ABU DHABI: At the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13), seventy-six WTO members taking part in the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) unveiled a package of outcome documents highlighting advancements made since MC12 and pinpointing future action in trade policy. Building on the group’s comprehensive analytical work and the identification of policy options and relevant practices, the work plan will guide TESSD efforts to deliver concrete results by MC14.
The TESSD package for MC13 includes a statement by the co-convenors Canada and Costa Rica which takes stock of progress made since MC12 and encourages members to build on the outcome documents of the four TESSD Informal Working Groups, which also form part of the package. In these four documents, TESSD members identify practices to guide the design and implementation of trade-related climate measures; renewable energy goods and services that are key for the energy transition and opportunities to promote their trade; trade-rela
ted action areas to support a circular economy; and considerations that can guide subsidy design to benefit the environment while avoiding trade distortions. The package also includes an updated work plan that charts the next action steps of the four TESSD Informal Working Groups towards identifying possible concrete actions or recommendations by MC14.
Mary Ng, Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development of Canada, a co-convenor of TESSD, said, “Recognising the urgency of the climate crisis, it’s evident that discussions on environmental issues are happening across various WTO bodies. TESSD serves a crucial function in fostering trust among WTO members, which facilitates these discussions. TESSD members believe that international trade and trade policy should align with our shared commitment to tackle the diverse environmental challenges we face.”
Manuel Tovar Rivera, Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica, also a co-convenor, said, “TESSD supports WTO ‘reform by doing’ and a
cts as pathfinder for multilateral work in the WTO, thanks to its ability to engage members in substantive discussions on sensitive topics and its inclusion of stakeholders that contribute their expertise and information on other international processes.”
Kerrie Symmonds, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados, a recent member to join TESSD said, “When Barbados joined TESSD in July 2023, we were seven months into what we have started to call in Barbados the season of superlatives as weather records were being broken. Every time we have climatic events such as storms, the impacts on livelihood, commerce and supply chains are quite devastating. As a small island developing country, we feel that the work that is taking place and tested in TESSD on trade-related climate measures, circularity and green subsidies are important for us to engage in.”
TESSD was launched in November 2020 with the intention to intensify work on trade and environmental sustainability, complementing the work of the Co
mmittee on Trade and Environment and other WTO bodies. TESSD, which is open to all Members, has 76 co-sponsors representing more than 85% of global trade and including members from all regions and at all levels of development.
Source: Emirates News Agency