INF/TE/SSD/W/21  
 
30 November 2022  
(22-8903) Page: 1/2 
  Original: English  
 
 
TRADE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY STRUCTURED DISCUSSIONS  (TESSD)  
STATEMENT BY THE TESSD CO -CONVENORS  
The following statement , dated 30 November  2022, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegations of Canada and Costa Rica ( TESSD Co -convenors ). 
 
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1. The Co-conveners have taken note of the strong commitment of the TESSD Co-sponsors to 
advancing discussions on trade and environmental sustainability at the WTO and to the efforts made 
by Members to date to intensify work on areas of interest in line with WTO rules and principles.  We 
also take note of the significance of the inclusion of references to the global environmenta l challenges 
of climate change and related natural disasters, loss of biodiversity and pollution in the MC12 
Outcome Document, which serves to reinforce the importance of these issues.  
2. The Co-sponsors have made significant progress in advancing their w ork in line with the 
Ministerial Statement on Trade and Environmental Sustainability (WT/MIN(21)/6/Rev.1), released 
in December 2021.  Following the launch of the TESSD Work Plan (INF/TE/SSD/W/17/Rev.1), 
Members have held several meetings to advance discuss ions under four informal working groups to 
address their respective guiding questions.  The content of these discussions has been summarized 
in document (INF/TE/SSD/R/14).  
3. The Co-conveners recognize that these discussions will continue to mature and that  the 
working groups would benefit from further time to respond to the guiding questions identified under 
the Work Plan.  With this in mind, the Co-convenors will continue to facilitate the discussions on the 
basis of the existing work plan and will work wit h Co-sponsors to evaluate the work plan to determine 
if there are updates that would aid us in advancing our discussions.  
4. Discussions to date have covered a wide range of issues falling under the issue areas identified 
in the Ministerial Statement and W ork Plan and we recognize the value in pursuing more focussed 
discussions which would allow for in -depth analysis of individual issues.  To this end, the working 
group s have identified a series of specific issues and/or sectors, which will form the focus of  the next 
phase of work during 2023. We also recognize and value the complementarities of discussions in the 
different working groups, including with regard to the theme of trade and climate change.  Moreover, 
the working groups will monitor developments in  other WTO committees and international fora so 
that the different discussions can be mutually supportive.  
5. We recognize the need for inclusive approaches that reflect the circumstances of the diversity 
of the WTO's membership and their specific developm ent needs. The working groups will identify 
challenges and opportunities for sustainable trade, especially for developing and least developed 
Members, and MSMEs. Members will consider the types of capacity building and technical assistance 
that may aid in overcoming specific challenges.  
6. The Working Group on Trade-related Climate Measures will seek to enhance its knowledge 
base by undertaking a review of the different forms of carbon measurement standards and measures 
intended to lead to a reduction in carbon emissions. The Working Group will consider these issues 
from a sectoral pe rspective.  The Working Group will also hold exchanges on the development and 
implementation process of trade -related climate measures, especially on the trade considerations 
involved in their design and possible ways to enhance transparency.  INF/TE/SSD/W/2 1 
 
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  7. The Working Group on Environmental Goods and Services will pursue an objective -based 
approach to its discussions, based on the selection of relevant environmental goals, the identification 
of sectors relevant to those goals, and an examination of the sector -specific  issues involved in the 
promotion and facilitation of trade in environmental goods and services, including supply chain, 
technical and regulatory elements, among others.  The first environmental goal that the Working 
Group will pursue is climate change miti gation and adaptation and the first sector is renewable 
energy.  
8. The Working Group on Circular Economy  – Circularity will undertake a mapping exercise to 
build a broader understanding of the aspects of trade and trade policy which are relevant to each 
part of the life cycle. Complementing the mapping exercise, the Working Group will also pursue 
sector -specific discussions, starting with the renewable energy and electronics, to analyse the 
specific trade issues associated with those sectors along the full life cycle of products.  
9. The Working Group on Subsidies will continue its work on the potential positive and negative 
environmental effects of subsidies, as well as their trade impacts.  The Working Group will share 
experiences in subsidy design and consider how to enhance transparency and data availability. To 
allow for more in -depth discussions, the Working Group will begin with a focus on: (1) agricultural 
subsidies ; and (2) subsidies related to the tran sition to a low -carbon economy.  
10. The Co-conveners are committed to an inclusive and transparent process and to that end, we 
will seek to expand the membership of TESSD to bring a broader range of Member perspectives and 
interests into the discussions. T o ensure transparency for all WTO Members, we will continue to 
regularly report on our progress to the Committee on Trade and Environment and will seek 
opportunities to engage with other WTO bodies to share elements of our discussions which are 
relevant to  the work of those committees.   
11. We will also continue to encourage the active engagement of the TESSD stakeholders and will 
seek to make the most effective use possible of their expertise.   
12. We look forward to continuing to engage with the Co-sponso rs of the TESSD as we work to 
identify concrete actions that participating Members could take individually or collectively.  The 
Co-conveners will continue to advocate for the identification, development and delivery of concrete 
outcomes.  
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