• Aim: It seeks to create a dedicated, politically supported space for government officials and stakeholders to align trade and climate policies.
• Nature: The forum is a non-negotiating, non-binding platform. It does not aim to adjudicate disputes or create new financial obligations, but rather to generate non-binding reference materials and enable experimentation on new approaches.
• Membership: Participation is open to all parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• Governance: The Forum will be co-presided by Brazil and a developed country partner and will run for an initial phase of three years (early 2026 to end 2028). The Secretariat is anchored by the TESS (Trade, Equity, and Sustainable Societies) forum.
• Context: The forum was created in response to growing tensions around trade-related climate measures, such as the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which some developing countries worry may create trade barriers and impact their economies. 

• Creating a space for dialogue on progressive solutions.
• Supporting progress across multilateral climate and trade regimes (UNFCCC and WTO).
• Reducing friction at the trade-climate interface.
• Promoting inclusive opportunities in the low-carbon transition.
• Bridging government and stakeholder communities. 

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