report of the expert meeting on Definitions
and Dimensions of Environmental Goods and Services in Trade and Development
Held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva,
from 9 to 11 July 2003
The
following United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report is
being circulated to the CTESS for its information, as agreed at the 22 June 2004 meeting.[1]
_______________
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
I. Chairperson's
Summary.................................................................................. 1
II. Organizational
Matters.................................................................................... 16
Annex
Attendance.................................................................................................................. 17
CHAPTER I: CHAIRPERSON’S
SUMMARY
1.
The Expert Meeting was attended
by a large number of government experts (from both trade and environment
ministries) from developed and developing countries and countries with
economies in transition, representatives of private companies supplying
environmental services, academics, and representatives of intergovernmental
organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Participants expressed their appreciation of
the fact that the Meeting had been scheduled back to back with the regular and
special sessions of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE).
2.
Experts addressed issues
relating to trade liberalization in environmental goods and services (EGS) from
two perspectives. First, they considered
definitions, classifications and negotiating approaches in the context of the
WTO mandate provided for in paragraph 31 (iii) of the Doha Ministerial
Declaration. Second, they discussed the
role of EGS in sustainable development, in particular policies and measures
that could be carried out at the national and international levels to
strengthen the various EGS sectors in developing countries and to contribute to
achievement of the Millennium Goals and the implementation of the Johannesburg
Plan of Action adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).
[1]
The UNCTAD symbol of this report is TD/B/COM.1/59, TD/B/COM.1/EM.21/3 (27 August 2003).