WTO Public Symposium 2003: Sustainable Development

Sustainable development as a goal does not in itself create controversy. The issues lie in determining how to properly address it within the current WTO framework. Strong language in Paragraph 51 of the Doha Declaration drafted by the WTO member countries during the organization's fourth Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar unambiguously establishes sustainable development as an important issue and an imperative goal. Two WTO committees, Trade and Development (CTD) and Trade and Environment (CTE), are asked to reflect sustainable development concerns in this round of negotiations. [1]

Recent advancement on sustainable development issues has been slow and many, including the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)[2], are clamoring for more significant progress to be made. IISD, an organization that promotes sustainable living, has invested in a timely transition towards this goal through policy research and advocacy. They will be hosting an open forum at the WTO Public Symposium in Geneva in June 2003. This group defines sustainable development, as "development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" [3]; development should improve the quality of life without depleting natural resources below a level that allows the environment to provide them indefinitely.

Because of the inherent interconnectedness of sustainable development with all realms of trade and economic activity, significant progress in the negotiations has been hard to achieve. The cross-cutting nature of the issue and the structure of the WTO are at odds on this issue[4], and as a result efforts have only been made in small isolated sectors on mostly regional issues.

The WTO Multi-Fiber Agreement (MFA) will lift quotas on all taxes on textiles by the year 2005[5], and this deconstruction of protectionist policies will have a positive impact on developing countries, and sustainable development, by increasing income and employment[6]. During the Corfu informal ministerial on Agriculture in May, the quality of European agricultural output was proposed as a key regional objective for sustainable agriculture in the future. Dr. Franz Fischler, the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries argued that the European farming industry must focus on what it does best by shifting towards more expensive value-added goods, not mass-produced generic products, which cannot compete on the world market because of EU legislation and the high price of labor[7]. Also, government subsidies that cause overcapacity in the European fisheries sector are seen as a threat to a sustainable future for fisherman around the world[8]. European leaders acknowledged that implementing a strategy for sustainable development means paying attention not only to the environmental issues but also addressing the complementary relationships with the transport, energy, forestry and fisheries sectors.

It is promising that the EU has recognized that sustainable development is tied to so many of the different issues. This does not remedy the problem that it is difficult for sustainable development to be properly addressed within the WTO and the global negotiating sphere. This difficulty highlights the importance of special interest NGOs like IISD and The International Gender and Trade Network[9], who are devoted to promoting sustainable development on a global scale.

[1]The text of the Doha Declaration

[2]The web site for the International Institute for Sustainable Development

[3]About the IISD

[4] Cosbey, Aaron “Taking the Doha Language Seriously…”, IISD

[5] Financial Express May 11, 2003, 746 words, 80 NATIONS HOPE FOR EQUAL BENEFITS IN POST-QUOTA REGIME

[6] General Agreement on Tarrifs and Trade, IISD

[7] Fischler Convinces Ministers over CAP?, FoodNavigator.com

[8] Deutsche Presse-AgenturApril 22, 2003, Tuesday, Finance, 273 words, WTO must ban fishing subsidies, says E.U., Brussels

[9]The International Gender Trade Network WTO Resource Page