A STANDING CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and IUCN propose the Standing Conference on Trade and Environment (SCTE) to bridge the gap between trade liberalization and sustainable development. The proposal argues that neither trade organizations like the WTO nor existing environmental bodies have successfully articulated a coherent environmental agenda for trade. The SCTE is envisioned as a non-permanent, 'light structure' gathering governments, international organizations, and civil society to formulate realistic policy recommendations. It aims to prevent the environmental community from undermining the WTO by creating a formal channel for environmental priorities, specifically addressing the needs of developing countries and the management of environmental risks in international trade.

• The World Trade Organization (WTO) has failed to ensure that trade liberalization supports sustainable development, with its Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) producing "no tangible results" after three years of work due to an agenda that is "too narrow, too technical and nevertheless too unfocused".
• Environmental policy lacks the coherence found in trade policy; responsibility is dispersed across "relatively weak and underresourced departments of government" and numerous multilateral organizations, making the creation of a single World Environment Organization unrealistic.
• The proposed SCTE would be a "light structure, not a new organisation" designed to gather intergovernmental organizations, secretariats, and civil society to formulate "practical recommendations" for the WTO and other forums.
• The SCTE is intended to serve as a "sound environmental counterpart" to the WTO, providing a clear channel for introducing agreed environmental policy proposals into the trade system, which the WTO currently lacks.
• To ensure the development dimension is prioritized, the proposal suggests that a "non-OECD country" should be chosen to host the first meeting of the SCTE.
• The SCTE would operate without a permanent secretariat, instead using a "process of revolving secretariats" where the host country coordinates the conference, supported by a bureau of previous and prospective hosts.
• The estimated budget required to fund preparatory work and the participation of actors from developing countries is approximately "$1-2 million per conference".

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). A STANDING CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/scte03.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. A STANDING CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/scte03.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=A STANDING CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/scte03.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndstanding, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{A STANDING CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/scte03.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }