ICTSD » Environment and Natural Resources Programme

Market Access Opportunities for ACP Countries in Environmental Goods

gpascolini — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:55:16 +0000

Increasing access to and use of EGS could yield a number of benefits, including reducing pollution, improving energy and resource efficiency, and facilitating solid waste disposal. Gradual trade liberalisation and carefully managed market opening in these sectors can also be a powerful tool for economic development by generating economic growth and employment and enabling the transfer of valuable skills, technology, and know-how embedded in such goods and services. Developing countries currently have no clear overview though of which goods could address environmental protection and poverty reduction, and how they should target such goods in trade negotiations.

For that reason, this paper analyses market access opportunities for environmental goods (EGs) from developing countries in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) regions and focuses on a few issues particularly relevant to these countries. The paper uses a partial equilibrium model to estimate the possible trade effects of different tariff liberalisation scenarios for ACP countries. It finds that any tariff elimination by ACP countries will result in an increased level of imports and a deepening of the trade imbalance in this sector. The paper subsequently discusses how to leverage the benefits that may come from tariff liberalization of environmental goods.

Transport, Trade and Climate Change

Joachim — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:30:25 +0000

International transport, be it by ship, airplane, train or truck, is essential for international trade and to global economic development. However, transport is at the same time the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The objective of this paper is to examine the viability and potential effects of different actions that Germany and the European Union (EU) can take to curb the growth of GHG emissions from the international transport sector. It analyzes different options that policy makers have available to reduce transport induced emissions. In doing so, this paper takes the impacts on trade, especially for developing countries, into account. The overarching question that is reverberates throughout this paper is: what are the advantages and disadvantages of different measures that Germany and the EU can take to limit emissions from trade-related transport?

Trade Preferences for Environmentally Friendly Goods and Services

Joachim — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:09:01 +0000

International trade in environmental goods and services (EGS) may contribute to the achievement of environmental, economic and developmental benefits and to the transition towards a “green economy”. The international community has been exploring several strategies to promote sustainable development through enhanced trade in EGS. One key question remains how to maximise the sustainable benefits of trade liberalization and market creation/expansion of EGS for developing countries. This paper seeks to explore the possible role of trade preferences for EGS in promoting the transition towards a “green economy”, focusing on potential beneficial effects for developing countries.

Trade and Green Economy

Malena Sell — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:20:23 +0000

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) cordially invite you to join a side event on Trade and Green Economy, to be held at the Rio+20 Regional Preparatory Meeting for the ECE region.

The objective is to provide an opportunity to discuss what a transition to a green economy means for trade in the ECE region, identify key trade opportunities and challenges for the region, and contribute to the Rio+20 discussions in the region.

Governments, regional organizations, civil society groups, intergovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders in the region, will exchange perspectives on key issues about trade in a green economy. Presentations by panellists will be followed by an open discussion.

A summary of the event can be found here: Trade and Green Economy Side Event Summary

Agenda

13.15-13.30 Welcome remarks by UNECE/FAO, ICTSD and UNEP

13.30-14.15 Presentations by panellists

Legality verification & beyond: challenges and opportunities for timber trade. Ben Gunneberg, PEFC

What opportunities exist in the Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia region in the growing market for organic agriculture exports? Asad Naqvi, UNEP Economics and Trade Branch

The potential of the green services sector. Patricia Molano, Sustainable Systems

14.15-14.45 Open discussion kicked off by Olga Ponizova, EcoAccord (Russia)

For any additional information about the event please emailMr. George Riddell at griddell@ictsd.ch.

All the UNECE RPM meeting documents can be found here: http://www.unece.org/env/sustainabledevelopment/rpm2011/rpm2011.html

Proposals on behalf of the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) to the RIO+ 20 preparatory process

gpascolini — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:46:52 +0000

The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), or Rio+20, is taking place in June 2012. The conference will celebrate the 20 years that have passed since the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, take stock of progress and set the agenda for future action on sustainable development. In the lead-up to Rio+20, interested parties and stakeholders have been encouraged to make their contributions to the zero draft of the outcome document for the process.

In this context, ICTSD has made a contribution focusing on opportunities for Rio+20 in the areas of innovation and transfer of green technologies, as well as on the possibility for delegates to further the concept of a Sustainable Energy Trade Agreement (SETA).

Trade & the Green Economy

Malena Sell — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:37:01 +0000

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) are jointly hosting a side event in the context of the Rio+20 Regional Preparatory Meeting for Africa, to discuss what a transition to a Green Economy means for trade in Africa, identify key trade opportunities and challenges for Africa, and contribute to the Rio+20 discussions in the African region.

The side event will bring together governments, regional organizations, civil society groups, intergovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders in the region, to exchange perspectives on some of the key issues surrounding trade and the Green Economy. A series of presentations on various aspects of trade and Green Economy will be followed by an open discussion on the theme.

Please RSVP to Natalia Cubilla at ncubilla@ictsd.ch by 18 October. She will confirm your registration and provide further material in advance of the event.

Facilitating Trade in Services Complementary to Climate-friendly Technologies

gpascolini — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:25:29 +0000

Although they count for 80 percent of the total environmental goods and services (EGS) market, environmental services in international trade negotiations tend to receive little attention. And despite the pressing need for action on climate change, many fail to consider the ways in which services can help address this massive environmental challenge.

This paper challenges these norms of neglect by taking a close look at trade in the services that are essential for the development and dissemination of climate-friendly technologies. The paper reveals which services can be linked to action on climate change, what barriers are impeding trade in these services, and what commitments governments have made on lifting these barriers. As such, the paper provides valuable insights for both the specific negotiations on EGS and for negotiations on services in general.

Interestingly, this paper shows that there are signiﬁcant economic and environmental beneﬁts to liberalizing trade in environmental services that address climate change and the goods that are indispensable for delivering them in tandem. It also shows that despite these advantages there remain many challenges to realizing them.

The study builds on a series of recent ICTSD studies that map and classify climate-friendly goods and analyse trade patterns, drivers, and barriers in such goods. As this paper shows, a vast range of services across multiple sectors appears to be related to implementing climate change policies. The paper covers multiple key mitigation sectors identiﬁed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): energy supply, transport, buildings, industry, agriculture, forestry, and waste. In doing so, the paper goes beyond the issue of market access and national treatment and points to a variety of domestic laws and regulations, such as those regarding government procurement.

Environmental Goods and Services in the Green Economy

Joachim — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 12:30:44 +0000

This event is organized by ICTSD and the United Nations Economic Commission or Africa (UNECA) on the brink of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Africa Region ahead of the Rio+20 Conference in 2012. This half-day event will feature a briefing by ICTSD and other experts on the state-of-play of the Environmental Goods and Services (EGS) negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and an overview of related discussions that are relevant for African countries, with an emphasis on trade and climate change linkages. This session will also present ICTSD’s latest research on the market access opportunities for ACP countries in environmental goods.
These presentations will be followed by a panel discussion between experts on environmental goods in Africa and the participants.

Roundtable on Climate Challenges for LDCs - Can Trade be Part of the Solution?

Natalia Cubilla — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 08:49:40 +0000

WIPO IGC Side event: What Comes After Nagoya? Addressing Developing Country Needs in Intellectual Property Rights and Biodiversity

interns — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:21:51 +0000

The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefit Arising from their Utilization (Nagoya Protocol) is a landmark achievement in the international governance of biodiversity. The Protocol was adopted under the auspices of the Conference of the Parties to Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on 29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan and entered opened for signature on 2 February 2011. As a protocol to the CBD, it serves as an instrument containing a national and international framework for implementation of the CBD’s access and benefit sharing provisions. Its objective is to assure the fair and equitable distribution of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and related traditional knowledge, thereby contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.