Trade and Environment in the World Trade Organization (WTO)

• Trade and Environment Committee
  A Decision on Trade and Environment was issued at the Ministerial Conference in Marrakech in 1994. Accordingly, the Committee on Trade and Environment was established in 1995 at the WTO to discuss and define the relationship between environmental measures, trade measures and sustainable development, as well as the possibility of modifying the multilateral trading system. Whether or not to address environmental measures to protect human, animal and plant health, as well as the relationship with multilateral environmental agreements.
  For more information https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/envir_e/wrk_committee_e.htm
  Trade and Environment in the Doha Declaration 2001 (Work program)
  Within the framework of the Doha Program of Action 2001, paragraphs on environmental issues related to trade and sustainable development are set out in paragraphs 31, 32, 33 and 51. The special session CTESS is negotiated on paragraph 31 and the remaining paragraphs are discussed through Regular sessions of the Committee on Trade and Environment, held twice a year.

I. Paragraph 31 (i), (ii) and (iii)

The items for this paragraph are discussed during the meetings of the Special Negotiation Session of the Committee on Trade and Environment.
Paragraph (i) Relationship between WTO rules and trade obligations in Multilateral Environmental Agreements MEAs
In this regard, the course of negotiations is limited to the adherence of member States of multilateral environmental agreements to WTO rules, without prejudice to the rights of any WTO member and not a member of multilateral environmental agreements. Such agreements shall not contain provisions that constitute a trade barrier to entry. To the OIC Member States.
(Ii) Exchange of information between the Secretariat of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements and the relevant OPCW Committees on environmental issues, and the conditions for granting observer status to international organizations working in this field.
(Iii) Reduction or removal of customs and non-tariff barriers to both environmental goods and services;
In this regard, several special sessions have been held since the Doha Declaration in 2001 to 2011, to discuss the proposals submitted by countries for the liberalization of trade in environmental goods, where there were five proposals submitted and discussed and there was no agreement on a comprehensive and unified position on the list of environmental goods in These proposals to date.
Environmental Goods Agreements
Since 2014 to date, a group of 18 WTO member states (one represented by the EU - 46 members) has been negotiating the establishment of the Plurilateral Agreement in a multilateral framework to liberalize trade in these goods among themselves. Some of them did not go to the rest of the member states of the Organization.
The countries participating in these negotiations are 18 countries (China, EU, USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Japan, Norway, Costa Rica, South Korea - Turkey - Iceland - Israel). The Davos Forum was held in January 2014, and a series of meetings were held to negotiate this list, most recently in October 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland.

This list was studied through the meetings of the Sub-Committee on Trade and Environment in the Trade Agreements Sector, which emanates from the Egyptian National Committee for the Formulation of the Egyptian Negotiating Position in the WTO, with the participation of all the concerned national authorities. They aim to increase the market access of developed countries to their products. They claim that their purpose is to protect public health, preserve the environment, counteract the adverse effects of climate change and reduce gas emissions. T global warming.
For more information https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/envir_e/envir_negotiations_e.htm

II. Paragraph 32 (i), (ii) and (iii)

Regular sessions of the Committee on Trade and Environment will be held to discuss paragraph 32 of the Doha Declaration on trade-related environmental measures and issues to exchange experiences and information on trade-related environmental issues.

Paragraph 32 (i) provides for the impact of environmental measures on market access, in particular developing and least developed countries, aimed at eliminating or reducing trade restrictions to achieve benefits for trade, environment and development.
- Many countries at the meetings of the Committee on Trade and Environment of the Organization to present their national experiences and policies in the field of (carbon and water footprint - fossil fuel subsidies - fish support - new and renewable energy - climate change and the report of national contributions INDCs - biodiversity - trade in endangered wild flora and fauna - Management of Chemicals and Hazardous Wastes - Sustainable Development 2030 and the role of trade therein.
Paragraph 32 (ii) TRIPS Agreement (Protection of Intellectual Property Rights) Related to the Environment
This item was not discussed at the Committee meeting during the previous period.
Paragraph 23 (iii) Environmental labeling requirements for environmental purposes
Numerous presentations on addressing have been made at the meetings of the Committee either by the countries or international organizations concerned. Egypt reserves the status of environmental labeling or its inclusion as international or technical specifications on products because it represents an indirect trade barrier to market access for exports of developing countries in comparison with those in developed countries.

III. Paragraph 33 (Technical support and capacity-building)

This paragraph is discussed at the regular meetings of the Committee on Trade and Environment to provide and provide technical support and capacity-building to developing countries, especially the least developed on trade and environment topics, and to exchange experiences and information on environmental policy reform at the national level, but to date this item has not been discussed and presented in meetings This Committee, as requested by the Egyptian delegation to be included in the agenda of the meetings of this Committee to assist developing countries in the implementation of their obligations on the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements related to trade, including the most important chemicals agreements, as well as the transfer of End-friendly technology.

IV. Paragraph 51 (Sustainable development)

This paragraph provides that the Committee on Trade and Environment and the Committee on Trade and Development each in their respective areas to discuss the environmental and development aspects to achieve sustainable development, and in this regard, the role of trade in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals was presented in the light of the WTO Agreement in accordance with Goal 17 Sustainable Development 2030, adopted at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in September 2015 in New York, through a commitment to promoting an open, rule-based, non-discriminatory and equitable global trading system within the WTO.
In addition, environmental issues related to the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals include climate change, chemicals management, hazardous waste and biodiversity.

Tasks and role of the Department of Trade and Environment

At the Central Department of the World Trade Organization (WTO)

1. Preparing the negotiating position at the national level
2. The Central Department of the World Trade Organization (Trade and Environment Department) coordinates with the national bodies through the Sub-Committee on Trade and Environment, which emanates from the Higher National Committee to formulate the Egyptian negotiating position in the World Trade Organization, to study and discuss all environmental issues for negotiation and determine the national position on them, as well as development. In the light of the World Trade Organization.
   Coordinate with the Ministry of Environment and other ministries (focal points) through national committees on multilateral environmental agreements, and ensure that they do not contain provisions that conflict with WTO rules.
   Coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Mission in Geneva on the latest developments in environmental and development issues in other organizations such as the United Nations, UNCTAD (UNCTAD) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

2. Under Multilateral Environmental Agreements
   The most important multilateral environmental agreements are:

   United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - Kyoto Protocol - Paris Agreement on Climate Change - http://unfccc.int/2860.php
   Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
   Chemical agreements (Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal - Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) - Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Agreement for International Trade in Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides - http://www.brsmeas.org/
   United Nations Convention on Mercury (Minamata) - http://www.mercuryconvention.org/Convention/tabid/3426/Default.aspx
   Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). https://www.cites.org/
   Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) - https://www.cbd.int/
   In this regard, the Department coordinates and participates in the meetings and national committees of the multilateral environmental agreements to follow up the commercial and industrial aspects of these agreements and their conformity with the WTO agreement. The reports of these meetings are prepared and presented to the Minister in the light of the representation of the sector through the (Central Department of WTO). Global - Department of Trade and Environment) as a point of contact in the ministry in some international environmental agreements, the most important agreements on chemicals and climate change, as follows:
   Representing the Department (Department of Trade and Environment) as a representative of the Ministry within the Egyptian negotiating delegation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the New Paris Agreement, most recently in May 2018 in Bonn - Germany, and participating in the next Conference of the Parties in December 2018 in Poland.
   Participation in the meetings of the Arab Negotiating Group on Climate Change in the Arab League and workshops on building the capacity of Arab countries in the issues of climate change and presenting the latest developments in the international trade implications of climate change in the meetings and workshops referred to, most recently participating in the 21st meeting of the group and the eleventh workshop of the group During the period from 13 to 15 November 2018 in Cairo.
   Representing the Department as a focal point in the Ministry to coordinate with the Stockholm Convention POPs focal point, as well as the Ministry's bodies and sectors on substances banned from importing, exporting, producing or using them and providing technological alternatives that do not harm the national industry.
   Membership of the Department in the Committee on the circulation of chemicals in the Ministry to develop a system for the management of chemicals (production - use - import - export) and review the current legislation and update.
   Coordinate with the General Authority for Standardization and Quality on the standards and environmental management systems issued by ISO within the framework of the Technical Committee for Environmental Management Systems, and determine the national position on them and ensure that they do not represent a trade barrier to Egyptian exports to enter the markets.
   The Ozone Standing Committee of the Ministry of Environment to follow up the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances in light of the implementation of Egypt's international obligations under the Montreal Protocol.
   National Committee for the Study of Mercury Uses at the Ministry of Health to develop a national strategy for phasing out mercury and providing technological alternatives.
   Following up on trade and environmental issues in the light of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the national and international levels in light of the WTO Agreement and the role of trade in achieving development.
   Participation in the meetings of the Arab team on the follow-up to international agreements on chemicals in the Arab League.