Nepal’s Permanent Representative Elected as Chairperson of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment

Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, His Excellency Ambassador Ram Prasad Subedi, has been unanimously elected as the Chairperson of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) for a one-year term today.

WTO Members unanimously supported the nomination of Ambassador Subedi for the Chairpersonship of the Committee of Trade and Environment (CTE) as the General Council Chairperson H.E. Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel presented the proposal for the decision at the General Council meeting at WTO Headquarters in Geneva.   

Sustainable development and the preservation and protection of the environment are fundamental goals of the WTO, enshrined in the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the WTO. The CTE is the standing forum dedicated to dialogue amongst the entire WTO membership on the impact of trade policies on the environment and of environment policies on trade. Since its creation in 1995, the Committee has followed a comprehensive work programme. The CTE also examines the effects of environmental measures on market access, the intellectual property agreement and biodiversity, and labelling for environmental purposes within the purview of the Doha Development Agenda.

In his capacity as the Chairperson of the CTE, Ambassador Subedi will facilitate discussions among WTO Members on a range of issues related to trade and environment, an area that continues to grow in importance as environmentally sustainable trade and climate-related trade measures increasingly shape global dialogues. Ambassador Subedi will assume his responsibilities from the second regular meeting of the CTE in 2026 until the first regular meeting in 2027.

The appointment of Ambassador Subedi comes at a time when Nepal is preparing to graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status. Nepal’s leadership in WTO bodies not only broadens the country’s prospects for the greater integration into global markets but also reflects its commitment to the rules-based multilateral trading system. The Mission thanks all the WTO Members for their trust and for the opportunity to serve.

Geneva

11 March 2026