World Trade Organization members mulled over a draft statement on plastics pollution to be circulated at the 13th Ministerial Conference, during a Sept. 21 meeting of the Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade, the WTO said. Australia introduced the draft statement, saying that it expands on the first "draft zero" statement and outlines actions meant to "reflect the discussions held over the past two years."

Trade policy is key to allowing the steel industry to embrace decarbonization efforts, World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said during a WTO Public Forum event. During her opening remarks, the DG said the trade environment should "enable investments in breakthrough technologies, ensure availability of critical inputs, and increase the demand and cost competitiveness of green steel."

Ukraine filed dispute cases at the World Trade Organization against Hungary, Poland and Slovakia concerning their bans on Ukraine's agricultural exports, the country's Ministry of Economy announced, according to an unofficial translation. The ministry said the three nations' "unilateral ban" violates the countries' international obligations.

China will appeal a World Trade Organization panel ruling rejecting its claim that the retaliatory tariffs placed on the U.S. in response to Section 232 duties were justified, the country's Ministry of Commerce said Sept. 19, according to an unofficial translation. Beijing will appeal "into the void" seeing as the Appellate Body currently doesn't function, barring future enforcement action against China in the dispute.

Iceland's Einar Gunnarsson, who chairs the World Trade Organization's fisheries subsidies talks, introduced a draft text on tackling subsidies leading to overcapacity and overfishing during the Sept. 18 start of the fifth "Fish Week" negotiation session. The text is meant to serve as a "common starting point" while members look to further discussions and to "complete substantive work" on the second round of fisheries subsidies negotiations by December, Gunnarsson said.

The World Trade Organization on Sept. 15 released a new publication covering export controls. The report looks at "how WTO members have used different international agreements" beyond the trade body as grounds to set export regulations to support initiatives in "environmental protection, hazardous waste management, weapons control and combating illegal drugs trade."

On a panel on critical minerals ally-shoring, panelists representing the perspective of Latin America, the U.S., the EU and, to some degree, China, agreed that the current race to lock down supplies of the raw materials needed for advanced batteries, wind turbines and computer chips is one where every man is out for himself, and resource-rich countries in the Global South are exploited.

Leaders of the World Trade Organization said during the group's annual forum that the WTO should be involved in coordinating clean steel standards and trade policies that encourage decarbonization in steelmaking.

The World Trade Organization touted new evidence of how "more inclusive [economic] integration" can benefit the friction points of security interests, inclusiveness and environmental policies in the face of early signs of global trade fragmentation. In its World Trade Report 2023, released Sept. 12, the WTO focuses on globalization and how, despite current challenges, international trade is thriving and stands as a solution to many global issues.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said India will reduce tariffs on fresh, frozen, dried or processed blueberries and cranberries, and will reduce tariffs on frozen turkey and duck.