The ACCTS opens new markets for New Zealand and strengthens our international connections. It is the first trade agreement New Zealand has concluded with Costa Rica, Iceland or Switzerland outside of the WTO.
We are small, trade-dependent countries who believe trade measures and disciplines can contribute to helping to address challenges around sustainable development and climate change. We traditionally have much in common in terms of strategic alignment on trade policy issues and we share the goal of achieving a high-quality agreement with concrete and substantive outcomes as quickly and effectively as possible.
The ACCTS is a plurilateral agreement, and once concluded, will, be open for other WTO members to join, provided they are able to meet the required commitments. Norway is considering(external link) whether to become a signatory of the ACCTS.
In this way, we hope that the ACCTS initiative will be a pathfinder toward multilateral action and provide an example of how trade rules can substantively help address climate change and other serious environmental challenges.