TESSD Co-Sponsors Advance Sustainability Work Plan Toward WTO MC15

At a meeting on 2 October, co-sponsors of the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) discussed a work plan for 2026-27 in preparation for the 15th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC15). They identified priorities, working methods and potential deliverables for each work area, and expressed broad support for a transition towards more flexible and outcome-oriented work.

· TESSD (Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions) co-sponsors met on 2 October 2026 to discuss a new 2026-27 work plan leading up to the 15th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC15).

· Following a survey of members and stakeholders, TESSD agreed to pursue more concrete and results-oriented work in three priority areas:

o Environmental Goods and Services (EGS)

o Trade-related Climate Measures

o Circular Economy and Circularity

· A new exploratory topic received broad support:

o Trade-related Environmental Provisions in International Instruments.

· Members favored a more flexible working approach, allowing discussions to progress according to members' interests and specific issues.

Priority Areas by Workstream

1. Trade-related Climate Measures

· Focus on:

o Flexibility of Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems

o Interoperability and comparability of MRV approaches

o Technical assistance and capacity-building opportunities

2. Environmental Goods and Services (EGS)

· Priorities include:

o Supporting development of EGS projects

o Developing objective-based EGS solutions

3. Circular Economy and Circularity

· Focus on:

o Trade barriers and opportunities for circular economy goods and services

o Classification of circular goods

4. Environmental Provisions in International Instruments

· Discussions are continuing on potential areas of work and MC15 outcomes.

MC15 Preparation

· Facilitators outlined possible deliverables for MC15 and a proposed meeting schedule for 2027.

· Co-sponsors broadly supported the work plan and pledged to help refine priorities and discussions.

Awareness and Outreach

· Canada and Costa Rica, as TESSD Co-Convenors, launched two informational booklets:

o One summarizing the TESSD MC14 Package and its technical outcomes.

o Another highlighting practical policy insights gained from five years of TESSD work since 2020.

Next Steps

· The next TESSD workstream meetings are tentatively scheduled for 1-2 February 2027 to begin intensive technical discussions ahead of MC15.

[ABS News Service/07.10.2026]

Co-Convenors of the TESSD discussions - Canada and Costa Rica - reported on the outcome of the survey among TESSD co-sponsors and stakeholders aimed at gathering views on priorities, working methods and potential deliverables in the lead-up to MC15. The survey results can be found here. In response to the results, TESSD will continue more concrete, outcomes-focused work on three topics: environmental goods and services (EGS), trade-related climate measures, and the circular economy and circularity. The new work plan towards MC15 can be found here.

The area of trade-related environmental provisions in international instruments received broad support from co-sponsors as a new topic for exploratory technical discussions. The survey findings also indicated a preference for keeping the meeting format more flexible and allowing work to advance based on specific issues and members' interests.

Responding to the survey results and consultations with co-sponsors, the facilitators of each workstream presented their respective plans, priority areas and possible outcomes for MC15.

Co-facilitators of the workstream on trade-related climate measures - Australia, Israel and Thailand - proposed focusing future work on the flexibility, interoperability and comparability of measurement, reporting and verification(MRV) approaches as well as opportunities for technical assistance and capacity building.

Co-facilitators of the EGS workstream - the Philippines and the United Kingdom - identified two possible priority areas: key elements supporting the development of EGS projects; and objective-based considerations for developing EGS solutions.

Co-facilitators of the circular economy and circularity workstream - Japan and Türkiye - suggested that future work could focus on trade-related barriers and opportunities for circular economy goods and services as well as on the classification of circular goods.

Co-facilitators of the workstream on trade-related environmental provisions in international instruments - Brazil and New Zealand - indicated that discussions with co-sponsors on possible areas of work and outcomes for MC15 are still ongoing. Co-facilitators of each workstream also outlined possible MC15 deliverables and a proposed meeting plan for 2027.

Co-sponsors broadly welcomed the proposed work plan and supported efforts undertaken by the Co-Convenors and facilitators to transition towards more flexible and outcome-oriented work. Several members expressed their intention to work with the facilitators to further refine the scope and focus of the proposed discussions.

The Co-Convenors introduced two booklets as part of their efforts to promote awareness and understanding among policymakers, practitioners and stakeholders of the wealth of technical information contained in the TESSD MC14 Package. The first booklet provides a high-level overview of the TESSD MC14 Package, including the key elements of its five technical outcomes. The second booklet, "Trade in support of environmental sustainability: Practical policy insights from five years of TESSD", distils ten key insights from the Co-Convenors' Report, which provides an overarching account of TESSD's work since 2020.

The next TESSD workstreams meetings are provisionally scheduled to take place on 1 and 2 February 2027, as co-sponsors and stakeholders kick off their intensive technical discussions in preparation for MC15.