In 2026, Geneva Trade Week took place from 14-17 September and the WTO Public Forum took place from 15-17 September. In addition to its regular programming, the WTO partnered with the Geneva Trade Platform to host unique "Curated Conversations" (participation by invitation). TESS organized and participated in a range of public events, sessions, and Curated Conversations throughout the week.
See all environment and sustainability sessions that happened throughout the week in the TESS Guide to Sustainability at the WTO Public Forum and Geneva Trade Week 2026.
Event Date:
14–17 September 2026
Event Location:
Geneva, Switzerland
Monday, 14 September 2026
- Geneva Trade Week Opening Plenary: From Talk to Action on Sustainability in the Trading System: Connecting the Dots with the WTO Reform Agenda
Logistics: Maison De La Paix (Geneva Graduate Institute); Room C1; 16:30-18:00 CET; Open meeting (Watch a recording)
Organizer: TESS
Summary: To open the 2026 edition of Geneva Trade Week, this plenary, organized by TESS, advanced much-needed, forward-looking dialogue on how to step up cooperation and collective action on trade and sustainability, and where the WTO and the WTO reform agenda fit in.
Video | More information
- Reception: TESS Geneva Trade Week Reception
Organizer: TESS as part of Geneva Trade Week
Summary: This reception provided a space for the trade, environment, and sustainable development communities to connect in an informal setting on the margins of the WTO Public Forum.
Tuesday, 15 September 2026
- Geneva Trade Week Event: Expert Breakfast Discussion on Climate, Trade, and Sustainable Development
Organizer: TESS
Summary: Organized as part of Geneva Trade Week, TESS hosted an expert breakfast discussion on climate, trade, and sustainable development.
More information
Wednesday, 16 September 2026
- WTO Public Forum Curated Conversation: Re-Envisioning International Cooperation Through New Partnership Approaches: A Focus on Clean Technology
Logistics: WTO Room A, 10:30-11:30 CET, Participation is by invitation
Organizers: Tulip Consulting, ODI Global, and TESS
Summary: This Curated Conversation brought together senior policymakers, private sector leaders, and trade experts to discuss how a new generation of green trade partnerships, bilateral agreements, and cooperation frameworks can support clean technology value chain integration.
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- WTO Public Forum Event: Bridging the Data Gap in Trade in Agricultural Services
Logistics: WTO Room S3, 12:00-13:00 CET, Open Meeting (WTO PF Registration Required)
Organizer: Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Summary: Christophe Bellmann, Head of Policy Analysis and Strategy at TESS, participated in this event, which emphasized the need to measure and quantify digitally delivered agricultural services and build partnerships to strengthen the evidence base on their contribution to AfCFTA implementation and food security across Africa.
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- WTO Public Forum Event: The Green Services Economy – Powering the Future
Logistics: WTO Room S3, 14:15-15:15 CET, Open Meeting (WTO PF Registration Required)
Organizer: United Kingdom
Summary: TESS Executive Director Carolyn Deere Birkbeck participated in this event, which focused on how the green services economy can power the future of global trade while addressing climate change.
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- WTO Public Forum Curated Conversation: Towards an Effective Transparency Regime on Subsidies
Logistics: WTO Room Y, 15:45-16:45 CET, Participation is by invitation
Organizers: TESS and Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO)
Summary: As governments design and implement new forms of support as parts of their efforts to address pressing sustainability challenges, the extent to which current WTO disciplines remain fit for purpose in today’s context has been increasingly questioned. Discussion in this Curated Conversation focused on practical and pragmatic solutions to build an effective transparency mechanism on subsidies as the foundation for any future reform of existing subsidy disciplines.
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- WTO Public Forum Curated Conversation: Caught Between Giants: How Emerging Economies Are Rewriting Their Trade Strategy
Logistics: WTO Room C, 15:45-16:45 CET, Participation is by invitation
Organizers: LSE Trade Policy Hub
Summary: Yasmin Ismail, Senior Policy Advisor, Trade, Climate, and Sustainable Development at TESS, participated in this Curated Conversation, which examined the choices emerging economies are making to defend their interests as the global trade system is reshaped by the growing geopolitical tension between major economic powers. Discussion explored how trade tensions are reshaping critical mineral supply chains for the clean energy transition, what that means for the emerging economies that hold these resources, and where the pressure points are shifting.
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- WTO Public Forum Curated Conversation: The Role of Trade Cooperation in Protecting Human Health and the Environment from Plastic Pollution
Logistics: WTO Room C, 17:15-18:15 CET, Participation is by invitation
Organizer: TESS
Summary: This Curated Conversation explored options to improve trade cooperation in support of domestic, regional, and global efforts to reduce the environmental and health impacts of plastic pollution and to transition to safer and more environmentally sustainable plastics trade.
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Thursday, 17 September 2026
- WTO Public Forum Curated Conversation: Fostering Inclusive Cooperation on Trade, Circularity, and Sustainable Development in Critical Minerals Supply Chains
Logistics: WTO Room Y, 9:00-10:00 CET, Participation is by invitation
Organizers: TESS and UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Summary: This Curated Conversation took place in a brainstorming format and will provide an opportunity for in-depth discussions on the role of international cooperation and trade in fostering an equitable and sustainable circular transition in critical minerals supply chains.
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- WTO Public Forum Curated Conversation: Civil Society Involvement in the Age of Trade "Mini-Deals"
Logistics: WTO Room A, 12:00-13:00 CET, Participation is by invitation
Organizer: European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
Summary: Yasmin Ismail, Senior Policy Advisor, Trade, Climate, and Sustainable Development at TESS, participated in this Curated Conversation, which explored how transparency, accountability, and organized civil society participation can be maintained as trade cooperation increasingly takes flexible, sectoral, or strategically targeted forms. Discussion also focused on how these arrangements (many of which have critical minerals, climate, and environmental dimensions) interact with the wider multilateral trading system.
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- WTO Public Forum Curated Conversation: Accelerating Nature-Positive Outcomes Through Finance and Trade
Logistics: WTO Room C, 14:15-15:15 CET, Participation is by invitation
Organizer: TESS
Summary: This Curated Conversation explored how new forms of cooperation at the nexus of trade and finance policy can help achieve better outcomes for nature, biodiversity, and sustainable development.
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- WTO Public Forum Event: Driving Green Growth through Environmental Services Trade
Logistics: WTO Room W, 17:15-18:15 CET, Open Meeting (WTO PF Registration Required)
Organizer: Switzerland and Costa Rica
Summary: Christophe Bellmann, Head of Policy Analysis and Strategy at TESS, participated in this event, which explored how trade agreements can promote environmental and environmentally related services, using the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS) as a pioneering example.
Video | More information
15 September 2026 | TESS Executive Director Carolyn Deere Birkbeck provides welcoming remarks as TESS hosts the Geneva Trade Week Opening Plenary "From Talk to Action on Sustainability in the Trading System: Connecting the Dots with the WTO Reform Agenda."
16 September 2026 | Christophe Bellmann, Head of Policy Analysis and Strategy at TESS, brings a sustainability perspective to the WTO Public Forum Session "Bridging the Data Gap in Trade in Agricultural Services," hosted by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
16 September 2026 | TESS Executive Director Carolyn Deere Birkbeck contributes to the WTO Public Forum session "The Green Services Economy – Powering the Future," hosted by the United Kingdom.
17 September 2026 | TESS staff attending the WTO Public Forum (left to right): Eugene James (Manager of Policy Dialogues), Lee Ann Jackson (Head of Programmes), Vinati Bhola (Policy Advisor, Trade, Climate, and Sustainable Development), Christophe Bellmann (Head of Policy Analysis and Strategy), Carolyn Deere Birkbeck (Executive Director and Founder), Catherine Monagle (Secretariat Manager, Integrated Forum on Climate Change and Trade (IFCCT)), Fabrice Lehmann (Manager of Publications and Senior Editor), Nadezhda Skotnikova (Events Manager and Policy – Climate & Trade Nexus), Dominic Coppens (Senior Fellow, Trade, Climate, and Sustainable Development), and Andrew Aziz (Manager of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement).
