services-9fe8c12e3740f9f4.pdf

The briefing emphasizes the need for coherence between international trade rules and sustainable development. It highlights how various multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and UN agencies address the impacts of services trade on the environment, health, and human rights. The author contends that WTO Members should not conduct services negotiations in isolation but should instead employ transparent, comprehensive sustainability assessments—incorporating social and environmental metrics—before establishing new legally binding obligations under GATS.

• Multiple multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) intersect with services trade, including the Kyoto Protocol regarding energy services, the Basel Convention concerning waste disposal services, and the Convention on Biological Diversity regarding the impact of tourism trade on biodiversity.
• Various UN agencies monitor the risks of services trade liberalization: the WHO focuses on health policy objectives, the UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights emphasizes the government's responsibility for basic services, and UNCTAD and UNDP work to ensure economic and human development benefits for the South.
• The document argues that WTO services negotiations must not occur in isolation and that Members require a clear understanding of how GATS rules affect sustainable development policies before accepting new binding rules.
• Sustainability assessments should move beyond quantitative economic data to include comprehensive analyses of social, environmental, and human rights implications, utilizing open processes and expertise from NGOs and UN agencies.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). services-9fe8c12e3740f9f4.pdf. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/services.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. services-9fe8c12e3740f9f4.pdf. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/services.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=services-9fe8c12e3740f9f4.pdf |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/services.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndservices9fe8c12e3740f9f4pdf, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{services-9fe8c12e3740f9f4.pdf}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/services.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }