In the wake of the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14), TESS took a deep dive into member statements to highlight the broad-based interest in trade-related cooperation on environment, climate, and sustainable development. We found that more than two-thirds of individual member statements delivered in Yaoundé referred to the sustainability dimensions of trade.
This new compilation provides examples of how and where WTO members addressed issues of environment, climate, and sustainable development in ministerial declarations, decisions, and statements at MC14.
Ministers from several regional and political groupings active at the WTO also emphasized the relevance of environmental considerations to their trade policy priorities, noting both opportunities and challenges that warrant enhanced attention at the WTO. Some highlighted the importance of positive trade incentives and international cooperation to support developing countries to achieve green, just transitions that advance their wider sustainable development priorities.
Notable examples of these groups include the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) Group, the African Group, the Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform (FFSR) initiative, the Group of Least Developed Countries, the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, as well as a collective statement from the Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate, and an outcome package from the co-convenors of the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD).
TESS at the World Trade Organization
This work is part of our initiative supporting inclusive cooperation
on trade, environment, and sustainable development at the WTO.
