Singapore, New Zealand and South Korea have made significant progress in negotiations on the Green Economy Partnership Agreement (GEPA), with discussions covering trade-related climate measures, low-emissions goods, environmental certificates and sustainable aviation fuel.
Senior officials from the three countries met on Nov 5, ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders Week, to review progress and discuss key emerging features of the proposed agreement, the parties said in a statement on Thursday.
Launched in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Oct 31, 2025, GEPA aims to provide an open and evolving framework for cooperation on green trade, reduce regulatory fragmentation and improve compatibility between sustainability rules and practices across markets.
The initiative comes as businesses face growing sustainability requirements and trade-related climate measures across different markets, while new commercial opportunities emerge in environmental goods, low-emissions products and environmental attribute certificates.
Among the key areas under negotiation is the development of what the partners describe as the world’s first module on trade-related climate measures. This would establish principles to guide the design of such measures and, where relevant, their monitoring, reporting and verification systems, giving businesses greater certainty when operating across markets.
The partners are also exploring ways to facilitate trade in environmental and low-emissions goods, including products in hard-to-abate sectors such as low-carbon steel. Discussions include improving mutual recognition of standards, definitions and certification processes to encourage wider adoption of these products.
On environmental attributes, the agreement aims to explore opportunities to develop trading markets in collaboration with industry, supporting credible supply and demand for high-integrity environmental attributes and encouraging investment in positive environmental outcomes.
Other areas include promoting greater coherence in international sustainability reporting requirements, supporting the decarbonisation and energy resilience of the aviation sector through improved access to affordable sustainable aviation fuel, and advancing sustainable building and construction practices.
The partners are also seeking to strengthen cooperation on food systems, including scientific and technological developments, emissions measurement, regulatory approaches and policies to improve sustainability, productivity and resilience.
Beyond developing rules and frameworks, GEPA is intended to provide a platform for practical cooperation, either among all partners or interested countries, to translate shared priorities into tangible outcomes.
The three countries will continue negotiations and explore opportunities for practical cooperation at their next negotiating round in early 2027.
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