TESS
Fostering inclusive international cooperation for a trading system that works for sustainability.
The TESS team was on the ground at the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) connecting with colleagues across the trade and sustainability communities at the IISD Trade + Sustainability Hub, learning more about work underway in the African region, and exploring opportunities to forge and deepen collaborations.
Events
Wednesday, 18 March 2026
- Event: Climate Change, Nature, & WTO Reform: What Is the Sustainability Opportunity?
Location: Geneva, Closed Meeting
Summary: TESS co-hosted this informal roundtable with the Remaking Trade Project (RTP)
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Thursday, 19 March 2026
- Event: TESSD at Five Years and Launch of the TESSD MC14 Package
Location: Geneva (Closed Meeting)
Summary: Carolyn Deere Birkbeck provided a stakeholder perspective during the high-level segment of this special event.
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Tuesday, 24 March and Wednesday, 25 March 2026
- Event: Africa's Role in Shaping WTO Reform for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future High-Level Workshop Convening of the Remaking Trade Project
Location: Yaoundé, Cameroon (Closed Meeting)
Summary: Christophe Bellmann moderated a session on "WTO at a Crossroads: MC14 and the Reform Agenda." This event was co-organized by the Remaking Trade Project, ODI Global, the Trade Negotiations and Investment Forum (TNIF), the International Relations Institute of Cameroon, and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA).
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Friday, 27 March 2026
- Event: Third Ministerial meeting of the Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate
Location: Yaoundé, Cameroon
Summary: As its Secretariat, TESS supported this Ministerial meeting on the margins of the WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference.
More information - Event: Trade Cooperation on Africa's Critical Minerals: Pathways for Equitable Clean Energy Transitions and Sustainable Development
Location: Yaoundé, Cameroon (Trade + Sustainability Hub, Room A)
Summary: Yasmin Ismail from TESS spoke at Trade + Sustainability Hub Session 4. TESS co-organized this session together with UNCTAD and UNECA.
More information - Event: Driving Decarbonization for Development: The role of industrial policy and regional trade agreements
Location: Yaoundé, Cameroon (Trade + Sustainability Hub, Room C)
Summary: Christophe Bellmann from TESS spoke at Trade + Sustainability Hub Session 9.
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Saturday, 28 March 2026
- Event: Lunchtime Conversation on Africa’s Priorities at the Nexus of Trade & Sustainability
Location: Yaoundé, Cameroon (Closed Meeting)
Summary: This roundtable brought together leading experts on trade, environment, and sustainable development.
More information - Event: Climate adaptation in trade policy and politics
Location: Yaoundé, Cameroon (Trade + Sustainability Hub, Room C)
Summary: Yasmin Ismail from TESS spoke at Trade + Sustainability Hub Session 12.
More information - Event: Making Trade Policy Work for an Equitable Green Transition: Strengthening cooperation and inclusivity
Location: Yaoundé, Cameroon (Trade + Sustainability Hub, Room A)
Summary: Christophe Bellmann from TESS spoke at Trade + Sustainability Hub Session 19.
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Sustainable Development and the WTO Reform Agenda: A Call to Action for Ministers at MC14
TESS is pleased to circulate this message to ministers on behalf of a diverse group of leading stakeholders from business, civil society, and research communities on the occasion of the Fourteenth WTO Ministerial Conference.
Advancing Cooperation on Sustainability at the WTO: Ministers Must Seize MC14 and the WTO Reform Agenda as Critical Opportunities
By Carolyn Deere Birkbeck
While much attention was focused on cascading geopolitical challenges in the lead up to WTO MC14, this article reminded governments that they must not lose sight of the fact that the Ministerial was also being held at a time when addressing the triple environmental crises—climate change, nature loss, and pollution—is more urgent than ever for the stability, resilience, and prosperity of economies everywhere.
Trade & Sustainability Priorities: Amb. Matthew Wilson
The global trading system is in the midst of a period of instability and uncertainty. This new video series asks global trade experts: What are the top environment and sustainability priorities in need of attention by the global trading system? In this video, Ambassador Matthew Wilson, Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations Office at Geneva, says "we cannot discuss trade issues and trade barriers and trade challenges and trade opportunities without looking at environment and sustainability issues."
Trade & Sustainability Priorities: Christophe Bellmann
The global trading system is in the midst of a period of instability and uncertainty. This new video series asks global trade experts: What are the top environment and sustainability priorities in need of attention by the global trading system? In this video Christophe Bellmann, Head of Policy Analysis and Strategy at TESS, says "there is no credible pathway to a net zero economy and climate resilient development without addressing trade and trade policies."
Carolyn Deere Birkbeck Discusses Trade and Sustainability Priorities and Opportunities for 2026
Despite a backdrop of global instability and geopolitical challenges, 2026 presents critical opportunities to drive forward shared trade and sustainability goals. In this audiogram, Carolyn Deere Birkbeck discusses the essential role of the multilateral trading system and previews the key processes TESS is engaging with this year—from WTO reform and plastics negotiations to the newly launched Integrated Forum on Climate Change and Trade (IFCCT).
