considerations into climate and environment funding, and strengthening South-South cooperation.

TESS Forum - Promoting and Facilitating Trade in Environmental Goods and Services: Lessons From Regional Trade Agreements Authors: Carla Vaca Eyzaguirre & Carolyn Deere Birkbeck

This policy paper reviews approaches to incorporating Environmental Goods and Services (EGS)-related provisions in trade agreements, defining the scope and coverage of EGS, and designing substantive provisions on EGS. It also examines support measures for developing countries. Based on this analysis, it presents a set of options that WTO members could consider when exploring ways to facilitate and promote trade in EGS.

IISD - Trade and Environment Agenda Inches Forward Ahead of MC12 Author: Ieva Baršauskaitė

Discussions on trade and environmental sustainability, plastic pollution, and fossil fuel subsidy reform within the WTO have continued to progress despite the postponement of the Twelfth Ministerial Conference. This policy analysis takes a closer look at the activities taking place under the three main initiatives and their areas of focus ahead of the conference.

TESS Forum - Trade and Environment at the World Trade Organization: State of Play and Entry Points Authors: Christophe Bellmann, Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, Marianne Kettunen, & Mahesh Sugathan

This policy brief provides an update on the trade and environment interface from a WTO governance perspective. It presents an overview of the different institutional fora, functions, and processes where this interface is or can be addressed.

TESS Forum - Trade and Environment at the WTO: State of Play and Entry Points Authors: Christophe Bellmann, Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, Marianne Kettunen, and Mahesh Sugathan

This policy brief provides an update on the trade and environment interface from a WTO governance perspective. It presents an overview of the different institutional fora, functions, and processes where this interface is or can be addressed.

TESS Forum - Securing a Just and Inclusive Global Green Economy Through Trade Policy Authors: Nicolas Lockhart, Dominic Coppens, Katherine Connolly, & Stella Perantakou

This briefing note provides ideas for that debate. It sets forth a vision for the green transition; rules and principles for the design of trade-related environmental measures; and a diagnostic exercise for the development of data-driven trade policy.

IISD - Where Do WTO Trade and Environmental Sustainability Initiatives Stand Today? Authors: Aik Hoe Lim, Daniel Ramos, Gergana Kiskinova

Work within the WTO on trade and environmental sustainability has intensified in recent years, culminating in the launch of three ministerial statements on topics ranging from plastics pollution to fossil fuel subsidy reform. This policy analysis outline the latest developments and discuss next steps.

CUTS - Environment and International Trade: Latest Developments in the WTO and Their Possible Implications Author: Euphemia Ngoya

The note provides a historical review of past work undertaken at the WTO on trade and environment issues. In addition, it highlights the latest development of the three trade and environment initiatives: the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD), the Informal Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Sustainable Plastics Trade (IDP), and Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform (FFSR). The note further provides reflections for a way forward towards MC12 and beyond.

Sweden's National Board of Trade - Trade and Climate Change: Promoting climate goals with a WTO agreement Authors: Emilie Eriksson, Fredrik Gisselman and Neil Swanson

In this report, the Swedish government agency National Board of Trade, highlights issues that WTO members might focus on to promote climate goals, and different legal forms an agreement might take.

IISD - Delivering for the Environment at MC12 Author: Carolyn Deere Birkbeck

This policy analysis analyzes some of the top opportunities for trade policy-makers at the World Trade Organization’s upcoming 12th Ministerial Conference to address environmental crises in a way that supports sustainable development.

TESS Forum - Biodiversity and International Trade Policy Primer: How Does Nature Fit in the Sustainable Trade Agenda? Authors: Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, Elena Antoni, Marianne Kettunen, & Jamie Wang

This policy paper introduces readers to the state of the world’s biodiversity as well as drivers and impacts of biodiversity loss. It reviews international commitments, instruments, nature-related priorities, and the state of play on relevant international policymaking on biodiversity. Building on this foundation, the paper proceeds to explore linkages between trade flows and biodiversity, including the intersections of trade policy and biodiversity goals. Finally, the paper proposes a number of priority areas for enhanced policy dialogue, research, and action.

WEF - Delivering a Climate Trade Agenda: Industry Insights The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Clifford Chance, interviewed representatives from more than 30 companies to better understand how trade can support climate action. Based on insights from these interviews, this report identifies several immediate opportunities for trade policy to support businesses in achieving emissions reductions, as well as areas in which further work is required to ensure trade and climate policy coherence. The report summarizes these findings and suggests paths forward from the perspectives of stakeholders.

QUNO - Circular Economy and Trade: Some questions and possible ways forward The working paper looks specifically into the potential for cooperation on circular economy in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in its Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD).

WEF - Facilitating Trade Along Circular Electronics Value Chains This briefing note presents insights from a series of dialogues, a survey and interviews on the challenges in reverse supply chains for electronics, and presents ideas to facilitate safe, responsible trade for a circular economy in electronics that would be consistent and complementary with existing international environmental treaties.