Welcome to the TESS Annual Report 2024, which reviews our work in 2024 and shares some of our main achievements and impacts.
2024 was a busy year for international trade and environmental governance. A number of major intergovernmental negotiations and summits were convened, but faced a backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty. Together, these continue to threaten both economic and environmental cooperation—including on trade and sustainability—and to challenge multilateralism.
Responding to the clear need to sustain and enhance effective international cooperation, TESS continued to focus its work on supporting inclusive cooperation on sustainability and trade, both in International Geneva and beyond.
Throughout 2024, TESS played a leadership role in sustaining meaningful engagement of WTO members on environment and sustainable development. The value of TESS contributions to positive dynamics in this area has been recognized by a broad diversity of governments.
During the year, we supported the Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate in our role as its Secretariat. We also continued to support the Secretariat function of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution as governments set their sights on crossing the finishing line in the global plastics treaty negotiations.
In 2024, we mobilized a group of leading international experts on agriculture and sustainability tasked with identifying a set of environmentally harmful subsidies for priority action at the international level. We also released the report of an Expert Group on Trade, Circular Economy, and Sustainable Development convened by TESS, which identifies 10 considerations to guide the design and implementation of trade-related circular economy policies.
In recognition of the thought leadership and the distinct perspective we bring to discussions on trade and sustainability, TESS was invited to speak at, or partner for, events at key international gatherings throughout the year. Among other high-profile summits, we were present at the Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13), the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16), and the plastics treaty negotiations (INC-4 and INC 5.1).
Alongside the WTO Public Forum, we hosted Geneva Trade Week’s opening plenary and launched a compilation featuring 30 articles by a diverse range of leading experts on the state of play in the multilateral trading system and how to put sustainability at the top of the agenda.
Many more examples of our achievements and impact in 2024 are described in this report.
We’re strongest when we bring the views of all the constituencies together, especially the most vulnerable and the marginalized. TESS is about inclusion, adding value to the debates, rigorous analytical work, and thought leadership and a genuine desire to do good. From TESS’s work on plastics to carbon border measures, TESS has become a critical part of our knowledge engagement ecosystem.
H.E. Mr. Matthew Wilson, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations, World Trade Organization and other International Organizations in Geneva
TESS has achieved the success of thirty years in the space of three years. Congratulations! Discussions at TESS provide a very safe environment in which to discuss the issues, which we do not get at the WTO. Please continue this fantastic work.
H.E. Mr. Ali Sarfaz Hussain, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the World Trade Organization
Congratulations to your team for the fantastic job you have been doing over the last three years in bringing us together—member states, civil society, business—to consider these vital issues. There is no solution to the climate crisis or to loss of biodiversity without enabling action through trade policy. That action can only be collaborative between member states, civil society, and international organizations. Thank you for everything that you have been doing to enable that action. Now is the time to move from vision and discussion to action.
H.E. Mr. Simon Manley, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva
We deeply appreciate the TESS team’s invaluable contribution to the plastics treaty negotiations, both to the High Ambition Coalition and its member states. Crafting a global treaty requires a well-informed approach, and TESS has been instrumental in helping us navigate key issues and advocate for a strong, ambitious agreement.
Juliet Kabera, Head of Delegation Rwanda, Co-Chair of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution
In just a few years, TESS has become a pivotal platform for fostering dialogue and expertise among stakeholders in Geneva, and far beyond, on the nexus between trade and sustainability. TESS plays a critical role in bridging gaps between trade and environment communities, and does so in an inclusive way. At a time when dialogue on trade and sustainability is particularly challenging, the mission of TESS is more vital than ever.
Prof. Dominic Coppens, Professor of International Economy Law, Maastricht University, the Netherlands
