trade and Environmental Sustainability
Structured Discussions (TESSD)
CONVENING
NOTICE
The following Convening Notice, dated 18 November 2024, is being
circulated at the request of the TESSD Coordinators.
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1.1. TESSD will hold its next regular meeting on Wednesday, 4 December
2024 from 10:00 to 18:00.
1.2. Should the morning session complete its agenda before the lunch
break, the meeting will still break and recommence at 15:00, as scheduled, for
the afternoon agenda.
1.3. In keeping with TESSD's open, transparent and inclusive nature, all
WTO Members are invited to attend and are encouraged to participate in the
meeting.
1.4. The meeting will be held in hybrid form, allowing for in-person
participation in Room W and virtual participation via the Zoom
platform. Delegates wishing to participate virtually via the Zoom platform,
including capital-based officials, should register through the following link:
https://worldtradeorganization.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0of--qrz0qEtLlvoaEG7uiBayLzftpFZUV
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing
information about joining the meeting.
1.5. To guide the discussions in the meeting, the Co-convenors propose
the following agenda:
Morning (10:00-13:00)
2 Stocktaking and way forward towards
MC14
2.1. The Facilitators of the four Informal Working Groups will provide a
summary of the discussions that took place in the meetings of 15-16 April (_INF/TE/SSD/R/23),
19-20 June (_INF/TE/SSD/R/24), and
29-30 October 2024 (_INF/TE/SSD/R/25 – to be issued). They will also outline the priorities of work for
2025 and possible outcomes towards MC14 (Room document _INF/TE/SSD/RD/15 – to be issued).
a._
Trade-related
Climate Measures
b._
Environmental
Goods and Services
c._
Circular Economy
– Circularity
d._
Subsidies
2.2. Exchange of views by Members, followed by Stakeholder interventions.
2.3. The Co-convenors will introduce a proposal for an output of TESSD
for MC14, which would draw key messages from the Working Groups and, where
appropriate, offer relevant guidance. The purpose of this additional output
would be to (i) add to the multilateral system's knowledge base on
opportunities for environmentally sustainable trade; (ii) serve Members from
all levels of development as a means of technical assistance and reference for
their policymaking approaches; and (iii) enhance the understanding of the wider
trade and environment policy community of how Members have used trade and trade
policy to support their environmental and climate goals.
2.4. Exchange of views by Members, followed by Stakeholder interventions.
3 Other business
Afternoon (15:00-17:45)
As a
continuation of the plenary TESSD meeting in the morning, the afternoon will be
dedicated to discussing developing country perspectives on trade and
environmental sustainability as well as opportunities for identifying and
pursuing trade policy solutions in the WTO. Based on the items below, a
separate programme with speakers will be issued in due course.
4 Introduction
5 Development perspectives on trade and environmental sustainability –
national and regional experiences
5.1. This panel will provide national and regional policy experiences
with trade and environmental sustainability with a focus on developing country
perspectives. It will bring out the developmental aspects and possible trade
solutions that are relevant for discussions in TESSD and its Working Groups on Trade-related
Climate Measures, Environmental Goods and Services, Subsidies and Circular Economy
– Circularity.
6 Opportunities for trade policy solutions for environmental
sustainability at WTO
6.1. Building on the panel discussion, this interactive fireside chat
will discuss opportunities in the WTO, including in the Committee on Trade and
Environment and TESSD, to have trade policy better contribute to achieving
climate change and environmental objectives.
7 Closing Remarks by the TESSD Co-convenors
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