19 February 2010: The World Trade Organization (WTO) held a Special Session of the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE-SS) to continue negotiations on the liberalization of environmental goods and services, and noted a renewed focus on liberalizing trade in climate-friendly products, such as solar energy-related parts and components, wind and hydro-electric energy and gas-turbines, natural gas and clean-diesel vehicles, and products used in Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects.

The negotiations on trade and the environment are part of the Doha Development Agenda launched at the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001. The overarching objective of the Agenda is to enhance the mutual support of trade and environmental policies. The negotiations focus on three main themes: the relationship between the WTO rules and multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs); the collaboration between the WTO and MEA Secretariats; and the elimination of tariffs and non-tariff barriers on environmental goods and services. [Negotiations on Trade and Environment]