International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD): Virtual Bridges


Connecting you with the web's resources on trade and sustainable development.

Intergovernmental Organisations Involved in International Trade & Sustainable Development (not intended as an exhaustive list)
Intergovernmental Organisations	Nongovernmental Organisations	Related Organisations' Calendars

	WTO: The World Trade Organization is the global organisation responsible for regulating the international trading system. Its website features an electronic guide to the WTO's rules and agreements, a public Document Dissemination Facility, and a continuously updated news and events page.
	CBD: The Convention on Biological Diversity was created by the 1992 United Nations Rio Declaration on Environment and Development to encourage governments to protect all aspects of biodiversity. Its website contains the complete text of the agreement, as well as supplementary information and research on biological diversity.
	UNFCCC: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an international agreement that encourages signatories to slow global climate change through appropriate domestic policies. The website of the UNFCCC Secretariat provides official texts and background documents, a calendar of forthcoming events, press releases, and more.
	UNCTAD : The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development is the UN organ responsible for the integrated treatment of development and interrelated issues in the areas of trade, finance, technology, investment and sustainable development. The UNCTAD site includes a calendar of events, press releases, and links to UNCTAD project subsites.
	ISO: The International Organization for Standardization creates standards of measurement to facilitate international exchange of goods and services. These standards are documented agreements containing technical specifications that ensure product quality and consistency. The website lists ISO's members, product standards, and other facts about the organization.
	UNEP: The United Nations Environment Programme is charged with coordinating the international effort to protect the environment. UNEP's website provides detailed information about its work programme, international environmental conventions, and cooperative ventures.
	CSD: The United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development was created to monitor implementation of the Earth Summit agreements that came out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The CSD site houses information on its membership, special sessions, and conventions.
	UNDP: The United Nations Development Program coordinates the UN's development work. It allocates funds and channels aid to poverty eradication projects around the world. The UNDP page provides news, press releases, and information about the UN's involvement in international development.
	CITES: The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora has 150 signatories who have agreed to ban international trade in an agreed list of endangered species. Signatories also agree to monitor trade in species that are on the verge of becoming endangered. The site contains CITES documents, forthcoming events, databases, and news.
	OECD: The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is an intergovernmental group of 29 of the world's most developed countries, all pluralist democracies with market economies. The OECD performs policy research and distributes information to its members; it also conducts work programmes in many non-OECD countries. The OECD website features a calendar of events, research materials and the OECD's s monthly magazine, The Observer.