‘In keeping with TESSD’s open, transparent and inclusive nature …’

WTO

This technical note accompanies
“WTO reform: how wide should the window be set?”
summary and 3-part long read

Despite the claim, this WTO agenda is top secret. The programme is part of the WTO’s deliberations on sustainability, known in full as “Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD)”.

Even though the meeting is only for WTO delegation — as is the case with all WTO meetings — there is no reason to keep the agenda secret, apart from the link to join the meeting on Zoom, which could be sent separately.

The official document is here



(21-4292)

RESTRICTED
INF/TE/SSD/CN/2/Add.2


21 May 2021
Page: 1/4

Original: English

TRADE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY STRUCTURED DISCUSSIONS (TESSD)
CONVENING NOTICE
Addendum

DRAFT PROGRAMME FOR THE SESSIONS TO BE HELD ON
26 AND 27 MAY 2021 AS PART OF TH
UPCOMING TESSD MEETING

TESSD will hold its next regular meeting on:

  • Wednesday, 26 May 2021 from 15:00 to 18:00;
  • Thursday and Friday, 27 and 28 May 2021 from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 18:00 (all times are Geneva/CEST).

In keeping with TESSD’s open, transparent and inclusive nature, all WTO Members are invited to attend and are encouraged to participate in the meeting. Both Geneva-based and capital-based officials of WTO Members are welcome to attend.

On 26 and 27 May, the TESSD meeting will be held via Zoom. All delegates wishing to attend the meeting on 26 and 27 May via Zoom are kindly reminded to register through the following link before 24 May (18:00 Geneva time):

[URL given]

On 28 May, the meeting will be for WTO Members only and will be held via Interprefy. The meeting may be accessed in the usual way by clicking on th is event in the WTO meeting calendar.

The meeting on 26 and 27 May will comprise the following five sessions (all times are Geneva/CEST):

26 MAY 2021

15:00-15:05: Welcome from Ambassador Gloria Abraham Peralta (Costa Rica), TESSD co-coordinator

SESSION 1: ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS AND SERVICES
15:00 TO 18:10

15:05-15:10: Welcome and introduction from the moderator (Ana Lizano, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the WTO)

Background on environmental goods

15:10-15:50: Presentations by:

  • Andrew Martin, Senior Adviser to the Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment and former Chair of the Environmental Goods Agreement negotiations
  • Aik Hoe Lim, Director, Trade and Environment Division, WTO
  • Alexey Vikhlyaev, Head a.i., Trade and Environment Branch, UNCTAD
  • Crispin Conroy, Permanent Observer, International Chamber of Commerce to the United Nations Office at Geneva

15:50-16:10: Open discussion

Background on environmental services

16:10-16:40: Presentations by:

  • Marie Isabelle Pellan, Counsellor, Trade in Services and Investment Division, WTO
  • Etienne Boisjoli, Deputy Director, Services Trade Policy Division, Global Affairs Canada
  • Christophe Bellman, International Institute for Sustainable Development 16:40-17:00: Open discussion

Other initiatives and where do we go from here?

17:00-17:50: Presentations by:

  • Representative from New Zealand
  • Catherine Rissel, New Zealand Deputy Chief Negotiator – Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS)
  • Kazunari Morii, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva
  • Dajung Park, Deputy Director, Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE), Republic of Korea
  • Ahmed Wisam, Senior International Relations Officer, Multilateral Environmental Agreements Unit, Environment Department, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Maldives

17:50-18:10: Open discussion. We ask speakers to keep their interventions to 2 minutes.

27 MAY 2021

SESSION 2: GREEN AID FOR TRADE
10:00 TO 11:30

10:00-10:05: Welcome and introduction by the moderator (Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, Director, Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs and Senior Researcher, Global Governance Centre, Graduate Institute)

10:05-10:15: Technical presentations

  • Olivier Cattaneo, Head, Policy Analysis and Strategy Unit, Development Co -operation Directorate, OECD
  • Michael Roberts, Head, Aid for Trade Unit, Development Division, WTO

10:15-10:50: Government and stakeholder perspectives

  • Ambassador Chad Blackman, Permanent Representative of Barbados to the WTO
  • Pasi-Heikki Vaaranmaa, Director, Trade Policy Unit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland
  • Rashid Kaukab, Executive Director, CUTS International, Geneva Office
  • Stacey Mills-Smith, UNEP
  • Vanessa Erogbogbo, Chief, Sustainable and Inclusive Value Chains, International Trade Centre

10:50-11:30: Open discussion

SESSION 3: FOSSIL FUEL SUBSIDY REFORM
11:30 TO 12:30

Moderator: Alice Tipping, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Panellists:

  • Vangelis Vitalis, Deputy Secretary (Trade and Economic), New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  • Lourdes Sanchez, Senior Policy Adviser, IISD
  • Harro van Asselt, Researcher, Stockholm Environment Institute (TBC) Open discussion

SESSION 4: TRADE-RELATED CLIMATE MEASURES, INCLUDING BORDER CARBON ADJUSTMENTS
15:00 TO 16:00

Moderator: Carlos Vanderloo, Permanent Mission of Canada to the World Trade Organization Panellists:

  • Representative from Canada
  • Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder, Executive Director, IISD Europe and Senior Director, Economic Law & Policy and Peter Wooders, Group Director – Energy, IISD

Open discussion

SESSION 5: GREENING TRADE (WITH A FOCUS ON CIRCULAR ECONOMY) AND PRIORITIES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
16:00 TO 17:30

16:00-16:05: Welcome and introduction from the moderator (Malena Sell, Leading Specialist, Circular Economy for Biodiversity, Sitra)

16:05-16:25: Perspectives from WTO Members

  • Angélica Romero, Chief, Division on Trade and Sustainable Development, Subsecretaría de Relaciones Económicas Internacionales, Chile
  • Nicolás Palau, Deputy PR Permanent Mission of Colombia to the WTO

16:25-17:00: Other perspectives

  • Nilgün Tas, Deputy Director, Department of Environment, and Chief, Industrial Resource Efficiency Division, UNIDO
  • Shunta Yamaguchi, Policy Analyst, Environment Directorate, OECD
  • Karsten Steinfatt, Counsellor, Trade and Environment Division, WTO
  • Crispin Conroy, Permanent Observer, International Chamber of Commerce to the United Nations Office at Geneva

17:00-17:20: Open discussion

CLOSING SESSION

17:20-17:30: Remarks by Ambassador Stephen de Boer (Canada)