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This report examines the complex relationship between trade policy, climate change, and food security in mainland Southeast Asia, using Cambodia as a case study to highlight the need for holistic, participatory, and long-term policy strategies.

This briefing examines the tension between trade liberalization and environmental protection within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with a specific focus on the Mekong subregion. It argues that while regional strategies and national laws exist, actual implementation is often weak, frequently driven by foreign donor interests rather than internal political will, and hindered by a regional preference for non-binding 'soft law'.

This fact sheet examines the challenges of balancing trade liberalization and environmental protection in the Mekong Subregion. It highlights the gap between regional policy rhetoric and actual implementation, the impact of illegal trade on biodiversity, and the dominant role of foreign donors in driving environmental agendas within trade policy.

This report analyzes potential international frameworks for reforming fossil-fuel subsidies, evaluating the roles of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the G-20. It argues that while a formally negotiated agreement is the long-term goal, the immediate path requires a multi-forum approach leveraging the political leadership of the G-20 and the technical capacities of various international organizations.

This report examines the complex interlinkages between trade, climate change, and food security in mainland Southeast Asia, with a detailed case study on Cambodia. It argues that food insecurity in the region persists despite surplus rice production due to structural economic weaknesses and vulnerability to external shocks. The author advocates for a holistic, participatory, and long-term policy approach to mitigate the risks posed by climate change and volatile global markets.

This 2010 report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines how trade facilitation measures at multilateral, regional, and subregional levels impact the illegal wildlife and timber trade in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). It analyzes the tension between economic growth driven by infrastructure and trade ease and the resulting depletion of biodiversity, providing recommendations for policymakers to mitigate environmental risks.

Opening remarks delivered at a South African Institute of International Affairs conference in October 2009, discussing the intersection of trade and climate change policy, specifically in the context of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

This report summarizes a global consultation of approximately 40 civil society organizations (CSOs) conducted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) for the Global Initiative on Commodities (GIC). It provides recommendations to ensure that commodity production and trade contribute to sustainable development, emphasizing a bottom-up, participatory approach to national and international policy.

This report details the proceedings of the Africa Trade and Climate Change Dialogue held in Johannesburg on May 7-8, 2009. The event, organized by ICTSD, IISD, and SAIIA, brought together African trade officials, policy-makers, and experts to examine the intersection of trade policy, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development. The dialogue focused on identifying policy priorities and research gaps to prepare African countries for the UNFCCC Copenhagen summit, specifically addressing vulnerabilities in agriculture, the need for predictable financing, and the diffusion of low-carbon technologies.

This report examines the integration of sustainable development into the regional and bilateral trade arrangements of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), comprising South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and Swaziland. It analyzes the tension between trade liberalization and national development goals, the impact of the SACU Revenue Sharing Formula, and the outcomes of various Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). The study concludes that most trade deals focus almost exclusively on market access, neglecting social and environmental pillars of sustainable development.

This research paper examines the role of product energy performance standards and processes and production methods (PPMs) in mitigating climate change and their interaction with international trade law. It argues that while energy efficiency standards are highly cost-effective and should be supported by trade regimes, PPM-based measures are more legally complex and controversial, particularly regarding their impact on developing country exporters and their consistency with WTO rules.

This briefing, published by the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, examines the tensions and potential synergies between international trade policy and climate change mitigation. It features contributions from the Socialist Group, Friends of the Earth, and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), arguing that while trade can drive emissions through transport and unsustainable consumption, it can also support climate goals through the liberalisation of environmental goods, the implementation of high energy efficiency standards, and the alignment of WTO rules with multilateral environmental agreements.

This document consists of remarks delivered by David Runnalls, President of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, at the Trade Ministers’ Dialogue on Climate Change Issues in Bali, Indonesia, on December 8-9, 2007. Runnalls argues that climate change and the multilateral trading system are interlinked, asserting that failure to address climate change constitutes a failure of the trade system. He outlines how trade policy can support climate goals through liberalization of low-carbon goods, the reduction of fossil fuel subsidies, and the facilitation of technology transfer to developing countries.

This scoping paper, produced for the Trade Ministers’ Dialogue on Climate Change Issues in 2007, examines the multifaceted linkages between trade, investment, and climate change. It analyzes how trade policies influence greenhouse gas emissions, the legal interactions between WTO and UNFCCC frameworks, the physical risks climate change poses to trade infrastructure, and the competitiveness implications of climate regulations.

This scoping paper, produced for the Trade Ministers’ Dialogue on Climate Change Issues in 2007, explores how trade policy tools can support climate change mitigation and sustainable development. It identifies several areas for potential synergy, including the liberalization of trade in low-emission goods, the reform of subsidy rules to support green R&D, the removal of domestic barriers to clean energy investment, the easing of intellectual property restrictions, and the reduction of fossil fuel subsidies.

This briefing from the Center for International Environmental Law examines the environmental implications of Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) negotiations within the WTO Doha Development Agenda. It focuses on two primary areas: the informal pursuit of sectoral agreements for total tariff elimination in environmentally-sensitive sectors and the classification and negotiation of non-tariff barriers (NTBs). The document argues that environmental considerations are being neglected in tariff negotiations and warns against the potential for NTB negotiations to undermine legitimate public policy objectives regarding health, safety, and environmental protection.

This briefing by Friends of the Earth International argues that the World Trade Organization's (WTO) 'non-agricultural market access' (NAMA) negotiations pose significant risks to the global environment and the economic development of developing nations by promoting the liberalisation of natural resources and the removal of non-tariff barriers.

This background paper, produced by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) for a 2004 MISTRA workshop in Malmö, Sweden, proposes a research agenda for Nordic countries on the intersection of trade and environment. Based on a survey of 315 publications from 2002 to 2003, the document identifies significant research gaps, particularly regarding the Doha Development Agenda and southern perspectives, and suggests priority areas for future academic and policy research to support sustainable development.

This report analyzes the intersection of international trade, sustainable development, and agriculture in Central America. It examines the impact of WTO agreements, regional trade negotiations (such as ALCA and CAFTA), and the environmental footprints of key agricultural sectors, proposing a 'Green General System of Preferences' to incentivize sustainable production.

A December 2003 letter from Friends of the Earth – U.S., on behalf of several environmental organizations, requesting investment-related documents from the United States Trade Representative (USTR) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).