Kathmandu: Ram Prasad Subedi, Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, has been unanimously elected Chairperson of the World Trade Organization’s WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) for a one-year term.
According to the decision taken at the WTO General Council meeting at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva, members of the WTO unanimously supported Ambassador Subedi’s nomination. The proposal for his appointment was presented by the General Council Chairperson, Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel.
The Committee on Trade and Environment serves as the WTO’s main forum for dialogue among member states on the relationship between trade and environmental policies. The committee’s work stems from principles outlined in the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization, which highlights sustainable development and environmental protection as core objectives of the multilateral trading system.
Since its establishment in 1995, the committee has carried out an extensive work programme addressing issues such as the environmental impact of trade policies, market access related to environmental measures, biodiversity and intellectual property, as well as environmental labelling within the framework of the Doha Development Agenda.
As chair of the committee, Ambassador Subedi will guide discussions among WTO members on emerging issues linking trade and environmental sustainability. The role is expected to gain increasing importance as climate-related trade measures and environmentally sustainable trade practices become central to global economic policy debates.
Subedi will formally assume his responsibilities from the committee’s second regular meeting in 2026 and serve until the first regular meeting in 2027.
Nepal’s election to the leadership of a key WTO body comes at a crucial time as the country prepares to graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category. Officials say the development highlights Nepal’s growing engagement in the global trading system and its commitment to strengthening rules-based multilateral trade cooperation.
