COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT IN SPECIAL
SESSION (CTESS)
REPORT BY THE CHAIRPERSON, Ambassador Syed Tauqir Shah
1. Since the last formal TNC meeting in July and following-up on my
consultations in May, I held, on 3rd October an informal, factual
information session regarding past work in the CTESS. The WTO Secretariat
presented a factual overview of the discussions that have taken place so far in
the CTESS on all three items of paragraph 31 of the Doha Ministerial
Declaration. This provided an opportunity for delegations to seek clarification
and share their thoughts. I believe the information session was appreciated by
most delegations that took the floor and was seen as a good occasion to refresh
their collective memory about the considerable amount of work done by the CTESS
over the years.
2. Moreover, several delegations reiterated the importance of
environmental issues and of discussing trade and environment issues in the WTO
and renewed their interest in this subject matter. It was also made clear by several
delegations that environment should feature in any ministerial declaration or
text that might emerge from Buenos Aires. That said, at this stage, no new
proposals have been submitted.
3. To conclude, I would like to encourage delegations to continue to keep
in mind the importance of environmental issues as they intensify their
discussions towards an outcome in Buenos Aires. I remain ready to play my
part in these discussions and to assist delegations in any way I can.