Transcript WTO Seminar on Technical Assistance and Capacity Building

WTO Seminar on Technical
Assistance and Capacity Building
Related to the SPS Agreement
5 November 2002
Rene Vossenaar
UNCTAD
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UNCTAD Activities on standards
and SPS measures
• Integrated Framework
• Joint Integrated Technical Assistance
Programme (JITAP)
• Assistance to developing countries in
participation in deriving benefits from
globalization and participation in MTS
• Trade, Environment and Development
• Science and Technology Initiative
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UNCTAD
STANDARDS AND TRADE
• Research
• Trade and development effects
of standards
• Strengthening capacities to
respond to environmental and
health requirements, including
SPS meausures
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Questions
• How can Governments and private sector in
developing countries address constraints in
responding to environmental and health
requirements in external markets?
• How can developed countries take account
of conditions and needs of developing
countries in the development of standards?
• Bilateral and multilateral aid agencies?
• WTO issues?
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Reports
• An overview paper
• Regional scoping paper on South Asia
(Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka)
• Regional scoping paper on Central
America (in particular Costa Rica)
• Regional scoping paper on Eastern Africa
(Kenya, Mozambique, the United
Republic of Tanzania and Uganda)
• Scoping paper on organic agriculture
(Costa Rica, India and Uganda)
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UNCTAD
Building Capacity for
Improved Policy Making
and Negotiation on Key
Trade and Environment
Issues
• Policy co-ordination on trade and
environment issues of key concern
• Participating effectively in the WTO postDoha work programme
• Developing and implementing practical
initiatives in at least one specific area
• Promoting regional dialogues
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Regional approach
• Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique,
United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda and
Zambia)
• Central America/Caribbean (Costa Rica,
Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and
Panama)
• South-East Asia (Bangladesh Cambodia,
China, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam)
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Focus
• Issues in WTO Doha work programme
• Issues emerging from earlier project
Priorities
• Implications of environmental
requirements (para 32(i)) and SPS
measures for market access
• Trading opportunities for environmentally
preferable products (EPPs)
Agricultural sector
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UNEP-UNCTAD Capacity
Building Task Force on
Trade, Environment and
Development (CBTF)
• Environmentally Preferable
Products (EPPs)t*d Framework
– Policy Dialogue on Promoting Production
and Trading Opportunities for Organic
Agricultural Products, Brussels, hosted by
the ACP secretariat on 21 and 22
February 2002
– Back-to-back meeting with WTO regional
Trade and Environment Seminar
• Biosafety
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– , Environment and Development
WTO TA/CB Plan 2003
• Three regional meetings under
UNCTAD/FIELD project
• Three CBTF meetings for Geneva-based
delegations
• Two CBTF-meetings held back-to-back
with WTO regional seminars on trade
and environment, e.g. for Anglophone
Caribbean Countries (Jamaica,
November 2003)
WT/COMTD/W/104/Add.1 (Trade and Environment)
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Expert Meeting on
Environmental Requirements and
International Trade
2-4 October 2002
• Environmental and health requirements
(SPS measures)
• Food and fishery products
• Chairman’s summary
(TD/B/COM.1/EM.19/L.1
• Commission on Trade (3-7 February
2003)
http://www.unctad.org/trade_env/test1/meetings/envreq.htm
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Expert Meeting on
Environmental Requirements and
International Trade
2-4 October 2002
• Environmental and health requirements
(SPS measures)
• Food and fishery products
• Chairman’s summary
(TD/B/COM.1/EM.19/L.1
• Commission on Trade (3-7 February
2003)
http://www.unctad.org/trade_env/test1/meetings/envreq.htm
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Science and Technology
Diplomacy Initiative
• issues in international trade: biotechnology
and trade, managing environmental and
health risks, and standard setting.
• Seek close cooperation with the WTO
(Agriculture and SPS), CBD (Biosafety
Protocol), and FAO/WHO (Codex and its Ad
Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on
Foods derived from Biotechnology).
http://www.unctad.org/stdev
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