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This briefing note outlines the need for enhanced international cooperation at the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding trade-related measures with climate objectives, focusing on coherence, transparency, development, and interoperability.

This briefing note by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) examines the need for international cooperation on trade-related climate measures (trade-climate measures) within the World Trade Organization (WTO). It identifies a fragmented landscape of national and regional policies that create trade barriers and disadvantage developing countries. The document proposes a framework for cooperation across four levels: general principles of international law, regulatory processes and practices, specific design features, and technical aspects such as carbon accounting interoperability.

This research paper by Rashid S. Kaukab analyzes the concerns of developing countries regarding the World Trade Organization (WTO) moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions. The author argues that the moratorium disproportionately benefits developed nations due to the global digital divide and restricts the fiscal and industrial policy space of developing economies.

This policy brief by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) provides a comprehensive overview of the institutional entry points and governance processes within the World Trade Organization (WTO) where trade and environmental policies intersect. It details the roles of various WTO bodies, including the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE), the dispute settlement mechanism, and the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM), while highlighting recent member-led initiatives on plastic pollution, fossil fuel subsidies, and environmental sustainability.

This research paper by Rashmi Jose analyzes the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFDA), a proposed treaty aimed at increasing foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to developing economies and least-developed countries (LDCs). The author examines the agreement's core commitments, its special and differential treatment for developing nations, and the significant legal and political challenges associated with integrating the IFDA as a plurilateral agreement into the World Trade Organization (WTO) framework.

This policy brief examines the intersection of international trade and climate change, specifically focusing on how the World Trade Organization (WTO) can facilitate cooperation to support climate mitigation and adaptation goals while ensuring a just transition for developing countries.

This research paper by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes the urgent need for reform within the World Trade Organization (WTO). It identifies systemic failures in the organization's negotiating function, dispute settlement system, and transparency mechanisms, while detailing the conflicting priorities of major member blocs and the potential pathways for institutional reform.

This policy brief provides a governance-focused overview of how the World Trade Organization (WTO) addresses the intersection of trade, environment, and sustainable development. It details the various institutional bodies, negotiating processes, and recent member-led initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable trade.

This research paper provides an update on the WTO's e-commerce Joint Statement Initiative negotiations from early 2020, analyzing the impact of COVID-19 on these talks and their relation to economic development and gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) ahead of the Twelfth Ministerial Conference (MC12).

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) has produced a compilation of World Trade Organization (WTO) member notifications specifically regarding subsidies for marine wild capture fisheries to increase transparency and support the negotiation of new WTO rules.

This report evaluates the capacity of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to address fossil fuel subsidies and support the clean energy transition, arguing that current rules are insufficient because they focus on trade implications rather than environmental impacts.

A memorandum submitted on 13 July 2003 by a coalition of ten non-governmental organisations and civil society groups to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) leadership. The document argues that the WTO's internal decision-making processes are non-transparent and undemocratic, which in turn leads to rules and agreements that disadvantage developing countries and harm the environment and vulnerable populations.

This guide, authored by L. Brennan Van Dyke and John Barlow Weiner of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), provides instructions for non-specialists and NGOs on how to access documents from the World Trade Organization (WTO). It details the processes for automatic and requested derestriction of documents and advocates for greater transparency to allow civil society to influence international trade rules.

This research paper by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines critical development issues facing the World Trade Organization (WTO) ahead of the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13). It focuses on the long-standing struggle to operationalize Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) for developing economies and the need for a smooth transition for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) upon their graduation from that status.

The Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) issued a statement on 12 April 2024 regarding the WTO Dialogue on Plastic Pollution (DPP), supporting the Ministerial Statement and work plan launched at MC13 and urging members to achieve concrete outcomes by MC14.