WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  RESTRICTED 
WT/CTE/M/48 
12 January 2010 
 (10-0090) 
Committee on Trade and Environment  
  
 
REPORT OF THE MEETING HELD ON 20 NOVEMBER 2009 
 
Note by the Secretariat 
  
1. The Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE Regular) met on 20 November 2009 under 
the Chairmanship of Ambassador Bozkurt ARAN (Turkey).
1  The first agenda item was on Paragraph 
32 of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) wh ich included Paragraph 32(i) on environmental 
requirements and market access (pages 1-5);  a nd Paragraph 32(iii) on labe lling for environmental 
purposes (pages 5-6).  It was followed by Paragraph 33 of the DDA on technical assistance and 
capacity building, and environmental reviews (p ages 6-7);  and Paragraph 51 on environmental 
aspects of the negotiations (page 7).  Under other bus iness, the CTE took up the following subjects:  
trade and climate change (pages 7-14);  environmen t and regional trade agreements (pages 14-15); 
and information exchange by the Convention on In ternational Trade in Endangered Species (pages 
15-16).  
I. PARAGRAPH 32 
A. PARAGRAPH 32(I) (ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS AND MARKET ACCESS ) 
The effect of environmental measures on market access, especially in relation to developing 
countries, in particular the least-developed am ong them, and those situations in which the 
elimination or reduction of trade restric tions and distortions w ould benefit trade, the 
environment and development.  
2. The representative of Argentina thanked the Secretariat for organizing the Workshop on 
Environment-related Private Standards, Certifica tions and Labelling Requireme nts in July 2009, and 
reiterated his country's concern on the proliferation of  environment-related private standards.  He said 
that although these standards were predominately voluntary, in practice, they could become 
obligatory.  They limited market access for develo ping-country exports, undermining the role played 
by governments in liberalizing international trade.    
3. He believed that climate change related initia tives, such as carbon footprinting, food miles 
and buy-local campaigns advocated for consumer s in developed countries, had no scientific 
justification.  A number of studies had shown that  food produced locally did not necessarily emit less 
greenhouse gases (GHG) than food brought in from  afar.  He raised concerns on the various 
multilateral initiatives related to international transp ortation of products and obligatory purchases of 
GHG emission permits.  These approaches c ould reduce the competitiveness of exports from 
geographically distant countries that depended on in ternational transport to reach export markets.  
These measures, which differentiated products based  on emissions during their production processes 
or transportation, should be avoided.   
                                                      
1 The airgram convening this meeting was circulated in document WTO/AIR/3477, dated 
9 November 2009. WT/CTE/M/48 
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  4. He said that requirements based on processes and production methods (PPMs) could create 
trade barriers and should not be considered as requi rements for market access.  There was a growing 
risk that such measures would be adopted and prevent market access for Argentinean exporters, 
especially small and medium size enterprises (SMEs).  This was particularly the case considering the diversity of methodologies, and when criteria of  certification schemes were set by developed 
countries and applied to developing countries.  He  concluded that envir onmental measures could 
become barriers to international trade, and should be  in conformity with relevant WTO rules.  This 
included ensuring a balance between fulfilling enviro nmental objectives and trade liberalization in the 
preparation and application of standards. 
5. The representative of the Saudi Arabia shared th e concerns raised by Argentina with respect 
to private standards and carbon footprint measures.   In his view, such measures could constitute a 
form of disguised protectionism.  Meeting these voluntary standards could be burdensome, 
particularly for developing countries.  Private st andards that differentiate d between products on the 
basis of non-product related PPMs raised serious issues under WTO rules.   
6. The representative of Australia said that there were a number of trade and climate change 
related issues directly relevant to the CTE's wo rk, and carbon labelling was one of them.  In this 
respect, she made reference to the section on t echnical specifications in the WTO-UNEP Report on 
Trade and Climate Change and hoped that there coul d be further opportunity to discuss these issues in 
the Committee while revisiting the Report and some of its findings.   
7. Carbon labelling was a relatively recent phenome non, but worth the CTE reflecting upon and 
familiarizing with.  Australia appreciated, intern ationally, the growing awareness on environmental 
aspects of goods and services.  Consumers wanted to know more about the products and services they 
purchased and the impacts these had on the environm ent.  To influence consumer behaviour, policy 
makers and regulators had sought to  develop a range of measures to publicize relevant environmental 
information on products.  Some of these measures ha d been less than precise, raising the risk of 
negative impacts on the environment and inefficiencies in international trade.   
8. She had taken noted at the July 2009 CTE meeti ng that a number of countries were currently 
developing carbon footprint labe lling for products.  She said that carbon labelling schemes presented 
both opportunities and challenges.  For compani es supplying goods and services, carbon labelling 
presented an opportunity to position themselves as green producers.  However, carbon labelling, if 
poorly conceived and designed, could have perver se impacts from an economic and environmental 
perspective.  Studies had shown that New Zealand (NZ) lamb exported to the United Kingdom (UK) 
had a lower carbon footprint over its life cycle when compared with domestically produced UK lamb.  
This example highlighted the flaws of the food mi les concept and the importance of ensuring that 
carbon labelling schemes incorporated a life cycle analysis.   
9. Carbon labelling needed to be based on sound an d independent science.  The technical and 
practical difficulties involved in gathering data were considerable.  Ca rbon labelling schemes could 
also be very costly to develop and this might be  an inhibiting factor for a number of developing 
countries in taking up opportunities that came with  these types of schemes.  With most of these 
schemes being relatively new, it was important for the CTE to assess whether they were having their desired effect in terms of changing consumer beha viour and international supply chains.  This was 
important information for the Committee, particularly  in determining whether these types of measures 
were having potentially trade-distorting effects.  Sh e noted that the OECD had carried out analytical 
work in this area, and welcomed the opportunity to be informed on the OECD's work in the CTE. 
10. She said that it could be helpful to develop international standards.  In this respect, both the 
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) were in 
the process of developing relevant international standard s.  It would also be useful for the CTE to be  WT/CTE/M/48 
 Page 3 
 
 
  briefed by these organisations.  As mentioned by Ar gentina, the added difficulty was that a number of 
these schemes were being developed in the private sector.  It was important that governments reminded private sector bodies within their juri sdiction that these bodies should be guided by the 
Code of Good Practice for the Preparation, Adopti on and Application of Standards, Annex 3 of the 
Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), to ensure that these schemes were not creating 
unnecessary obstacles to trade.   
11. The representative of New Zealand echoed Aust ralia's view that the CTE should start a 
discussion on carbon footprints and better understanding of the issue.  She proposed to invite the 
WTO and the UNEP Secretariats to present the Repo rt on Trade and Climate Change, including, in 
particular, Part IV of the Report on "Relevant WTO rules and work" that touched upon TBT and SPS 
mandatory requirements and voluntary standards.  Sh e also saw the value of inviting international 
bodies, such as ISO and WRI, which were currently involved in the development of international 
standards, to brief the CTE.  She said that an y discussions on carbon labelling should logically look at 
carbon footprinting issues as these underpinned carbon la bels.  It would be im portant to study how 
effective carbon labelling schemes were in deliver ing the desired objective to change consumer 
behaviour and thereby deliver an environmenta l benefit.  The impacts of carbon labelling on 
development and trade objectives would al so be relevant topics for discussions. 
12. The representative of Colombia supported the stat ement made by the delegation of Argentina.  
He said that private standards, although in most ca ses voluntary, had become compulsory and created 
new trade barriers on market access, in particular for developing countries.  Carbon footprint, food 
miles and buy-local measures affected trade opportunities and represented a real barrier to market 
access.  The growth in such restrictions had created problems for developing countries.  
13. The representative of Turkey recalled that at the Workshop on Private Standards held in July 
2009, there had been presentations that indicated an  increase in private standards.  Currently, there 
were more than 400 different envi ronmental labels, making it difficu lt for producers and exporters to 
comprehend which standards had to be met in orde r to access certain markets.  He believed that, 
particularly with respect to climate change, the number of voluntary measures would increase.  The 
proliferation of private standards, usually more  stringent than governmental standards, could 
constitute technical barriers to international trade.  It was difficult and costly for developing country 
producers, in particular SMEs, to meet these re quirements.  Global cooperation was needed, for 
example to increase awareness and knowledge on cu rrent standards through transparency and to 
further harmonize standards and conformity assessme nt procedures.  Moreover, caution should be 
taken in the design and implementation of private environmental certificati on and labelling schemes.  
He invited other Members to share experiences on re cent development and cha llenges in this field. 
14. The representative of the European Communities (EC)2 reiterated the EC view that, although 
the issue of private standards was interesting, th e CTE would need to discuss and reflect on the right 
format and approach in dealing with it, taking into  account the competence of the CTE and the WTO.  
It was useful to discuss situations that would affect tr ade.  However, it would also be useful to keep in 
mind that the focus of the WTO was on measur es and disciplines as applied to governments. 
15. The representative of India shared the concerns  raised, particularly by Argentina, Saudi 
Arabia, Turkey and Colombia, on the proliferation of private standards.  He recalled that at the July 
                                                      
 2 On 1 December 2009, the Treaty of Lisbon amendi ng the Treaty on Europe an Union and the Treaty 
establishing the European Community (done at Lisb on, 13 December 2007) en tered into force.  On 
29 November 2009, the WTO received a Verbal Note (WT/L/779) from the Council of the Eu ropean Union and 
the Commission of the European Communities stating that, by virtue of the Treaty of Lisbon, as of 1 December 2009, the European Union replaces and succeeds the European Community. 
 WT/CTE/M/48 
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  Workshop, there had been a presentation by a representative from the Food and Agriculture 
Organization (FAO) that spoke extensively on the pr oliferation of private standards, indicating that 
private standards were seldom sufficiently transparent or based on scientific evid ence.  As a result, the 
standard requirements might not be suitable, in par ticular for foreign producers.  The presentation had 
also highlighted that compliance with some priv ate standards required substantial capital, time and 
skills.  SMEs in developing countries were in a disadvantageous position due to resource and 
infrastructural constraints.  Furthermore, the valu e merited by these standards was mostly captured by 
large-scale retailers, leaving little for produ cers.  The problem was compounded by the de facto  
mandatory nature of these standards, as the majority  of large buyers demanded such requirements.  As 
a result, SMEs in developing countries were at risk of being excluded from high value markets.   
16. He recalled that at the previous meeting, many Members had pointed out the difficulties faced 
by developing countries, in particul ar SMEs, to comply with private standards.  Issues highlighted had 
included the proliferation of standards and certificat ion schemes;  absence of  equivalency and mutual 
recognition;  a lack of transparency in standard s development;  standards not based on scientific 
evidence;  non-participation of stakeholders;  and the de facto  mandatory nature of these standards.  
He believed that these were important issues, and highlighted the usefulness in hearing more briefings 
to gain better understanding.  As pointed out by Au stralia, private standards should be subjected to 
Annex 3 of the TBT Agreement, and that there s hould be transparency so as to take into account 
views and concerns of developing countries, and th at private standards did not adversely affect the 
export opportunities of developing countries. 
17. He also found the issue raised by Argentina on measures that made a distinction between 
products on the basis of GHG emissions important.  He recalled that it was also raised by Saudi 
Arabia regarding private standards that differen tiated products on the basis of non-product related 
PPMs.  He said that it was difficult to measure emissions, and gave the examples of Kenyan flowers airfreighted to Europe that could emit one-third carbon dioxide as compared with flowers grown in 
the Netherlands;  New Zealand lamb transported to the UK that could generate 70% less carbon 
dioxide than UK produced lamb;  and some fert ilizers produced in the United States (US) and 
transported to Europe that could generate 15% less carbon dioxide than fertilisers produced in Italy.  
He concluded that carbon footprinting was a serio us issue and should not adversely affect market 
access opportunities and international trade. 
18. Referring to New Zealand's statement on how the CTE should discuss the WTO-UNEP Trade 
and Climate Change Report, he reiterated India's vi ew that this was a sensitive issue, and the CTE 
needed to exercise caution.  There should be a mandate for the CTE to discuss trade and climate 
change.  Without a mandate, the issue shoul d not be discussed in the Committee.   
19. The representative of South Africa supported fu rther work on carbon footprint labelling and 
believed that it was a key issue that would determine,  in particular, agricultural trade flows.  She said 
that Item 3(b) of the CTE regular agenda – "the relationship between the provisions of the multilateral 
trading system and requirements for environmental purposes relating to products, including standards 
and technical regulations, packaging, labelling" - provided scope for discussion since it related to 
carbon footprint labelling schemes.  Moreover, the CTE had a mandate to focus work in market 
access and labelling issues under Paragraph 32(i) and (iii)  of the DDA.  She also noted that there was 
ongoing work on private standards carried out in the SPS Committee, and believed that it would be 
useful for the CTE to be briefed on the status of th at work, and to look at environment-related private 
standards that had not been covered by the SPS Committee. 
20. The representative of Saudi Arabia supported Indi a's view that there was no scope in the CTE 
to discuss the WTO-UNEP Secretariat Trade and Clim ate Change Report.  He said that the WTO was 
a Member-driven organization, and did not see a discussion on trade and climate change, and in  WT/CTE/M/48 
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  particular the Report itself, as a part of the CTE ma ndate.  He believed that the Report should not be 
discussed under any WTO official fora.   
21. The representative of the United States agreed  with many of the previous speakers on the 
relevance of carbon footprinting methodology and car bon labelling schemes to the work of the CTE.  
She said that it was an area of growing interest, and there were a lot of different entities working on 
the issue.  She believed, as did the representative of the EC, that this was a complicated area - a 
situation where there were private standards and also government-related methodologies and labelling 
schemes under development.  The CTE would need to  consider how to further discuss these.  She 
agreed with Australia and New Ze aland that, to better understand the situation, a good place for the 
CTE to start would be to receive briefings from re levant organisations (e.g. ISO and WRI) as well as 
Members who were developing these methodologies a nd/or labelling schemes.  She was aware that 
France was working on a mandatory carbon labelling scheme, and welcomed information from France 
and any other Members who were working on such schemes.   
22. The Chairman concluded that, on carbon footpr ints, there were suggestions to invite 
organizations (e.g. the OECD, ISO and WRI) to brief the CTE on their relevant work, and for 
Members to share their experiences in this area.   
23. The Committee took note of the statements made.  
B. PARAGRAPH 32(III) (LABELLING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PURPOSES ) 
24. The representative of Colombia recalled that at the July 2009 CTE meeting, the EC had 
represented its 2004 proposal to focus the Paragra ph 32(iii) discussion on how to assist developing 
countries to meet labelling requirements for envi ronmental purposes.  He believed that it was a 
positive approach, and suggested that the discussion c ould include elements such as a work plan to 
harmonize existing national ecolabelling systems and a constructive process to facilitate recognition 
of developing countries' na tional certification schemes. 
25. The representative of the European  Communities said that it was the EC's view that the CTE 
should move from legalistic debat es on labelling issues to a positive agenda that would focus on ways 
to use eco-labelling in favour of market access.  On how to enhance the ability of developing 
countries to qualify for ecolabels in exporting ma rkets and to effectively participate in the 
international standardization process, a positive dialo gue could be articulated around elements such as 
instruments to facilitate applications for ecolabelli ng in jurisdictions where there was a ecolabelling 
system;  supporting access of developing countries, including private producer organisations and 
relevant stakeholders, to the development and operation of such schemes;  based on the ISO14024 
standard, how best to ensure that government eco labelling schemes were developed and administered 
in a non-protectionist and non-discriminatory mann er;  and practical means to support cooperation 
between different labelling schemes.  There coul d be workshops and dedicated sessions with 
substantive debate taking place in the Committee.  Mo reover, the CTE could explore relevant work in 
other fora, such as the Global Ecolabelling Netw ork (GEN) and the OECD.  Members could be 
invited to share experience on the development of labelling schemes in their territories.  He said that 
there were labelling schemes in the Eu ropean Union, and would be interested to be informed of recent 
developments in other countries in this field.   
26. The representative of the United States thanked th e EC for their ideas, and invited the EC to 
incorporate these into a proposal for the c onsideration of her authorities in capital. 
27. The representative of Turkey believed that the EC's proposal was a good basis for discussion.  
As did the US representative, he invited the EC to provide a proposal outline so that he could share it 
with his authorities in capital.   WT/CTE/M/48 
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  28. The representative of Japan also  shared an interest in this area, and would appreciate 
information on the development of ecolabelling schem es in other countries.  She supported the EC's 
ideas, inviting the EC to put concrete proposals on the table.  
29. The representative of Colombia welcomed the EC suggestion for a workshop, and, echoed 
others in inviting the EC to put forward its pr oposal.  His delegation woul d be willing to give a 
presentation on the ecolabelling system in Colombia at a future meeting. 
30. The representative of Canada found the EC sugg estion interesting and useful.  Canada would 
be supportive of working on the issues mentioned.  He noted the reference made to the GEN and the 
opportunity of the Network to brief the CTE.  He sai d that Canada was aware of the work carried out 
by that group in a variety of areas.  He supporte d the request made by the US and others on a written 
proposal from the EC.   
31. The Chairman said that he would hold consulta tions on the way forward on labelling issues in 
the Committee based on the concrete input  from the EC at a later stage.   
32. The Committee took note of the statements made.  
II. PARAGRAPH 33 
We recognize the importance of technical assistance and capacity building in the 
field of trade and environment to d eveloping countries, in particular the 
least-developed among them.  We also en courage that expertise and experience be 
shared with Members wishing to perform envi ronmental reviews at the national level.   
1. Technical Assistance and Capacity Building 
33. The representative of UNEP updated the CTE on UNEP's recent work aimed at improving 
market access opportunities, especially for developi ng countries through trade in green products.  He 
said that UNEP, in partnership with UNCTAD under th e auspices of the Cap acity Building Taskforce 
on Trade, Environment and Development (CBT F), had launched an online training course on 
successful organic production and trade on 2-27 No vember 2009.  The course had received over 600 
applications from over 78 countries and territories.  Ho wever, due to limited availability of resources, 
only 178 participants had been provided training.  The overwhelming response for registration for this 
course had demonstrated an increasing level of in terest and awareness about the economic, trade, 
environmental and poverty reduction benefits associated with increasing trade in organic agriculture.   
34. Trade in organic food and drinks had passed US $ 50 billion per year in 2008 and, despite the 
economic slowdown and financial cris is, the percentage of market gr owth for organic products was 
highest in the food sector.  In parallel, the market  for organic cotton, which had been US$ 241 million 
per year in 2001, was valued over US$ 5 billion in 2008.  Demand for organic wild harvested 
products and cosmetics made from organi c ingredients was also growing.   
35. The online training course addressed concer ns about food security, should agricultural 
production shift to organic methods.  It provided da ta and evidence gathered by the UN Economic and 
Social Commission for Africa, the Study "Sustainable Ag riculture and Food Security in Asia", and an 
FAO Report on the Conference on Organic Agriculture and Food Security.  Moreover, it provided evidence gathered by UNEP, UNCTAD and CBTF on or ganic agriculture and food security in Africa.  
The course material, developed by international expe rts, also challenged the concept that the world 
needed to double production to feed 9 billion people  by 2050.  It provided data and evidence that 
currently, between 25 to 35% of food produced wa s wasted at different levels of production, 
processing and consumption.    WT/CTE/M/48 
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  36. On poverty reduction, organic products had benef its for small farmers, since organic products 
demanded higher price premiums, resulting in higher incomes and profits for fa rmers and others in the 
supply chain.  Evidence had shown that Ugandan farmers earned up to 180% more for organically 
produced ginger, compared to the conventionally grow n product.  On the environmental side, organic 
and biodynamic farming used 20 to 56% less energy per produced unit of crop dry matter and emitted 
48 to 60% less CO2 per hectare compared with conventional intensive farming.  The carbon 
sequestration capacity of organic systems in temperate climates was almost double that of 
conventional methods.   
37. The Committee took note of the Secretariat's 2009 technical assistance activities in the area of 
trade and environment3 and the statement made.  
2. Environmental Reviews 
38. There were no statements from delegations under this item.  
III. PARAGRAPH 51 
The Committee on Trade and Development and the Committee on Trade and 
Environment shall, within their respective mandates, each act as a forum to identify 
and debate developmental and environmental aspects of the negotiations, in order to  
help achieve the objective of having sustai nable development appropriately reflected. 
39. There were no statements from delegations under this item.  
IV. OTHER BUSINESS 
A. TRADE AND CLIMATE CHANGE  
1. Briefing by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 
40. The representative of the Secretariat of th e United Nations Framework Convention on 
Climate Change (UNFCCC) briefed the CTE on the current status of the intergovernmental 
negotiation process under the UNFCCC.   He said th at the negotiating process, launched in Bali in 
2007, aimed to enhance long-term cooperative acti on on climate change up to and beyond 2012.  
Parties were working towards agreement on full, effective and sustained implementation of the 
Convention.  Under a parallel stream, Parties were working towards new commitments for 
industrialized countries that are Party to the Kyoto Protocol.  The process was set to conclude in an 
agreed outcome in Copenhagen in December 2009.  
41. The momentum on climate change had never been higher, and reaching an agreement in 
Copenhagen had featured prominently on agendas of most key summits and meetings in 2009.  The 
Summit on Climate Change, convened by the UN Secret ary-General earlier in 2009, ended with a call 
by over 100 world leaders for a comprehensive d eal in Copenhagen to ensure enhanced action to 
assist the most vulnerable and poorest to adapt to impacts of climate change;  ambitious emission reduction targets for industrialised countries;  nationa lly appropriate mitigation actions by developing 
countries with the necessary support;  significantl y scaled-up financial and technological resources; 
and an equitable governance structure to manage the resources.   
42. Copenhagen was expected to address these elemen ts at three levels.  There was currently 
broad agreement that the Copenhagen agreement n eeded to unleash prompt implementation.  This 
included implementation of adaptation action, tech nology cooperation, action on deforestation in 
                                                      
3 See Annex 1. WT/CTE/M/48 
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  developing countries and capacity building.  To achieve  this, significant short-term finance had to be 
put on the table at Copenhagen.    
43. Moreover, the Copenhagen agreement was exp ected to resolve key political issues of 
mitigation and finance.  This meant setting ambi tious targets for industrialised countries on an 
individual basis;  reflecting the nature of nationa lly appropriate mitigation actions by developing 
countries;  putting in place short-term finance;  and establishing a cost-sharing formula for 
industrialised countries on long-term finance.  If the Copenhagen agreement was settled as a political 
agreement, it was expected to also include a dead line for turning this substantive political agreement 
into a legally binding instrument in 2010.  
44. He said that a strong international deal to co mbat climate change n eeded to be sealed at 
Copenhagen.  Climate change impacts - such as droughts, storms, changes in rainfall patterns and 
floods - had already been felt worldwide, and the poor est were the hardest hit.  These impacts had the 
potential to seriously undermine efforts towards development objectives.  At the same time, GHG 
emissions were increasing, further fuelling future c limate change.  The world agreed that an ambitious 
deal was an unequivocal requirement to stop clim ate change from slipping out of control.   
45. The negotiating process over the last year had ta ken place against the background of financial 
and economic crises.  Despite initial concerns that an effective respon se to climate change might fall 
victim to this, there had been a growing realisati on that climate change ac tion and sustained economic 
recovery could go hand-in-hand, if efforts were made to transition economies onto a green growth 
pathway.  The potential for this had been driven  home by the International Energy Agency (IEA) 
earlier in 2009.  The IEA had found that many unsustainable investments in the energy sector had 
been postponed because of the economic crisis.  This had opened up the possibility to change 
direction as economic recovery set in and to cha nnel these investments into a green climate-friendly 
direction that was affordable and offered safe invest ment returns.  The IEA found that every year of 
delay in action would cost an additional US$ 500 billion to achieve a certain GHG concentration 
level.  Copenhagen needed to create the basis fo r a legal and policy framework to enable this 
transition to a global green and climate-resilient economy.  If the international community was to 
achieve this, there would also be rene wed momentum for international trade. 
46. He said that while the negotiations had made good progress on some issues, further efforts 
were needed on high-order political issues.  Progress had been made on specific issues that enhanced 
implementation of the Convention. These include d comprehensive action on adaptation, tangible 
technology cooperation, action to reduce emissions from deforestation in developing countries and 
enhanced capacity building.  However, considerab le progress still needed to be made on mitigation 
and finance.  The foundation of a strong Copenhage n outcome needed to consist of industrialised 
countries’ leadership in reducing emissions and the provision of financial support to developing 
countries.  
47. For a Copenhagen deal to be truly effective,  it was essential that all industrialised countries 
came forward with ambitious individual mid-term (i.e. 2020) targets.  The scientific community had 
estimated that there was a 50% chance of limiting gl obal mean temperature increases to 2°C, if global 
emissions peaked in the next 10-15 years;  if emi ssions were globally reduced by 50% by 2050;  and 
if industrialised countries reduced their emissi ons by 25%-40% below 1990 levels by 2020.  
However, currently, the aggregate pledges of indust rialised countries fell short of this range, and 
industrialised countries clearly needed to raise their level of ambition.  
48. Insufficient clarity also remained on the mitigation actions by developing countries. Many 
developing countries were taking mitigation actions with little or no financial support.  These actions 
had been carried out for purely domestic reasons .  Developing countries were willing to undertake 
additional nationally appropriate mitigation action, provided they received fina ncial and technological   WT/CTE/M/48 
 Page 9 
 
 
  support.  These actions could be larger than proj ects, but smaller than strategies, covering entire 
sectors.  Importantly, they had to lead to a subs tantial limitation of emissions.  For developing 
countries, nationally appropriate mitigation actions c ould drive a shift to sustainable development and 
help them in not following the emissions-intensive  development path of industrialised countries.  
49. Further efforts were also needed on the provi sion of scaled-up financial resources, both in 
terms of start-up finances, as well as with respect to predictable and sufficient finances in the long-
term.  Short-term financing was the basis for an immediately functioning, implementable outcome at 
Copenhagen. It would determine the extent to  which developing countries could act.  Many 
developing countries had already been suffering from th e effects of climate change and needed urgent 
adaptation funding.  The planning of  additional mitigation actions, in particular how they fitted into 
national development strategies, needed to start as soon as possible.  For this, start-up financing was 
urgently needed in Copenhagen.   
50. A Copenhagen deal had to also put in place m echanisms for generating new, predictable and 
sustainable financial resources in the long run,  both for mitigation and adaptation actions in 
developing countries.  Both private and public capita l needed to be scaled up, and significant funding 
was essential to boost technological support.  Adapta tion, as well as many of the sectors that were key 
to mitigation in developing countries, depended largel y on public finance.  Scaling up public funding 
was therefore a priority.  To this end, it was impor tant that a Copenhagen deal included a cost-sharing 
formula that could be applied again and again, going into the future.  
51. Despite these remaining challenges, he sensed a huge desire for the negotiations to succeed.  
However, he said that with the limited amount of  time remaining, it was important to focus on an 
outcome in Copenhagen that established a level of ambition commensurate with the scale of the 
problem the world faces.  The focus in Copenha gen was therefore on a comprehensive political 
outcome that addressed all political essentials.  If this  was achieved, further efforts in 2010 would be 
needed to turn this political agreement into a legal treaty. 
52. He said that action on climate change was key to creating a sustainable way forward.  It was 
key to protecting development gains already made , and would have economi c benefits, including in 
international trade.  An assessment conducted under the UNFCCC suggested that there would be 
significant new flows of capital, increases in trade,  and a significant role for a vibrant international 
carbon market.  This implied that the trade regi me would have a contribution to make in the 
implementation phase of a new climate change agreement.   
53. In this context, the CTE's work on envi ronmental goods and services was important.  
Advancing this work would be supportive to the climate change process as it moved into 
implementation after Copenhagen.  It was important to recognize that adaptation to climate change 
impacts added a potentially new dimension, for instan ce, a water pump that could be used to maintain 
a flood wall could also be considered for preferen tial treatment in trade.  Production and trade in 
technologies for both mitigation and adaptation would be  an important part of the new trade flows, 
once an agreement was in place.  The definiti on of "environmental goods and services" would be 
important in this regard.  There was a large bask et of existing climate-sensitive technologies that 
could be used in the first phase of implementation of a new agreement.     
54. Trade issue had been raised in the context of the negotiations, but they did not play a central 
role.  He highlighted the following two issues.  Fi rst, in reaction to a reference to possible trade 
restrictions in some of the draft legislation or ad opted legislation, several countries had requested to 
emphasize in an Copenhagen agreement the UNFCCC provision, which said that “measures taken to 
combat climate change, including unilateral ones,  should not constitute a means of arbitrary or WT/CTE/M/48 
Page 10  
 
  unjustifiable discrimination or a disguised restriction on international trade.”
4  Second, intellectual 
property rights were heavily debated in the context of efforts to enhance transfer of environmentally 
sustainable technologies.  He believed that both i ssues were not likely to block a final agreement, 
since pragmatic solutions could be found in  advancing the implementation efforts.   
55. Trade and climate regimes could be compleme ntary and mutually reinforcing in supporting 
sustainable development objectives.  Copenhagen presented a huge opportunity to lay the foundation 
for a safer, greener future. He was confident that  the international community could rise to the 
challenge, and WTO Members' suppor t would be much appreciated. 
56. The representative of South Africa thanked the representative of the UNFCCC for the 
briefing.  She believed that trade implications were voiced in climate change negotiations under 
discussions on response measures, and sought further information. 
57. The representative of the UNFCCC said that  under both the Convention and the Kyoto 
Protocol negotiations, potential ne gative and positive consequences of measures to address climate 
change were discussed, including the impacts on developing countries.  It had been a difficult area since the outset of the Convention, but progress had been made in the discussions.  Currently, there 
was a proposal that had received support.  It proposed to establish a forum that would look at the 
consequences of response measures and address them together with other efforts to assist developing 
countries in the implementation of the Convention.  He said that trade aspect s were not the central 
focus of these discussions, but it was the issue of a ssisting developing countries to deal with any 
negative consequences due to measures taken by industrialised countries in combating climate 
change. 
58. The representative of India noted in the UNFCCC presentation under the climate change 
negotiations, there were aspects of mitigation, ad aptation, technology, finance and governance 
structure.  On mitigation, he sought clarification on the baseline regarding the mid-term and long-term 
targets.  He understood that under the Kyoto Protoc ol, by 2012, Annex I countries were obliged to 
reduce GHG emission by 5% as compared to the 1990 level.  Regarding finance, the presentation had 
indicated that financing would determine the ex tent to which developing countries could act on 
adaptation and mitigation.  He sought further in formation on the progress in the negotiations on 
financial resources and technology transfer. 
59. The representative of the UNFCCC said that th e representative of India had raised a number 
of questions at the heart of some difficult negotia tion issues that had not yet been resolved.  With 
regard to baseline, 1990 was the baseline referred to  both in the Kyoto Protocol and the Convention, 
and many Parties were insisting that the 1990 baselin e should be used in taking efforts forward.  1990 
was a baseline referred to Annex I Parties (i ndustrialised country Parties), and would not 
automatically apply to developing country parties ta king mitigation action.  The scientific findings of 
the IPCC referred to a scenario that required indust rialised countries to reduce emissions by 25% to 
40% by 2020 based on the 1990 level, and assumed developing countries to reduce emissions below 
BAU level in the range of 15% to 30% by 2020.  In scientific literature, different baselines had been 
used.  In the negotiations, some Parties preferred to use more recent baselines, started from where 
emissions had grown to at this stage, and measured progress from there. 
60. On finance, he emphasized that finance was not only required for adaptation.  The discussion 
on finance was boarder and related also to technol ogy, capacity building and mitigation actions in 
developing countries.  There was a strong emphasis on having measurable, reportable and verifiable 
finance to support developing countries in addressing  all aspects of climate change actions.  He said 
that currently, there were no consolidated pledges on finance.  References ha d been made, elaborated 
                                                      
4 Article 3, paragraph 5 of the UNFCCC.  WT/CTE/M/48 
 Page 11 
 
 
  by the EC, to long-term incremental investments in the order of Euro 100 billion by 2020, suggesting 
that it would be financed through a mix of private and public funding.  In te rms of short-term funding 
available immediately as of 2010, reference had ofte n been made to USD 10 billion to initiate rapid 
actions to deal with the most urgent adaptation needs and finance some of the plans for mitigation 
actions that would require more effort and were in tegrated into national development strategies.   
61. Technology transfer was an area where progress had been made.  There was an understanding 
on the need to enhance technology cooperation a nd to address every stage of the technology cycle 
from research to final deployment.  A number of pr oposals were on the table, and he believed that 
there would be an agreement on a technology mech anism that would become operational in 2010.  He 
said that an area which had received a lot of suppor t, was the creation of regional innovation centres 
that would be hubs for technologies to be spr ead into developing countries and accelerate the 
deployment as needed. 
2. Exchange of national experience  
62. The representative of the Republic of Korea in formed the CTE of recent decisions by his 
Government on meeting a GHG reduction goal for 2020.  He said that Korea, one of the non-Annex I 
parties to the UNFCCC, had made such a decision at its Cabinet meeting on 17 November 2009.  
According to the decision, Korea would cut GHG emissions by 30% from its business as usual (BAU) 
emissions, which was commensurate with a 12% reduction compared with the level of 2005 
emissions.  It was the highest cut from the rang es recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on 
Climate Change (IPCC) for developing countries in order to remit the global temperature rise below 
the 2°C from the pre-industrial levels.  The Kor ean emission reduction goal was not conditional on 
the outcome of the Climate Change Conference to be held in Copenhagen.  It was a unilateral 
voluntary mitigation action to be taken without any foreign support.  Korea ho ped that its unilateral 
mitigation efforts would create a more conduciv e atmosphere for developing countries' active 
participation in the fight against climate change and for developed countries'  further commitments to 
reduce GHG emissions.   
63. He said that projection numbers - such as ec onomic growth, population increase and oil price 
- used in calculating Korea's BAU emissions by 2020 might need to be adjusted in the future.  His 
Government would conduct periodic reviews and modify numbers as it became necessary.  Korea would continue to build up and maintain sound in ventories on emissions a nd reduction achieved, and 
accumulate adequate sufficient data.  Korea be lieved that setting ambitious mitigation goals, 
implementing necessary policies, and making a commitment - in spite of its relatively short history of 
economic development (less than 50 years) and expe rience in mitigation -  could be a meaningful 
reference for other developing countries.   
3. Other matters 
64. On the Committee's handling of the topic of tr ade and climate change, the Chairman recalled 
that at the July 2009 meeting, delegations ha d held preliminary discussion on trade and climate 
change.  On 28 October, he had conducted informal consultations  to seek views on how to best 
structure future discussion on this subject at futu re meetings.  Delegations  had generally expressed 
preference to delay discussion to post-Copenhagen.   The Secretariat's presentation on the WTO-
UNEP Trade and Climate Change Report, suggested by  several delegations at the July meeting, had 
also been deferred.   
65. The representative of New Zealand said that her delegation welcomed the WTO and UNEP 
Secretariat Report on Trade and Climate Change as a useful contribution to the debate on the nexus 
between trade and climate change.  The Report had demonstrated that there were a range of complex connections between the two areas.  She regretted that the Report was not presented at the present WT/CTE/M/48 
Page 12  
 
  meeting, but had listened carefully to the concerns raised and look forward to further consultations on 
how the presentation and discussion might be structured.  
66. The representative of Saudi Arabia reiterate d his delegation's views on the relationship 
between trade and climate change expressed at the informal meeting held on 28 October 2009.  He 
stressed  that climate change s hould be dealt with in the organization that had both the mandate and 
the relevant expertise (i.e. the UNFCCC).  The WT O, by contrast, had neither the mandate nor the 
expertise to engage meaningfully on climate change  questions.  Climate change was first and foremost 
an environmental issue, not a trade issue.  The Doha Ministerial Declaration (DMD) had been carefully negotiated, and environmental issues had been included in a very limited and carefully-
defined manner.  The CTE could not disregard th e clear confines of the Ministerial mandate by 
engaging in a broad-ranging discussion on climate cha nge.  Members should also not lose sight of the 
fact that the Doha Round was a development, not an environment round.  
67. Apart from the narrow mandate of the DMD on environmental issues, the WTO should 
concentrate on its core mandate, wh ich was trade.  In this regard, his delegation was disappointed that 
the recent WTO-UNEP Report on Trade and Climate Cha nge failed to take a clear position against the 
use of protectionist border measures in mitigating c limate change.  To the contrary, the Report had 
suggested that such border measures might well be justified under WTO rules.  His delegation was 
concerned that the Report and its c onclusions could be used to seek to justify the imposition of border 
measures, something that would clearly disadvantage developing countries.  He said that the WTO must ensure that such measures did not create new trade restrictions under the disguise of mitigating 
climate change.  There was a clear risk that prod ucts from developing countries, which were not in a 
position to undertake ambitious GHG reduction goals, w ould be the first target for restrictive border 
measures.   
68. He emphasized that the Report had no legal e ffect, and that it expressed the views of the 
respective Secretariats of the WTO and UNEP only.  He referred to the disclaimer in the Report 
which stated that the opinions expressed “do not pur port to reflect the opinions or views of Members 
of the WTO.”  Since the WTO is a Member-driven organization, his delegation would not endorse the 
Report, particularly its conclusions on the use of  border measures to address climate change.  Should 
there be any presentation to be made in regard to the Report, it should not be made under any WTO 
fora such as the CTE.  Any future debate on trade and climate change in the WTO must be strictly 
linked to, and limited by, the trade mandate of the WTO.  Other than that, climate change issues 
should be discussed primarily under the UNFCCC, and not the WTO.  
69. The representative of Japan reiterated her dele gation's supports for a discussion on trade and 
climate change in the CTE without prejudice to th e decision in climate change negotiations.  She 
believed that such a discussion in the CTE would cont ribute to both within and outside the WTO.  As 
for the mandate, the CTE Regular Session had a wider mandate than that under the DMD.  She 
regretted that the presentation of the WTO-UNEP Re port on Trade and Climate Change had not taken 
place, neither at this meeting nor in an informal  setting, and looked forward to further discussion on 
this issue.   
70. The representative of Malaysia recalled that in Doha, Ministers had agreed for Members to 
clarify the relationship between trade measur es under Multilateral Environmental Agreements 
(MEAs) and WTO Rules.  He said that in th e context of the WTO-UNEP Report on Trade and 
Climate Change, his delegation associated itself w ith the statement made by Saudi Arabia, in 
particular on the concern on border measures.  Malays ia followed this issue with great interest, and 
was of the view that unilateral measures being deve loped in some countries with the objective to limit 
GHG emissions would cause harm to international trade,  in particular, restrict exports of developing 
countries, and in turn hinder the social and economic development of these countries.  The  
negotiations on reduction or elimination of ta riffs on environmental goods and services under  WT/CTE/M/48 
 Page 13 
 
 
  Paragraph 31(iii) of the DMD would be undermined, if unilateral measure s were to put into effect.  
Malaysia would urge Members concer ned to reconsider these measures. 
71. The representative of the Republic of Korea agr eed on a general discussion in the CTE on the 
relationship between trade and climate change.  His delegation was of the view that there were trade-
related aspects of climate change, as had been i ndicated in the UNFCCC presentation, that deserved 
attention in the CTE regular session. 
72. The representative of the European Communities agreed that there were certain linkages 
between trade issues and climate change issues, as recognized by the representative of the UNFCCC.  
The EC believed that there was a need to discuss how to structure and frame the discussion in the 
CTE.  He appreciated further consultations on ho w to deal with this issue in a post-Copenhagen 
context.  He said that one of the subjects that the CTE could address was how trade policies and 
measures could contribute positively to tackle  the common challenge of climate change. 
73. The representative of Australia found the UNFCCC  presentation informative, and said that 
the trade issues mentioned in th e presentation were the ones touched upon in the WTO-UNEP Report 
on Trade and Climate Change.  While the presenta tion of the WTO-UNEP Report had been deferred, 
her delegation believed that it was important to revisit the Report a nd some of its findings during CTE 
meetings in 2010. 
74. The representative of India said that his dele gation's view on the role of the WTO and the 
relationship between trade and climate change was we ll known.  He shared the views of Saudi Arabia 
and Malaysia that there was no scope for the CTE's work to go beyond its manda te.  He reiterated that 
there was no scope to discuss the WTO-UNEP Report on Trade and Climate Change in the CTE.  The 
Report had been prepared by the two Secretariats a nd not by the membership.  He would fully support 
a discussion on trade and climate change in the Comm ittee, if there were a mandate from Ministers.  
However, at present, there was no such mandate even to discuss the issue under other business. 
75. The representative of Turkey said that climate change was the latest and probably the most 
significant global and environmental concern that  formed the background of a debate on the 
relationship between international trade and e nvironmental protection.  WTO Members committed 
themselves to trade liberalization and environmenta l protection and sustainable development.  An 
open multilateral trading system supported by adopti on of sound environmenta l policies would have a 
positive impact on the environment and contribute  to sustainable development.  Sustainable 
development and protection of the environment were  fundamental goals of the WTO.  They were 
enshrined in the Marrakech Agreement which est ablished the WTO and complemented the WTO's 
objective to reduce trade barriers and elim inate discriminatory trade measures.   
76. He said that while there was no specific WTO Agreement which specifically dealt with the 
environment, Members could adopt trade-related measures for the protection of the environment 
provided that a number of conditions were fulf illed to avoid the misuse of such measures for 
protectionist objectives.  The WTO contributed to  environmental protection through trade openness 
with its rules, enforcement mechanism and o ngoing efforts under the DDA.  The DDA included a 
specific negotiation mandate on trade and environment and assigned tasks to regular work of the CTE.  
His delegation considered the WTO-UNEP Report a va luable and scientific work, and was expecting 
the Secretariat to provide a comprehensive and deta iled presentation on the Report, either in formal or 
informal mode.  He recalled that it had been propo sed by a large number of Members at the July 2009 
meeting.  
77. The representative of Switzerland said that his delegation welcomed the WTO-UNEP Report 
on Trade and Climate Change, and as stated by Turkey, New Zealand and the EC, the Report was a 
good factual summary and provided much needed in formation on the crucial topic of trade and WT/CTE/M/48 
Page 14  
 
  climate change.  He said that climate change m easures would evidently have, and already had, an 
effect on trade, so there was a clear link between climate change measures and trade.  There was a 
need for more information and discussions on this  topic.  The challenge would be on how, on one 
hand liberalise trade, while on the other, combat cl imate change.  In Switzerland's view, the CTE was 
the competent forum in the WTO to address this issue.  He looked forward to further consultations on 
how the Committee could move the discussions forward. 
78. The representative of Pakistan said that while she understood the concerns of India, Saudi 
Arabia and the others and was sympathetic to them , saw the need to understand the Report and its 
implications.  She said that while looking forward  to the Chairman's consultations with Members on 
whether the issue of trade and climate change w as part of the CTE's mandate, she saw no reason why 
the Secretariats of the WTO and UNEP, who had p ublished the Report under their own responsibility, 
could not have a presentation on the Report, also under their own responsibility, but not under the 
work of the CTE.   
79. The representative of Chile agreed with Pakist an on a presentation of the Report prepared by 
the WTO and UNEP Secretariats without prejudging  delegations' views on the link between climate 
change and trade.  Like Switzerland, he regre tted that the presentation of the Report had been 
postponed, and looked forward to further consultations on how to  discuss the Report, since he 
believed that trade and climate change was an important issue. 
80. The representative of Canada welcomed the WTO-UNEP Report and found it useful.  He 
noted the comment made that the WTO was a Member  driven organization, and that some Members 
might not be interested in discussing the Report.  He also noted comments by numerous delegations 
that were interested in discussing the Report.  He  welcomed a broader discussion on trade and climate 
change, and believed that it was w ithin the mandate of the CTE.  He also welcomed debriefing on 
recent trade and climate change dialogues, and made  reference to the Australia-Indonesian Workshop, 
mentioned at the previous CTE meeting, and an even t held by the International Centre for Trade and 
Sustainable Development on the margins of an APEC meeting.   
81. The representative of South Africa said that the WTO was a Member-driven and consensus-
based organization.  Noting the views expressed regarding the timing and procedures involved in 
trade and climate change discussion in the CTE, sh e believed that further consultations would be 
required on how to proceed with the discussion in the Committee.  There were trade issues with 
climate change, and these were important issues.  She would have welcomed a presentation of the Report at the present meeting, and took note of the c oncerns raised by some Members to ensure that 
the discussion on trade and climate change would ta ke into account the mandate of the CTE and the 
competence of the WTO to focus on trade issues.   
82. The Chairman concluded that he would hold c onsultations on how to further the Committee's 
discussion on trade and climate change.   
83. The Committee took note of the statements made. 
B. ENVIRONMENT AND REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENT  
84. The representative of New Zeal and said that since 2001, Ne w Zealand had had an active 
policy of including trade and environment in the context of its free trade agreements.  For New 
Zealand, this was part of taking an integrated approach to sustainable economic development.  
Economic growth and environmenta l protection could and must be mutually supportive.  Since the 
previous CTE meeting, New Zealand had signed a fr ee trade agreement (FTA) with Malaysia.  In the 
broad context of that FTA, Malaysia and New Zealand had signed a legally binding agreement on 
environmental cooperation.  This agreement s upplemented the Malaysia-New Zealand FTA and  WT/CTE/M/48 
 Page 15 
 
 
  would allow for more effective engagement on th is matter towards the objective of promoting 
sustainable economic development. 
85. The representative of Malaysia shared with  New Zealand the objective of promoting 
sustainable economic development and looked forwar d to working with New Zealand to meet this 
objective. 
86. The Committee took note of the statements made. 
C. THE CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES (CITES) 
87. The representative of the Secretariat of the CITES said that the cooperation between CITES 
and WTO was regularly considered by the Standing  Committee of the Conference of the Parties to 
CITES.  As the COP met only once every three year s, the Standing Committee served as the interim 
policy body for the Convention.  In recent meetings , the Standing Committee had taken two decisions 
regarding the CITES-WTO cooperation:  (i) to subm it, through its Chair, requests for CITES observer 
status in additional WTO bodies which addressed issues of relevance to CITES;  and (ii) to explore possibility of organizing with the WTO an informal  discussion on issues of mutual interest in the 
margins of the Committee's 61
st meeting which would be held in  2011.  The next meeting of the 
Standing Committee would take pl ace in Doha on 12 March 2010,  immediately before the 15th 
meeting of the COP which would take place on 13-25 March 2010.   
88. At COP15, the 175 parties to CITES would consider a number of issues which WTO 
Members might find relevant.  These included wildli fe trade policy reviews;  incentives for ensuring 
sustainable, legal and traceable trade in products containing wild animals a nd plants;  national laws 
for regulating wildlife trade (including the trans port of life specimens);  trade facilitation through 
electronic permitting;  e-commerce of specimens of  CITES listed species and the conservation of and 
trade in specific species, which commercial internati onal trade was generally prohibited (e.g. tigers in 
Appendix I) or allowed (e.g. big leaf mahogany in Appendix II).   
89. At COP15, over 40 proposals for amending the lists of species covered by the Convention 
would be accepted, rejected or adjusted.  The proposals offered detailed arguments for including 
species in a particular list (e.g. blue fin tuna, red a nd pink coral, several sharks species, several reptile 
species and a number of plant species from Madagasca r).  It could involve transferring them from one 
list to another.  This might involve "uplisting" from massive protection to more protection, or 
"downlisting" from higher protection to lower protec tion (e.g. as in the case of polar bear, African 
elephant populations from Tanzania and Zambia, crocodile and lizard species).  It could also involve 
deleting them from the Convention (e.g. bobcat, duc k species and several plant species).  Some 
proposals sought to amend the annotations which de termined the parts and derivatives that were 
covered by or excluded from the Convention (e.g. finished products such as lipsticks containing a 
succulent plant species).5   
90. Other activities related to e-permitting and certif ication of sustainable, legal and traceable 
trade in wildlife products through CITES.  The CTE's ongoing discussions on market access, labelling 
requirements for environmental purposes, technical  assistance and sustainable development were 
relevant to this work.  At its meeting in Apr il 2009, the Biodiversity Liaison Group (BLG), which 
included the CITES, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on Migratory Species, 
the World Heritage Convention and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, had considered elements 
for a possible joint approach of BLG members vi s-à-vis the WTO.  The group had agreed that 
interested BLG members would nominate focal points on trade-related issues, and CITES would lead the preparation of capacity building modules on trade and environment.   
                                                      
5 Relevant documents on the meeting are ava ilable on the CITES website: www.cites.org. WT/CTE/M/48 
Page 16  
 
  91. The Committee took note of the statements made.  
V. DATE OF NEXT MEETING 
92. The next meeting of the Committee will be held  in the first quarter of 2010 with the exact 
date to be announced nearer to the time.6 
                                                      
6 Subsequently scheduled on 17 February 2010.  WT/CTE/M/48 
 Page 17 
 
 
  Annex 1 
 
 
WTO TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES IN THE AREA OF  
TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT  
2009 
 
Information from the Secretariat  
 
 
Regional and National Workshops on Trade and Environment  
 
1. In 2009, three regional workshops were orga nized:  for Asia and the Pacific (Singapore, 
9-13 February),  for English-speaking African Countries (Ga borone, Botswana, 24-26 March) and for 
Middle East and Arab Countries (Amman, Jordan, 20-22  October).  The main workshop objective is 
to provide an opportunity for information exchange  on key issues that form part of the Trade and 
Environment agenda in the WTO, with a view to  facilitating the more effective participation of 
developing country Members in WTO work on trad e and environment, in particular under the Doha 
Development Agenda.   2. At the workshops, participants were inform ed of the relevant background and WTO rules 
with respect to trade and environment, work of  the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) and 
status of the trade and environment negotiations.  Ea ch programme was tailored to the interests of the 
region and was interactive and designed to ensure full engagement from partic ipants.  The workshops 
provided a forum for experience sharing on trade and environment matters, as well as opportunities to 
promote greater dialogue between trade and environm ent officials.  The ITC, OECD, the Rotterdam 
Convention, UNCTAD and UNEP Secretariats were i nvited to contribute to the various workshops. 
 3. In 2009, three national workshop were conducted (Macao, 16 February;  The Philippines, 
27-28 May;  and Indonesia, 4-6 November).  Th e programmes were discussed with the beneficiary 
Members and tailored to respond to specific needs.    Participation in Meetings of Other Organizations 
 
4. The Secretariat continued to use the opport unity of attendance at meetings of other 
organizations, to network and conve y information on relevant discussions in the CTE and CTESS.  In 
2009, the Secretariat participated inter alia  in the 4
th meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the 
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Or ganic Pollutants (4-8 May), the 2nd session of the International 
Conference on Chemicals Management (11-15 May), the 58th CITES Standing Committee 
(6-10 July), OECD Joint Working Party on Trade and the Environment (8 and 11 June 2009), OECD Global Forum on Trade (9-10 June 2009), OECD Conference on the Economics of Climate Change (18 September 2009) and the WMO World Climate Conference-3 (31 August - 4 September 2009).  The Secretariat will participate in the CO P-15 of the UNFCCC in December.     
 
Trade Policy Courses and Introductory Courses 
 
5. As in the case of other areas of the WTO's wo rk, the subject of trade and environment is 
routinely included in the programmes of Geneva-bas ed trade policy and introductory courses, as well 
as WTO regional trade policy courses.  In 2009, the Secretariat participated in regional trade policy 
courses held in Benin, Colombia, Jamaica, Singapore and Swaziland.   WT/CTE/M/48 
Page 18  
 
  Technical Assistance Activities in 2010   
 
6. For 2010, and in accordance w ith the Technical Assistance and Training Plan for 2010-2011 
formally adopted by the Committee on Trade and Development (COMTD) on 3 November 2009
1,
                                                      
1 WT/COMTD/W/170 Rev.1. regional workshops on trade and e nvironment will be organized for th e regions of Africa, Asia-Pacific 
and Latin America (see relevant section of the COMTD document, below).   
  
BIENNIAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING PLAN 
2010-2011 
 
(page 61 of document WT/COMTD/W/170 REV.1) 
 
Regional Seminars  
 
(xi) Trade and 
Environment          Region/Sub-region  Description of the Activity   2010 2011 
Africa Trade and environment and 
the work of CTESS X  
Asia-Pacific Advanced Workshop on 
Trade and environment and the work of CTESS (partnership with Singapore) X  
Caribbean Trade and environment and 
the work of CTESS  X 
Central and Eastern 
Europe, Central Asia and Caucasus Trade and environment and 
the work of CTESS  X 
Latin America Trade and environment and 
the work of CTESS X  
 
 
 
__________