Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate: promoting climate-focused trade policy

Today, the Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate met for the second ministerial meeting in the margins of the 13^th WTO Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi. In this context, the Ministers identified ways for trade policy to drive decarbonisation efforts and contribute to sustainable development, through both individual and collective actions.

These actions aim to strengthen the Coalition’s efforts in breaking silos between trade, climate and finance communities. This is crucial to promote trade-related climate action in international organisations, in particular in the WTO, to support developing and least-developed countries in rolling out trade and climate strategies, to promote international standards to help decarbonisation efforts, and to encourage the private sector to participate in sustainable, transparent and resilient supply chains.

The outcome of today’s meeting builds on the successful participation of the Coalition in the first trade day at COP28 and on the cooperation with climate and finance Ministers kickstarted during the first year of the Coalition.

Since its launch in January 2023, the Coalition has acquired 6 new members, including now Ministers from St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Cameroon, Uruguay, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Morocco. The increasing number of Ministers from Africa and Small Island Developing States creates a unique forum on trade and climate that benefits from diverse views of developed and developing countries, especially those most affected by extreme weather conditions.

Background

The ‘Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate’ was launched in January 2023 by the European Commission, EU Member States and 26 partner countries. It is the first Ministerial-level global forum dedicated to trade, climate and sustainable development issues, fostering global action to promote trade policies that can help address climate change through local and global initiatives. 

For more information

Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate Website

Voluntary actions

Communique