The strong headwinds facing the WTO cannot be ignored. Yet they should not obscure the fact that the vast majority of countries remain committed to international cooperation and recognize the critical importance of a rules-based system that effectively responds to pressing sustainable development challenges. 

Over the last five years, discussions in the WTO on a range of key sustainability issues have progressed to a point never seen before, as illustrated by the growing engagement in the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment, only to face blockage by a handful of members. 

This broad interest was reflected in the Ministerial Decision to continue negotiations on “Fish 2” negotiations on overfishing and overcapacity, but also in the fact that more than two-thirds of official statements delivered by ministers at MC14 referred to the sustainability dimensions of trade. Several regional and political groupings active at the WTO, including the ACP Group, the African Group, the Group of Least Developed Countries, and the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, called for enhanced international cooperation to support developing countries achieve green, just transitions that advance their wider sustainable development priorities.

The WTO’s multilateral setting is also producing important collaborations among members. Beyond the outcome package released by the co-convenors of the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) ahead of Yaoundé, MC14 saw a new Ministerial Statement by the 83 members of the Dialogue on Plastic Pollution (DPP) reaffirming their commitment to collective action and cooperation, a Ministerial Statement calling for open-ended deliberations on sustainable agriculture, and a commitment to fossil fuel subsidy reform by ministers from 48 WTO members.

Alongside MC14, the Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate held its Third Ministerial Meeting, which highlighted the Coalition as a unique space for high-level dialogue on trade and climate among a diverse group of ministers from some 63 countries. Emphasizing their commitment to strengthened cooperation on trade, climate, and sustainable development, ministers offered a refreshing set of concrete ideas on priorities and examples of ways forward. In parallel, a briefing from the new Integrated Forum on Climate Change and Trade (IFCCT) reviewed progress on its consultative phase and announced an initial roadmap for its implementation phase. 

Together, these efforts highlight the broad range of governments that recognize the need to forge more effective and inclusive cooperation. As we move forward, the challenge on all fronts is how to build on this good will and craft pathways for delivery on trade and sustainability. Post MC14, we see three complementary avenues to explore.

First, as discussions on the reform agenda reconvene in Geneva, it will be imperative to renew both focused and creative thinking on how to anchor sustainable development priorities as the ultimate goal of the reform discussions. At MC14, a diverse group of prominent stakeholders issued a call to action on sustainable development for ministers highlighting the importance to anchor the reform discussion in the pursuit of a WTO that works for sustainable development, placing people and the planet at its heart.

Second, the multilateral setbacks at MC14 underline the reality that in order to deliver trade cooperation that responds to urgent environmental crises and drives sustainable development, new types of inclusive cooperative approaches—beyond traditional WTO negotiations—need to be crafted to unlock economic and sustainability outcomes for all. This is where member-led initiatives such as TESSD, the DPP, or the FFSR initiative play a critical role. But they must move from their current diagnosis and discussion stage towards action-oriented conversations that generate collective outcomes, for example in the form of guidance, voluntary pledges, or best practices.

Third, and more broadly, it is a time to look for inspiration and progress through a range of different processes in the global system including outside of the WTO. Besides initiatives such as the Trade Ministers Coalition on Climate or the IFCCT, members need to explore new forms of inclusive international cooperation and next generation trade arrangements. Alongside traditional bilateral and regional trade agreements, new collaborative arrangements are already emerging in the form of plurilateral or sectoral approaches, pathfinding initiatives, South-South collaborations, informal coalitions, soft law initiatives, or agreed principles to deepen economic integration or advance specific trade agendas among like-minded partners. 

On this note, the Yaoundé Ministerial, provided a vital reminder of the dynamic community of African governments, experts, and stakeholders keen to be agenda-setters on ways forward for the trade and sustainability agenda, regionally, bilaterally, multilaterally, and through South-South arrangements. African perspectives were front and centre at a two day workshop on Africa’s role in shaping WTO reform, lunchtime conversation on Africa’s trade and sustainability priorities, and the IISD’s Trade + Sustainability Hub, where we co-hosted a session with African partners on Trade Cooperation on Africa's Critical Minerals.

For TESS, the post-MC14 period is a time to deepen attention to sustainable development as a necessary North Star for the WTO reform agenda. Across the many international processes relevant to advancing trade and sustainability, it is a time to expand collaboration and coalitions among governments and the stakeholder community, to foster thought leadership on pathways forward, consolidate evidence of what is working, and focus attention on delivering concrete outcomes.