On 31 October 2025, Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (“MTI“) announced the commencement of formal negotiations between Singapore, Chile and New Zealand to establish a plurilateral Green Economy Partnership Agreement (“GEPA“). This initiative reflects the three countries’ shared commitment to sustainability and aims to enhance trade and investment in the green economy.
The launch of GEPA negotiations builds on a year of collaboration through the Joint Working Group on Trade and the Green Economy (“JWG“), established in November 2024. JWG was tasked with exploring proposals for a new initiative to strengthen green economy trade and investment.
Recognising the critical role of trade in driving the green transition, the GEPA will serve as a framework to facilitate the flow of environmental goods, services and finance. In his speech at the launch, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong highlighted that technological advancements have made growth and sustainability mutually reinforcing, and that trade can be a powerful enabler of climate action.
The GEPA will complement ongoing efforts within the World Trade Organization, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and other international platforms focused on the green economy.
The GEPA will seek to:
- promote trade and investment in environmental goods and services;
- enhance interoperability of standards and eco-labelling schemes;
- foster coherence in emerging trade-related climate measures;
- support trade in intangible environmental attributes such as carbon credits and renewable energy certificates; and
- deepen collaboration to accelerate the adoption of low-carbon technologies and sustainable practices across key sectors.
Given the dynamic nature of the green economy, the GEPA is envisioned as a living agreement that will evolve to accommodate new areas of cooperation. Initial areas of focus may include environmental goods such as sustainable aviation fuel, carbon markets and renewable energy certificates, and climate-aligned trade measures.
The GEPA builds on the strong history of innovative trade collaboration between the three countries, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement.
Through the GEPA, Singapore, Chile and New Zealand aim to assist the modernisation of trade and investment frameworks to unlock new opportunities in the green economy for the three countries’ businesses and support the global transition to a more sustainable future.
Click on the following links for more information:
- MTI Press Release titled “Singapore, Chile and New Zealand launch negotiations for a plurilateral Green Economy Agreement” (available on the MTI website at mti.gov.sg)
- Speech titled “PM Lawrence Wong at the Launch of the Green Economy Partnership Agreement Negotiations (Oct 2025)” (available on the Prime Minister’s Office Singapore website at pmo.gov.sg)
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