Aligning trade, environment, and sustainable development policies is a critical challenge for global governance, which will require enhanced cooperation among governments and stakeholders at the World Trade Organization.
This policy brief provides an update on the trade and environment interface at the WTO from a governance perspective. It offers governments and stakeholders an overview of the range of entry points, institutional fora, and processes at the WTO where this interface is or can be addressed.
The various WTO bodies and initiatives described in this policy brief provide critical spaces to review existing policies, exchange information, discuss best practices, foster shared understandings, incubate stronger multilateral cooperation, negotiate, solve problems, and litigate when necessary.
By providing a space for multilateral cooperation, the WTO is an important venue for deliberations and action in support of trade that advances sustainable development in its three dimensions—economic, social, and environmental.
WTO Bodies Where Trade and Environment Issues Arise
Recommended citation: Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS). (2024). Trade and environment at the World Trade Organization: State of play and entry points. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS).
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.
