For the first time, the COP meeting will highlight trade as a specific theme, the UAE mission to the WTO informed the WTO's Committee on Trade and Environment at a meeting on 12 June. Trade now features as a dedicated day on the draft UAE COP28 Presidency Thematic Program.

The UAE Ministry of Economy and the UAE Climate Change Special Envoy's Office has invited the WTO Secretariat to co-lead the UAE COP28 Presidency Committee on Trade, bringing together the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development to help shape discussions on trade during the COP28 Presidency Program.

More information on the COP28 UAE Presidency Program is available here.

The UAE's leadership in hosting this year's UN Climate Change Conference and the WTO's 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in February 2024 marks COP28 as a pivotal moment for trade and sustainable development.

The WTO Secretariat dedicated its 2022 World Trade Report to exploring the complex interlinkages between climate change and international trade. The report revealed how international trade and trade rules can make a positive contribution to addressing climate change.