Key Message
Trade liberalization is a major engine of economic growth, so it has great potential as a force for sustainable development. Unfortunately, the link is not automatic. Where trade policy is in conflict with environment and development policy, it can delay or even undermine the achievement of sustainable development. IISD's work on trade focuses on how we can help ensure positive outcomes.
Team
 | · Mark Halle Director - Trade and Investment, and European Representative | |
 | · Aaron Cosbey Associate and Senior Climate Change and Trade Advisor | |
 | · Adil Najam Associate | |
 | · Chris Charles Programme Administrator | |
 | · Cindy Filliettaz Human Resources and Office Manager Assistant (Geneva) | |
 | · Clarita Martinet-Fay Programme Officer | |
 | · Damon Vis-Dunbar Communications Officer | |
 | · Fariba Di Benedetto-Achtari Secretary | |
 | · Flavia Thomé Programme Administrator | |
 | · Howard Mann Associate & Senior International Law Advisor | |
 | · Huihui (Helena) Zhang Project Officer, China | |
 | · Jason Potts Associate and Program Manager, SMART | |
 | · Javed Ahmad Communications Director, Global Subsidies Initiative | |
 | · Oli Brown Program Manager | |
| · Oshani Perera Program Officer | |
 | · Rachael Muller Programme Administrator | |
 | · Ron Steenblik Research Director, Global Subsidies Initiative | |
 | · Sabrina Shaw Associate; Writer/Editor Earth Negotiations Bulletin | |
 | · Tara Laan Assistant Researcher | |
 | · Fiona Marshall Consultant | |
International Trade
Making international trade work for sustainable development
What's New in Trade?
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Trade and Environment: A Resource Book (PDF - 1.8 mb) » Edited by Adil Najam, Mark Halle and Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz IISD, in collaboration with the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development and The Ring, has released this publication as a means to shed light on some of the key themes in the trade and environment debate. Penned by 61 authors from 34 countries, this volume provides a blend of background information, expert commentaries and resources including a glossary, and a trade and environment timeline.
International trade has enormous potential to foster or frustrate sustainable development. By allowing for specialization, trade can increase incomes and contribute to increased well-being. Openness to investment and trade can bring new environmentally-friendly technologies and processes.
But trade can also allow powerful global demand to deplete countries' natural resources and create increased pollution. And the benefits of trade are not always well distributed among and within nations.
In seeking positive outcomes, IISD focuses on two major themes, with a particular concern for developing countries:
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Trade Policy and SD
National-level trade policy sets objectives such as export expansion in key sectors. It needs to consider the impacts on the national environment as well as the social impacts. Other factors at the national level are also key; liberalization without strong environmental, regulatory regimes can lead to environmental crises. And liberalization without the capacity to benefit from market access, and without the capacity to cushion the blow of adjustment, may be economically and socially damaging. Trade policy needs to take these dynamics into account. -
Trade Law and SD
Trade rules themselves, as cast in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and regional trade agreements, are key in determining whether trade has a positive sustainable development outcome. As well, the process of negotiation—and trade institutions like the WTO—can, by their very character, influence sustainable development outcomes.
Contents
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Our Philosophy
Starting points: the principles of trade and sustainable development; our assumptions, our beliefs, our way forward. -
Trade Policy and SD
What needs to happen at the domestic level to ensure that trade policy contributes to SD? Our work in developing countries. -
Trade Law and SD
Can the institutions of trade—the WTO and other trade law, and the negotiations that they entail—be better formulated to harness globalization for SD? -
China, Trade and SD
The latest of our long-standing trade policy work in China.
Key Publication
Environment and Trade: A Handbook - Second Edition
» UNEP, IISD, 2005.This handbook, a joint effort of IISD and the United Nations Environment Programme, is aimed mainly at those with some knowledge about trade, environment or development, but not expert on the intersection of the three. It is also a practical reference tool for policy-makers and practitioners. But the target audience is not just government policy-makers; the media and public will also find it useful. The handbook uses clear language and a minimum of jargon. Its balanced, basic approach has made it a standard reference since the first edition was released in 2001.
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Our Knowledge
» Themes
- Climate Change and Energy
- Economics and SD
- Foreign Investment for SD
- Governance for Sustainable Development
- Information Society
- International Trade
- Measurement and Assessment
- Natural Resources
- Networks & Partnerships
- Security
- Sustainable Markets
- Tomorrow's SD Leaders
» Initiatives
