Services Assessment and the Market Access Phase of the WTO Services Negotiations

The document advocates for the use of national and sectoral assessments to evaluate the economic, developmental, and environmental impacts of services trade liberalisation. It specifically calls for the WTO Council for Trade in Services (CTS) to extend negotiating timelines beyond 2005 and postpone the March 2003 deadline for initial offers to allow members, particularly developing countries, sufficient time and resources to conduct these assessments and adjust negotiations based on the results.

• The authors contend that sustainability assessments are essential for the market access phase of WTO services negotiations to ensure that commitments yield benefits in economic, developmental, and environmental terms, and that negotiations be adjusted based on these results as per the GATS Negotiating Guidelines.
• The document criticizes a March 2002 WTO symposium on services assessment for failing to address the sustainability implications of services trade, noting that sectors like energy, health, and tourism can have significant impacts on the environment, consumers, and employment.
• WWF and CIEL argue that the current WTO timeline is unrealistic and should be extended beyond 2005, specifically requesting a postponement of the March 2003 deadline for submitting initial offers to prevent members from being pressured into commitments without full domestic analysis.
• The statement identifies four primary responsibilities for the Council for Trade in Services (CTS): adjusting negotiations based on assessment results, facilitating collective review of national/regional experiences, providing members time to review domestic implications of requests, and providing financial and technical resources for assessments.
• To support developing countries, the authors call for a rapidly accessible funding mechanism for services trade assessments and technical assistance delivered in collaboration with organisations such as UNDP and UNCTAD.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2002). Services Assessment and the Market Access Phase of the WTO Services Negotiations. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/WWFCIEL_Assess_13Jun02.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Services Assessment and the Market Access Phase of the WTO Services Negotiations. 2002. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/WWFCIEL_Assess_13Jun02.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Services Assessment and the Market Access Phase of the WTO Services Negotiations |date=June 2002 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/WWFCIEL_Assess_13Jun02.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2002services, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Services Assessment and the Market Access Phase of the WTO Services Negotiations}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2002}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/WWFCIEL_Assess_13Jun02.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }