What you need to know about ‘NAMA’: Why the WTO’s non-agricultural market access negotiations threaten both environment and development

The document warns that NAMA negotiations within the WTO Doha round could lead to the over-exploitation of natural resources and the deindustrialisation of developing nations. It specifically highlights risks to fisheries, forests, and minerals through 'zero-for-zero' liberalisation and the targeting of non-tariff barriers used for environmental protection. The author calls for a halt to these negotiations and an independent review of their impacts.

• NAMA negotiations put all natural resources at risk of partial or complete liberalisation, with a current focus on fish, fish products, gems, and minerals.
• The 'zero-for-zero' approach to liberalisation in the fishery sector is criticised for ignoring the management status of resources and potentially inducing catches that exceed renewable capacity, thereby hindering sustainable development.
• The United Arab Emirates has proposed the full liberalisation of all raw materials, including oil and forest products, suggesting that duty-free aluminium would stimulate its consumption.
• Non-tariff barriers (NTBs) used for environmental and social welfare protection are targeted for removal, including wood product certification, trade restrictions on chemicals and viruses, and fish labelling.
• Developing countries face risks of deindustrialisation, loss of government custom revenue, and a reduced ability to use trade measures to protect their environments or promote domestic economic diversification.
• There is a risk that 'environmental goods' will be narrowly defined as 'end-of-pipe' pollution technologies, which would benefit Northern exports and discourage preventative measures to reduce resource use.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2004). What you need to know about ‘NAMA’: Why the WTO’s non-agricultural market access negotiations threaten both environment and development. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/NAMAenvironmentFINAL.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. What you need to know about ‘NAMA’: Why the WTO’s non-agricultural market access negotiations threaten both environment and development. 2004. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/NAMAenvironmentFINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=What you need to know about ‘NAMA’: Why the WTO’s non-agricultural market access negotiations threaten both environment and development |date=October 2004 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/NAMAenvironmentFINAL.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2004what, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{What you need to know about ‘NAMA’: Why the WTO’s non-agricultural market access negotiations threaten both environment and development}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2004}, month = oct, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/NAMAenvironmentFINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }