TRADE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Trade policy has the potential to undermine domestic and international environmental protection and conservation. Any international trade measure must not result in lower environmental protection standards or restrict the application of international environmental or conservation conventions or agreements.

Political Parties should commit to:
 

1. Ensure environmental protection is the over-riding constraint on trade regulation and is incorporated into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) trade rules and the work of its environment sub-committee. 2. Ensure environmental conventions or domestic environmental regimes cannot be over-ridden by the WTO or other trade agreements. 3. Press for the WTO and other trade institutions and their appeal bodies to be open, democratic and accountable, allowing non-governmental organisation observers and ENGO participation in procedures. 4. Ensure trade agreements do not undermine national environmental legislation and policies. 5. Ensure regulation of trade and investment to achieve environmental goals is not compromised by trade and investment liberalisation.

For further information contact: Forest and Bird and ECO