Developments Since the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference

This briefing by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) outlines the progress and obstacles regarding trade and environment mandates following the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference (Doha). It details negotiations on the relationship between WTO rules and multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), the liberalisation of environmental goods and services, and non-negotiating mandates such as market access and labelling.

• The negotiating mandate for trade and environment is strictly limited to existing WTO rules and specific trade obligations within multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). This restriction was a result of opposition from developing countries, who feared environmental measures would restrict market access, and from the US and Canada, who were concerned the EU might use the mandate to hinder agricultural subsidy reform or restrict agricultural goods via the precautionary principle or eco-labelling.
• Members agreed in November 2002 to a three-phase approach for negotiating the relationship between MEAs and the WTO: examining individual MEAs, identifying specific trade obligations in those MEAs, and identifying relevant WTO rules. While most Members support this approach, the EU and Switzerland preferred starting with conceptual and definitional issues.
• The granting of observer status for MEA Secretariats at special sessions of the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) is deadlocked due to a geopolitical conflict involving the Middle East. Specifically, the US and Israel have rejected the Arab League's application for observer status because the League's charter calls for a trade boycott of Israel, which has left all other intergovernmental observer applications unresolved.
• Efforts to liberalise environmental goods are hindered by definitional disagreements. Most Members support a New Zealand proposal based on APEC and OECD classifications focusing on an 'end-use' approach (goods used to clean the environment or prevent pollution). However, the EU's proposal to include products made in an environmentally sound manner was rejected by most Members, particularly developing countries, who fear that process and production method (PPM) criteria could be used to undermine their market access.
• Negotiations on environmental services are being handled by the Council for Trade in Services (CTS) via a request-offer process. Classification is loosely based on a 1991 list covering sewage, refuse disposal, sanitation, and 'other', though the EU argues this no longer reflects market realities. This classification debate is currently stalled in the Committee on Specific Commitments.
• Non-negotiating mandates under paragraph 32 of the Doha Declaration remain unresolved. Discussions on the relationship between the TRIPs Agreement, the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), and traditional knowledge are stalled, with Brazil, India, and Pakistan wanting discussions in the TRIPs Council to modify the agreement, while Canada, Switzerland, and the US resist such revisions.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2003). Developments Since the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/wto_trade.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Developments Since the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference. 2003. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/wto_trade.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Developments Since the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference |date=February 2003 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/wto_trade.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2003developments, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Developments Since the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2003}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/wto_trade.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }