WTO Ministerial Statement on Trade and Environmental Sustainability Issued

Outline

• A WTO ministerial statement on trade and environmental sustainability by 70 member countries and regions was issued in Geneva, Switzerland on December 3.
• Against the backdrop of increasing interest in trade and environmental issues, the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) were launched this March among officials from WTO members. How to deal with environmental issues such as climate change from a trade perspective has been discussed in the TESSD initiative and Japan also provided a proposal this March on what the WTO can do to help achieve carbon neutrality.
• A ministerial statement was issued as a result, agreeing, among other things, to launch dedicated discussions on climate measures that are consistent with WTO rules and principles; explore approaches for promoting trade in environmental goods and services, including through addressing regulatory elements; and adopt a Roadmap towards MC13.

Related materials

• MINISTERIAL STATEMENT ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY (PDF:107KB)
• Proposal on contributions to achieving Global Carbon Neutrality at the WTO (Submitted by Japan, March 2021) (PDF:189KB)

Division in Charge

Director, Multilateral Trade System Department, Trade Policy Bureau