WTO members discuss green economy, remittance and environmental services classification

Green services economy and sustainable development

An informal experience-sharing and information session on the green services economy and sustainable development was held on 11 December 2025, as agreed by the Council for Trade in Services.

The session began with the WTO Secretariat's presentation on developments in environmental services and trade opportunities, definitions and data issues, and environmental services under trade agreements. It was followed by experience-sharing by experts from various international organizations as well as regional and sectoral bodies - including the World Bank, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). 

Several members from both developing and developed economies spanning various regions shared their national experiences in developing the green services economy and the role of trade in this area.  

At the Council meeting the following day, WTO members shared their takeaways from the thematic session. Many highlighted the opportunities presented by the green services economy for growth and employment and the role that trade and the WTO could play in leveraging these prospects. Key challenges identified included skills and financing constraints, regulatory fragmentation, technical assistance needs, and issues related to measurement and classification.

Several members called for more in-depth and holistic discussions on this topic.

Participation of LDCs in services trade

Many members reported on ongoing efforts to collect information on how LDC service suppliers engage with consumers and businesses in other economies. A particular focus was on those economies that have notified preferences in favour of LDC services and service suppliers under the LDC waiver, including through a questionnaire the LDC Group has developed.

The LDC Group noted that additional time was needed to collect information and called for the Council to conduct a review of the information gathered at its next meeting in February 2026.

Facilitating recognition of professional qualifications

Bangladesh, India, the Kyrgyz Republic, Nepal and Pakistan submitted a joint proposal to strengthen the implementation of Article VII on recognition in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). Key suggestions included improving members' notifications, creating a database on recognition arrangements, developing voluntary guidelines, and offering technical assistance focused on mutual recognition agreements.

Several members supported facilitating recognition by enhancing transparency through these measures. Some requested clarification on certain elements in the proposal, while one member saw no reason to enhance GATS Article VII, arguing that recognition was designed to protect consumers' interests and had primacy over trade considerations.

Other issues

Some members took the floor to exchange views on the work programme on electronic commerce, with a strong call for focusing on the development dimension. Different views were expressed about the moratorium on the application of customs duties to electronic transmissions.

The WTO Secretariat provided an update on trade in services statistics and related technical assistance activities. It noted that WTO economists have, for the first time this year, produced experimental estimates of services trade in volume terms. This addresses the limitations of using only value terms and helps provide a clearer picture of the underlying trends in global services trade.

Members discussed recurring specific trade concerns, including some cybersecurity measures implemented by China and Viet Nam, certain US services measures and India's measures affecting mobile applications. The Council also adopted its annual report to the General Council (S/C/68).

Trade in financial services

On 10 December, the Committee on Trade in Financial Services discussed the reduction in costs of cross-border remittance services. The Committee is a subsidiary body of the Council for Trade in Services.

Members' discussions focused on Morocco's draft ministerial declaration for the 14th Ministerial Conference titled "Reducing the Cost of Cross-Border Remittances: a Lever for Sustainable Development". The proposal calls on the Committee to address barriers, within its mandate, contributing to high transfer costs and to support the development in cooperation with partner organizations of a multilateral framework of guiding principles for transparency, interoperability and competition in remittance services. It also calls for the promotion of technical assistance programmes to strengthen capacities in developing economies in the area of cross-border payments.

Many members expressed support for using the draft as a starting point for discussions and for working towards an MC14 ministerial declaration, emphasizing the critical importance of remittances for the economic growth of many developing economies. Some members suggested that further discussion is needed. The draft ministerial declaration will also be discussed at the General Council meeting on 16-17 December.

The Committee also followed up on the Thematic Session on Facilitating Digital Payment Systems and Remittance Services held on 29 and 30 September.

Classification of environmental services

On 10 December, the Committee on Specific Commitments, a subsidiary body of the Services Council, continued discussions on classification issues related to environmental services, focusing on two new submissions from the United Kingdom and from Switzerland and New Zealand respectively.

The UK submission ( S/CSC/W/80/Add.1)  updates data included in its previous "summary of the latest classifications of environmental and environmentally related services" and compares definitions, coverage and methodologies of environmental services classification in several recent initiatives.

The joint paper by Switzerland and New Zealand( S/CSC/W/82 ) takes stock of the work undertaken since 1998 by the Committee and other international organizations to review and update the existing classification, known as the Central Product Classification (CPC). It also invites members to consider the classification of environmental purposes (CEP) as a useful alternative approach to the CPC.

The Chair, Mr. Sirapat Vajraphai of Thailand, welcomed members' efforts to maintain momentum on this topic and said that the Committee will continue discussions at its next meeting.