WTO members deepen discussions on trade and climate measures, share updates
The Chair of the CTE, Ambassador Ram Prasad Subedi of Nepal, facilitated the regular meeting on 29 September, which was preceded by a thematic session on 28 September.
Thematic session
The CTE's thematic session on "trade-related climate measures, including interoperability and development aspects" was co-moderated by Mr Håvard Hugås of Norway and Ms Nur Karabag of Türkiye.
The session sought to move the discussions beyond a general mapping of trade-related climate measures (TrCMs) towards a more operational examination of what interoperability means in practice. The discussion sought to identify where compliance challenges arise for governments and businesses, with a focus on steel, while exploring cooperative solutions and integrating development considerations in regulatory design choices, implementation, and monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems.
Through expert panel discussions, the session examined the issues and discussed tools, mechanisms and frameworks that could address compliance challenges and increase cooperation, including at the WTO.
The subsequent discussion among members reinforced these themes. Australia and China circulated an informal, non-official document for discussion, putting forward some ideas on interoperability and possible follow-up in the CTE.
Since November 2023, the CTE has held thematic and interactive sessions on topics of interest to the membership. Previous sessions have addressed topics such as the clean energy transition, sustainable agriculture, trade-related climate measures, and technology transfer.
All presentations delivered at this seventh thematic session are available here.
Based on the CTE Chair's proposal, the next CTE thematic session will be held in December 2026 with a focus on environmental goods and services, including bio-inputs. This will be followed by a session on the circular economy in February 2027. Co-moderators will help shape these sessions.
Updates on members' proposals on carbon standards and enhancing transparency
Members heard an update from co-sponsors on a joint submission, titled "Non-binding Guidance on Measures Requiring Measurement of Emissions of Goods Traded Across Borders," submitted by Australia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand and the United Kingdom (WT/CTE/W/269/Rev.6).
Co-sponsors emphasized the importance of enhancing transparency and fostering a shared understanding of good practices and methodologies for measuring embedded carbon emissions in traded goods.
Voluntary information sharing on trade and climate measures
The United Kingdom shared information on its "UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (UK CBAM): Monitoring, Reporting and Verification" (WT/CTE/INF/9). The UK CBAM is scheduled to enter into force on 1 January 2027.
The information was shared on a voluntary basis using the standardized template in document WT/CTE/W/271. At the June CTE meeting, Japan and Australia became the first two members to use the template to share information of their domestic trade-related climate measures (TrCMs).
Members welcomed the UK's submission as a practical means of enhancing transparency in the Committee. Many sought clarifications or further information while others expressed concerns about the measure's potential impact on market access and the compliance burdens it could impose on developing and least-developed countries, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Colombia also provided an oral update on its own measure.
Updates and other items
Members were briefed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat on preparations for the upcoming Climate Change Conference (COP31), to be held in Antalya, Türkiye, in November 2026. The COP31 Presidency (Türkiye) also updated members on plans for the conference, including a Finance and Trade Day scheduled for 13 November. The WTO Secretariat reported on its preparations and participation at COP31.
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) presented recent developments and preparations for the CBD's 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17), to be held in Yerevan, Armenia, in October 2026. The delegation of Armenia, as hosts of COP17, supplemented this briefing, highlighting its priorities and seeking members' active engagement at COP17.
The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) briefed members on recent developments and main outcomes from the CITES' 20th Conference of the Parties (COP20), that was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from 24 November to 5 December 2025.
The CTE was briefed by the co-sponsors of the member-led Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (DPP), the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) and the Fossil Fuels Subsidy Reform (FFSR) initiative on their recent activities and planned work.
The WTO Secretariat also presented an update on the WTO Environmental Database (EDB).
Next meeting
The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled for 4-5 February 2027.
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