Members of the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) are preparing for the upcoming MC14 conference with a focus on specific sectors and objectives related to environmental sustainability. Richard Tarasofsky from Canada, who co-convenes TESSD alongside Costa Rica, emphasized the importance of productive meetings: "MC14 is now within sight. We the co-convenors, and the facilitators of the Working Groups, are all focused on having this year's set of meetings be as concrete and productive as possible so that we can achieve the ambitious outcomes for MC14 envisaged at the high-level plenary meeting in December."
Three working groups advanced their technical discussions during recent meetings. The Working Group on Trade-related Climate Measures plans its first 2025 meeting in May to align with work by the Committee on Trade and Environment.
The Working Group on Environmental Goods and Services discussed sustainable agriculture trade and climate change adaptation. Presentations from organizations like FAO and WMO highlighted climate technologies' role in resilience against climate impacts. OECD representatives, along with Spowdi, presented issues affecting trade in environmental goods.
In discussions led by the Working Group on Circular Economy-Circularity, members explored textile sector circularity. China shared experiences with textile recycling while other organizations like Circle Economy and Chatham House addressed challenges such as extended producer responsibility. Updates were provided on a competition involving micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), coordinated by Ambassador Matthew Wilson of Barbados.
The Working Group on Subsidies focused on transparency regarding subsidies for decarbonizing energy-intensive industries such as steel, aluminum, and cement. Colombia's GALTCO project was among several presentations aiming to promote policy incentives for decarbonization.
Ana Lizano of Costa Rica concluded the meeting expressing continued commitment: "We plan to continue to be actively listening and to build upon these dynamic exchanges to deliver our outcomes by MC14." She highlighted upcoming meetings aimed at advancing discussions further.
TESSD operates under guidance from a 2021 Ministerial Statement intending to support WTO efforts at aligning trade with environmental sustainability goals. The initiative includes 78 co-sponsoring members globally across different development stages.