Workshop on green trade barriers' impact on India's exports begins

A two-day national workshop began in New Delhi to address the impact of environment-related trade barriers on India's exports. Government officials and trade experts are deliberating on strategic responses within the WTO and FTA frameworks.

A two-day national workshop on environment-linked trade barriers and free trade agreements began in the capital on Monday, with the government and trade experts deliberating on how new climate-related non-tariff measures will impact India's export competitiveness.

Workshop Aims to Address Green Trade Barriers

According to a press release by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, the Department of Commerce, in collaboration with the Centre for WTO Studies (CWS) and the Centre for Research in International Trade (CRIT), Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), inaugurated the National Workshop/Chintan Shivir on "Environment-Related Non-Tariff Measures: WTO Rules and Their Implications for Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)" at Nalanda Hall, IIFT Bhawan, New Delhi on Monday.

The workshop brings together senior government officials, trade experts, WTO practitioners, industry representatives, and stakeholders from multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations.

The focus is on emerging challenges posed by environment-related non-tariff measures (NTMs) and their implications for India's trade and export competitiveness.

As per the release, the workshop aims to enhance understanding of the increasing number of environmental and climate-related trade measures being adopted globally, assess their potential impact on Indian exports, and formulate strategic responses through the WTO framework and India's Free Trade Agreements.

Deliberations are expected to contribute to India's efforts to safeguard market access, strengthen export competitiveness, and promote sustainable trade practices.

The discussions will cover key themes such as WTO rules governing Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), sustainability-related non-tariff measures, carbon- and deforestation-related trade measures, stakeholder and industry perspectives, and strategies for addressing emerging trade concerns through multilateral and bilateral mechanisms.

The workshop will conclude on 23 June 2026 with a valedictory session.

Inaugural Session and Key Participants

The inaugural session commenced with opening remarks by Head, Centre for WTO Studies (CWS), Pritam Banerjee. Deputy Secretary, Department of Commerce, Richa Prakash Choudhary welcomed participants and outlined the objectives. Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh delivered the Special Address, underscoring the importance of strengthening India's preparedness to address sustainability-linked trade measures and evolving global regulatory frameworks. The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Professor and Head of Administration, CRIT-IIFT, Dr. Murali Kallummal.

Experts participating include Head, Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Section, Trade and Environment Division, WTO, Geneva, Erik Wijkstrom; Former Chair, WTO TBT Committee, Anwar Shaik; Former CEO, NABCB and Member, UNFCCC CDM Accreditation Panel, Anil Jauhri; Co-Founder and Advocate, Sarvada Legal, Atul Sharma; trade policy expert Pranav Kumar; along with senior officials from the Department of Commerce and CWS. (ANI)

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