A Standing Conference on Trade and Environment

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and IUCN propose the creation of a Standing Conference on Trade and Environment (SCTE). This 'light structure' would act as a non-permanent forum for governments, international organizations, and civil society to develop coherent environmental policy recommendations for the WTO. The proposal stems from the perceived failure of the WTO's Committee on Trade and Environment and the lack of a centralized global environmental authority, aiming to ensure that trade liberalization is compatible with sustainable development.

• The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and IUCN propose the creation of a Standing Conference on Trade and Environment (SCTE). The SCTE is designed as a "light structure, not a new organisation" intended to serve as a forum for achieving coherence in environmental policy as it relates to trade by gathering intergovernmental organizations, secretariats, and civil society to formulate practical recommendations for the WTO and other policy forums.
• The proposal argues that current environmental policy lacks the coherence found in trade policy, where the WTO administers approximately 24 multilateral trade agreements. The document states that creating a World Environment Organization to mirror the WTO is "currently unrealistic because of the nature of environmental challenges."
• The document identifies a failure in the WTO's progress toward ensuring trade liberalization supports sustainable development, noting that the WTO Dispute Settlement mechanism has shown "serious disdain towards environmental arguments." This creates a risk of the environmental community seeking to undermine the WTO.
• Previous efforts to align trade and environment have been largely ineffective. Specifically, three years of work by the WTO's Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) produced "no tangible results" due to an agenda described as "too narrow, too technical and nevertheless too unfocused."
• The SCTE is proposed as a hybrid forum including states, international regimes responsible for environmental management, and nonstate actors such as industry, research, and environmental organizations. To emphasize the development dimension, the proposal suggests that a "non-OECD country be chosen for the first meeting."
• The SCTE would operate without a permanent existence or secretariat, instead using a revolving secretariat model similar to the Antarctic Treaty system. Each session would determine if and when a further session would be held, and the estimated budget for preparatory work and participation is "on the order of $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} }