Standards and Trade

1
Standards and Trade
UNCTAD
TRADE, ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

• Geneva, 16 and 17 May 2002

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Environmental requirements/SPS measures Key
questions

• Effects, both positive and negative, on exports
  from developing countries
• Constraints, costs of compliance
• Perceptions (protection/protectionism)
• Responses at national/regional levels
• Recommendations to mitigate adverse trade effects
  and strengthen capacities to respond to these
  standards
• (a) national/regional
• (b) bilateral/multilateral
• (c) multilateral trading system

3
Sectors
4
Outputs

• Research in three developing regions
• South Asia
• Eastern Africa, Mozambique
• Central America
• Three regional scoping papers
• Overall scoping paper
• Scoping paper on organic agriculture

http//www.unctad.org/trade_env/test1/openF1.htm
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Objectives of this meeting?

• Review scoping papers
• What conclusions can be drawn?
• Enhance co-operation and co-ordination
• Discuss possible follow-up activities

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Agenda, day 1

• Environmental requirements/SPS measures
• Regional experiences
• South Asia
• Africa
• Central America
• Fish and fish products
• Organic agricultural products

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Agenda, day 2

• The Impact of Standards and SPS Measures in
  Selected Food Sectors
• Strengthening capacities
• WTO aspects
• The way forward

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Environmental requirements
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Environment-related NTMs

• Technical standards and regulations
• Product content (limit values for certain
  substances)
• Banned substances
• Recycled content
• Emissions
• Energy efficiency
• Recycable, degradable
• Packaging regulations
• Labelling
• Mandatory labelling
• Voluntary labelling (e.g. eco-labelling)

10
Environment-related NTMs

• Certain SPS measures
• Licenses (MEAs)
• Quantitative restrictions (MEAs)
• CITES
• Basel Convention
• Montreal Protocal
• International Commission for theConservation of
  Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
• Taxes and charges
• Informal requirements (non-government)
• Buyers requirements
• NGO actions

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Notifications to the WTO, 2000
Source WT/CTE/W/195
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WTO, 2000

• No environment related notifications under
• Anti-dumping
• State trading
• GATS
• Balance of Payments
• Textiles and clothing
• Preshipment inspection
• Rules of origin
• Government procurement
• Information technology

Source WT/CTE/W/195
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Notifications to the TBT Agreement
Source WT/CTE/W/195
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Africa