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.
Video
Flavia Thomé talks about the Trade Knowledge Network
(Flash Video - 1:35 min)
Team
 | · Mark Halle Director - Trade and Investment, and European Representative | |
 | · Aaron Cosbey Associate and Senior Climate Change and Trade Advisor | |
 | · Adil Najam Associate and Senior Fellow | |
 | · Christopher Beaton Research Analyst/Communications Officer | |
 | · Chris Charles Programme Administrator | |
| · Chris Wunderlich Associate | |
 | · Clarita Martinet-Fay Programme Officer | |
 | · Fariba Di Benedetto-Achtari Executive Assistant | |
 | · Fiona Marshall Associate | |
 | · Flavia Thomé Programme Administrator | |
 | · Howard Mann Associate & Senior International Law Advisor | |
 | · Huihui (Helena) Zhang Project Manager, China | |
 | · Jason Potts Associate and Program Manager, SMART | |
 | · Javed Ahmad Acting Communications Director and Communications Director, Global Subsidies Initiative | |
 | · Oli Brown Senior Researcher and Program Manager | |
 | · Oshani Perera Programme Officer | |
 | · Peter Wooders Senior Economist | |
 | · Ron Steenblik emeritus Director of Research | |
 | · Sabrina Shaw Associate; Writer/Editor Earth Negotiations Bulletin | |
 | · Tara Laan Associate | |
International Trade
Making international trade work for sustainable development
What's New in International Trade?
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A Sustainable Development Roadmap for the WTO
(PDF - 3.2 MB)
The impasse in the Doha negotiations offers both grounds for concern about the current regime's model, and the breathing space in which to thoughtfully consider how that model might better serve today's needs. This short book argues that the WTO has committed to sustainable development as one of its basic objectives, and asks what the organization would look like if that objective were rigorously pursued. The answers (that range across areas as diverse as dispute settlement, accession, trade and environment, trade and development, and the negotiation process) identify what needs to be done and what role the WTO should play. The result is a timely roadmap for helping the WTO achieve its full economic, environmental and social potential. -
Trade and Subsidies: Undermining the trading system with public funds (PDF - 302 kb)
In this IISD Commentary, Mark Halle describes how subsidies undermine the international trading system and its potential to help the transition to sustainable development. This article will appear in October in "Peace and Prosperity through Global Trade," a joint publication of the Evian Group and the International Chamber of Commerce.
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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Cross-cutting Issues: Trade and Climate Change
There are a number of ways in which trade policy might help serve climate change goals, but this will only happen if we fully understand the potential and map out how to exploit it. As well, a number of climate change measures may have negative trade impacts, and we need to understand these well enough to take those impacts into account and avoid them where possible. -
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
Trade and Environment: A Resource Book
» IISD, 2007.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.
More...
Our Knowledge
» Themes
- Adaptation and Risk Reduction
- 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
- Water Innovation Centre (WIC)
- The Sustainable Commodity Initiative (SCI)
- Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI)
