The seventh edition of Trade and Environment Week took place at the World Trade Organization from 1-5 June 2026. The week long event featured 16 member-organized side events alongside the regular meetings of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment. TESS co-organized and participated in a number of sessions and other events throughout the week.
Tuesday, 2 June 2026
Session 3 | Carbon Accounting, Standards and Trade: How International Cooperation Can Reduce Fragmentation and Support Decarbonisation
Logistics: Tuesday, 2 June 2026; 10:00–11:30 CET; WTO, Room D
Summary: This session was organized by China and Australia. The session explored the key role the WTO has to play in responding to emerging challenges at the trade and climate nexus, including to achieve policy coherence, reduce compliance costs for business, and maintain the stable and smooth operation of global supply chains. The discussion focused on issues such as improving the interoperability and consistency of trade-related climate measures, enhancing policy transparency, and promoting development cooperation. Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, Executive Director of TESS, moderated the session.
Session 5 | Emerging Agricultural Trade (EAT) Issues: An Environmental Sustainability Perspective
Logistics: Tuesday, 2 June 2026; 14:45–16:15 CET; WTO, Room D
Summary: This event was co-organized by the co-sponsors of the Statement on a Dialogue on Emerging Agricultural Trade Issues (WT/MIN(26)/40), circulated at MC14 by Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Iceland, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Peru, Switzerland, Ukraine and Uruguay. It served as the first in a planned series of workshops and other events dedicated to this dialogue. As a kick-off session, the event focused on framing the concept of “emerging agricultural trade issues.” Lee Ann Jackson, Head of Programmes at TESS, spoke at the session.
Wednesday, 3 June 2026
Session 7 | Developing Country Perspectives on Carbon Border Measures
Logistics: Wednesday, 3 June 2026; 10:00 - 11:30 CET; WTO, Room D
Summary: This session was organized by Pakistan. Carbon border measures are reshaping the intersection between trade and climate policy, with significant implications for developing-country exporters. As an increasing number of jurisdictions introduce or consider such measures as part of their climate policy frameworks, these developments create compliance requirements and may, over time, affect competitiveness and market access. They also raise broader systemic questions, including their interaction with WTO disciplines. The session explored, inter alia, implementation experiences, compliance challenges, and pathways for cooperation associated with carbon border measures. Christophe Bellmann, Head of Strategy and Policy Analysis at TESS, spoke at this session.
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Session 8 | From Strategy to Synergy: Aligning Climate and Trade for Resilient and Sustainable Development
Logistics: Wednesday, 3 June 2026; 11:45 – 13:15 CET; WTO, Room D
Summary: This event was organized by the Philippines with TESS. The session explored how developing countries can better align climate and trade strategies to advance resilience, competitiveness, and sustainable development. Drawing on emerging national experiences, the session (i) Examined how countries can use trade policies as proactive instruments for domestic transformation; (ii) Highlighted options for integrating trade elements in climate planning, including support for green goods and services, climate-resilient value chains, renewable energy deployment, MSME readiness, traceability systems, and access to finance and technology; (iii) Explored how international cooperation can help developing countries strengthen policy coherence, manage new market requirements, and identify sectors where trade can support both mitigation and adaptation objectives; and (iv) Generated actionable insights on how national trade-climate strategies can be designed and implemented in ways that are development-sensitive, internationally connected, and responsive to real economy needs.
Lunchtime Reception
Logistics: Wednesday, 3 June 2026; 13:15 - 14:45 CET; WTO Gallery
Summary: The Philippines and TESS hosted a lunchtime reception at the WTO Gallery on Wednesday, 3 June 2026. Left to right: Yasmin Ismail (Senior Policy Advisor, TESS), Gabriel Bautista (Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the WTO), Carolyn Deere Birkbeck (Executive Director, TESS), H.E. Manuel Teehankee (Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the WTO), Christophe Bellmann (Head of Policy Analysis and Strategy, TESS), and Eugene James (Manager of Policy Dialogues, TESS).
Session 9 | Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels and Updates from the FFSR Initiative
Logistics: Wednesday, 3 June 2026; 16:30 - 18:00 CET; WTO, Room D
Summary: This event was organized by Colombia and the Netherlands, and FFSR Coordinator (New Zealand). This session addressed two complementary dimensions of international cooperation on the transition away from fossil fuels. First, it provided an opportunity for Colombia and the Netherlands to share general reflections on the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, held in Santa Marta, and on the broader international conversation around a just, orderly, and development-sensitive transition. Second, the session focused on ongoing work under the WTO Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform (FFSR) Initiative. Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, Executive Director of TESS, moderated the session.
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Publications
Following are three recent outputs that underline the growing interest in ensuring environment and sustainability goals are prioritized in the multilateral trading system.
Environment, Climate, and Sustainable Development at MC14: A Review of Ministerial Declarations, Decisions, and Statements
This new publication compiles examples of how and where WTO members addressed issues of environment, climate, and sustainable development in ministerial declarations, decisions, and statements at the Fourteenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14). We found that more than two-thirds of all official ministerial statements in MC14 referred to the sustainability dimensions of trade.
Sustainable Development and the WTO Reform Agenda: A Call to Action for Ministers at MC14
TESS coordinated this message to ministers on behalf of a diverse group of leading stakeholders from business, civil society, and research communities on the occasion of MC14.
Crafting Pathways for Delivery on Trade and Sustainability after MC14
In the wake MC14, Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, Christophe Bellmann, and Yasmin Ismail authored this article calling on governments and stakeholders to think afresh and collaboratively about how the trading system can deliver concrete, fair, and effective progress on sustainability.
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.
