WT/CTE/W/257  
30 October  2023 
(23-7319) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Trade and Environment  Original:  Spanish  
 
  
FUNCTIONING OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT  
COMMUNICATION FROM PARAGUAY  
The following communication, dated 25 October 2023, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Paraguay.  
 
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1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  At the Twelfth Ministerial Conference, Ministers pledged to work towards the necessary reform 
of the World Trade Organization.  
1.2.  Paraguay welcomes the discussions taking place in the Committee on Trade and Environment 
(CTE) on its functioning an d the consultations held by the Chair in this respect .  
1.3.  Furthermore, we note the report by the Chair of the General Council JOB/GC/349 , which invited 
all bodies to consider various procedural measures, including , inter alia , modernizing the appearance 
and format of airgrams, supplementing airgrams  with useful information to help with the preparation 
of meetings , and hyperlink ing documents . 
1.4.  The Committee on Trade and Environment is a standing forum dedicated to dialogue among 
Members on the relationship between trade measures and environmental measures, as recalled in 
the outcome document agreed at the Twelfth Ministerial Conference.  
1.5.  The increasing number of formal and informal meetings at the WTO, together with the amount 
of information they generate on a wide variety of topics, represents a challenge for all delegations, 
but in particular for small delegations with limited human resources. These challenges can make it 
difficult for Members to participate actively in  CTE meetings.  
1.6.  In order to address these challenges, it is proposed that consideration be given to the following 
areas of action,  which are inspired by previous presentations in this respect, including document 
WT/CTE/W/252 , as well as by  discussions in the CTE and similar work undertaken by other WTO 
bodies, in particular the Council for Trade in Goods and the General Council.  
2  PLANNING MEETINGS  
2.1.  The increasing number of meetings at the WTO makes it difficult for small delegations to 
properly follow and ac tively participate in them. In this regard, it is proposed  that: 
a. There be a nnual planning for Committee meetings;  
b. If the established dates need to be amended, an explanation be included as to the reason 
for the change;  
c. Efforts be made  to schedule thematic sessions organized within the CTE framework for the 
same week as formal meetings so as to make it easier for capitals to follow and participate;  WT/CTE/W/257  
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  d. Where possible, the dates of meetings be coordinated with the Joint Initiatives relating to 
environmental issues, so as to make it easier for capitals to follow and participate.  
3  CONVENING NOTICE  
3.1.  This document is currently circulated as an "airgram". In this respect, it is proposed that:  
a. The title "Airgram" be replaced by "Convening Notice";  
b. The Convening Notice be circulated and posted on the relevant page of the Interactive 
Meetings Calendar 30 days before the formal meeting with the agenda items included by 
Members up to that date;  
c. Revised versions of the Convening Notice with elements inclu ded by Members up until the 
closing of the agenda be circulated and posted on the relevant page of the Interactive 
Meetings Calendar;  
d. The agenda close 15 days before the formal meeting;  
e. As soon as the updates to the E-Registration system (which allow Deleg ation Coordinators 
to include capital -based delegates, where appropriate) become operational, the Convening 
Notice be circulated exclusively on the basis of that system.  
3.2.  It is proposed that the Convening Notice include information on:  
a. Logistical arrangeme nts:  
• Date and time;  
• Place (room , when available);  
• Type of participation (in -person only, hybrid or online);  
• Agenda closing date;  
• Information on registration (for international organizations with observer status); and  
• Contact details of the Chair and the Secretariat.  
b. Conduct of the meeting, including hyperlinks to:  
• The Documents Online page with all the documents relevant to the meeting;  
• Annotated agenda, expected circulation date (after the closing of the agenda) and 
hyperlink;  
• Rules of procedure; and   
• Any other relevant information.  
c. Proposed agenda:  
• A list of the items proposed for the agenda with hyperlinks to all relevant documents, 
where  appropriate.  
3.3.  In the interests of consistency  and ensuring access to previous documents, it should continue 
to be published with the current WTO symbol.  
3.4.  In the interests of accessibility, the format of the document must be in line with that of other 
WTO documents.  WT/CTE/W/257  
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  4  FOLLOW -UP NOTE BY THE CHAIR  
4.1.  In order to facilitate the follow -up to both formal and informal meetings, a document 
summarizing the subsequent  steps agreed on could be very useful. In this respect, it is proposed 
that a follow -up note be published, under the responsibility of the Chair, setting out agreed deadlines 
and actions.  
4.2.  This document should be assigned a WTO document symbol and uploaded to Documents 
Online.  
4.3.  The document should be published as soon as possible and preferably within five working days 
after the meeting in all the official WTO languages.  
4.4.  To maintain and acce ss this document:  
a. Following the meeting, an email will be sent to delegates when th e document becomes 
available, with a hyperlink to the page of the Interactive Meetings Calendar for the meeting 
being followed up on ; 
b. The Secretariat will keep all the infor mation and dates contained in this document updated, 
through any necessary revisions;  
c. Given that the content and dates may change, and to ensure ease of access to the 
information, only the most recent version of this document should be available through 
the hyperlink provided;  
d. Previous versions of this document should  remain in Documents Online in case any 
delegation wishes to consult them;  
e. In order to ensure easy access to information and its integration, the most recent copy of 
the document should also ha ve a hyperlink to the Interactive Meetings Calendar page for 
the next meeting, clearly indicating that it is a follow -up to the previous meeting; and  
4.5.  The information covered by this document could include:  
a. The dates of subsequent  CTE meetings already sched uled; 
b. How to add items to the agenda of the next formal meeting;  
c. The date on which the agenda of the next formal meeting will be closed;  
d. The date on which the Convening Notice for the next formal meeting will be circulated;  
e. The date on which the annotated agenda for the next formal meeting will be circulated;  
f. A reminder of the items that the CTE has agreed to continue to discuss;  
g. To ensure transparency, the document must contain the footnotes needed  to explain, 
where appropriate, any changes that have been made since the first revision through the 
updates provided for in paragraph 4.4 (including, but not limited to, any notifications 
circulated in accordance with document WT/L/106  that explain any change s to the date s 
of the formal meetings scheduled); and  
h. Where appropriate, any other information - including on deadlines or processes - that 
helps delegates to partic ipate in the CTE.  
4.6.  The document should include hyperlinks to all WTO documents to which reference is made.  WT/CTE/W/257  
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  5  MINUTES  
5.1.  To facilitate the follow -up of formal meetings, the reports shall be circulated within three weeks 
after the CTE meeting and not later than t he notice convening the following meeting.1 
6  DIGITAL TOOLS  
6.1.  E-Registration - The E -Registration tool is extremely useful for identifying Geneva -based 
delegates and the issues they are responsible for, as well as capital -based delegates on the basis of 
its recent improvements . In this regard, it is proposed that:  
a. Members be reminded of the need to keep their delegates' details in E -Registration up to 
date;  
b. As soon as the updates to the E-Registration system (which allow Delegation Coordinators 
to include capital -based delegates, where appropriate) become operational , all documents 
emanating from the CTE be circulated exclusively on the basis of that system.  
6.2.  eAgenda - This tool is very useful for delegations as it makes it possible to prepare more 
effectively for meetings and to obtain a more or less accurate transcri pt of Members' statements. It 
should also be noted  that Committees using this type of tool require on average relatively less time 
for the preparation of minutes. In this regard, it is proposed that:  
a. eAgenda be used for formal CTE meetings.  
6.3.  The use of eAge nda should not replace the reports of the CTE, but would facilitate, inter alia , 
the preparation of meetings and delegates' informal consultations, as well as the work of the 
Secretariat.  
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1 WT/L/452.