WT/CTE/W/256  
30 October 2023  
 Page: 1/2 
Committee on Trade and Environment  Original:  Spanish  
 
  
TRANSPARENCY AND EXPERIENCE SHARING  
COMMUNICATION FROM PARAGUAY  
The following communication, dated 26 October 2023, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Paraguay.  
 
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1.1.  Paraguay considers transparency regarding environmental measures with trade effects and 
experience sharing to be core elements of the work of the Committee on Trade and 
Environment  (CTE) . 
1.2.  While the CTE concluded that no modifications to WTO rules were required to ensure adeq uate 
transparency for trade -related environmental measures1, no other WTO body is specifically 
mandated to discuss the environmental elements of such measures.  
1.3.  Paraguay appreciates that some Members implementing this type of measure already use the 
CTE an d its existing terms of reference, in both the CTE's work programme (1994) and the relevant 
paragraphs of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, to make presentations on the measures they 
implement or intend to implement ; however, the opportunity to enhance  transparency and the 
sharing of experiences and information regarding these measures should not be limited exclusively 
to the presentations that Members may make autonomously.  
1.4.  Making presentations or reacting to presentations made in the room by other Members  could 
be very onerous for some delegations, in particular small delegations with limited human resources.  
1.5.  With a view to  increasing the participation of these delegations, Paraguay proposes using the 
CTE and its existing terms of reference to pose  questions that enhance transparency and encourage 
the sharing of experiences regarding environmental measures and policies with trade effects . 
1.6.  This will reduce the burden of having to make presentations and will allow for more active 
participation by not limiting questions to presentations made by other Members.  
1.7.  It should be noted that this proposal does not require a decision since it would already be 
covered by the CTE's existing terms of reference.  
1.8.  In order to facilitate the process and provide sufficient time for Members to submit and answer 
questions, the following mechanism is proposed:  
a. A Member that plans to pose  questions on an environmental measure or policy with trade 
effects in the course of a regular meeting shall give notice of its intention to the notifying 
Member concerned and to the Secretariat, as far as possible in advance of the formal 
meeting of the C TE, but not later than the day on which the agenda is closed.  
b. The questions submitted shall be circulated by the Secretariat to all Members, in all the 
official languages of the WTO.  
 
1 WT/CTE/1 – para. 189.  WT/CTE/ W/256 
  
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  c. Measures and policies in respect of which questions have been posed under  this paragraph 
shall be annotated accordingly in the proposed agenda.  
d. Members submitting questions shall clearly identify the measure or policy to which they 
refer and include, where appropriate, a reference to the notification of the measure to the 
WTO.  
e. Members to whom questions are addressed shall try to respond to them at the formal 
meeting of the CTE and in all cases shall submit written replies to the Secretariat for 
circulation to all Members, in all the official languages of the WTO.  
f. In order to avo id the duplication of efforts, Members, with the assistance of the Secretariat, 
shall try to unify questions submitted concerning the same measures or policies.  
 
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