MOREPRESS RELEASE
TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN
PRESS/TE/038
4 April 2002
(02-1790)
WTO COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND ENVI RONMENT FOCUSES ON MARKET
ACCESS ISSUES, FISHERIES SUBSIDIES, TECHNICAL COOPERATION
AND CAPACITY BUILDING, AND ITS MANDATE TO IDENTIFY AND
DEBATE THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL
ASPECTS OF WTO NEGOTIATIONS
CTE SPECIAL SESSION HOLDS FIRST MEETING ON PROCEDURAL ISSUES
AND DISCUSSES EC SUBMISSION ON MEAs AND
THE DOHA DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
WTO TO HOST SYMPOSIUM ON DOHA MINISTERIAL DECLARATION
At the 4th WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar, 9-13 November 2001, Ministers
reaffirmed their commitment to the objective of sust ainable development and gave instructions for the
future work of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE).  Negotiations on specific
issues of trade and environment will take place in Special Sessions, in parallel with the follow-up
mandate of the CTE.  The relevant references to  trade and environment in the Doha Ministerial
Declaration are contained in Annex I.
The first meeting of CTE this year was held on 21 March.  Members confirmed the
appointment of Ambassador O ğuz Demiralp (Turkey) as Chairman, and agreed to hold three meetings
this year back-to-back with the meetings of the Special Sessions of the CTE.  On 22 March, Members
met for the first time in a Special Session of the CTE (see below).  The work programme and schedule
of meetings for the CTE is attached in Annex II.
The WTO Secretariat, under its own responsibility, has prepared this Bulletin on the March
meetings of the CTE and its Special Session.  Papers referred to can be accessed through the WTO
Web site ( http://docsonline.wto.org/ ), and are available from the Trade and Environment Division of
the WTO Secretariat.  An updated list of CTE documents from January 1995 to September 2001 can
be found in WT/CTE/INF/4.
The WTO is hosting a public Symposium on The Doha Development Agenda and Beyond ,
from 29 April to 1 May 2002, which includes a session on trade and environment (WT/INF/47).
Next meetings :  CTE Special Session on 11–12 June;  CTE on 13–14 June, with an MEA Information
Session on 13 June.PRESS/TE/038
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MORECommittee on Trade and Environment
21 March 2002
The Doha Ministeri al Declaration
The Doha Ministerial Declaration instructs the CTE in paragraph 32 to pursue work on all
items on its agenda, with particular attention to three issues:
(i) the effect of environmental measures on market access, and those situations where the
elimination or reduction of trade restrictions and distortions would benefit trade, the
environment and development;
(ii) the relevant provisions of the agreement on TRIPS;  and
(iii) labelling requirements for environmental purposes.
Each of these issues will be the focus of a CTE meeting this year.  Ministers mandated the
CTE to report to the next Ministerial Conference in 2003, and make recommendations for future
action, including the desirability of negotiations.
At the outset of the meeting, several Members noted that it is not business as usual on trade
and environment following the Doha Ministerial Conference and the mandated parallel process ofnegotiations in the CTE Special Sessions.  Iceland, Hungary, the EC and others emphasized that the
CTE had entered a new phase of work post-Doha.  New Zealand said it would be important not to lose
sight of trade - the main mandate of the WTO;  one must also give weight to the development
dimension of work in the CTE, specifically the contribution of trade to achieving sustainable
development.  While the WTO is not an environmental organization, nor a primary vehicle forenvironmental reform, genuine opportunities exist for the Doha Development Agenda to contribute to
positive environment outcomes.
MARKET ACCESS – Paragraph 32(i)  of the Doha Declaration
The focus of this meeting was on market access and paragraph 32(i), which has two aspects –
firstly, the effects of environmental measures on market access;  and secondly, the "win-win-win"opportunities arising from trade liberalization for trade, environment and development.
India made a statement, supported by many developing countries, on the need to maintain
market access in the face of increasing environment-related, non-tariff barriers to trade.  Greater
market access for exports from developing countries was key to meeting the objectives set out in the
Marrakesh Agreement that established the WTO.  In earlier submissions (see WT/CTE/W/177), Indiahad stated that emerging environmental requirements could, and increasingly would, have significant
adverse effects on the market access of developing countries.  While it was for governments and
industry in developing countries to capitalize on their comparative advantage to increase their share in
environmentally-conscious markets, it was equally important to safeguard existing market access
against unjustified environmental requirements.  India suggested that developing countries couldidentify sector-specific examples of environmental requirements that impacted on exports.  Thus,
capacity building, technology transfer and technical assistance could be strengthened.
India also commented that, to safeguard developing country interests, efforts should focus on
information dissemination about new environmental requirements, as well as on developing country
participation in the development of standards.  In applying environmental measures, importing
countries should allow longer time frames for compliance for developing country exports;
environmental standards, management objectives and priorities should reflect the environmental anddevelopmental context to which they apply.  This would ensure that standards were appropriate and
did not impose unwarranted economic and social costs to developing countries ( Rio Principle 11 ).
India would contribute a paper on market access in light of the potential negative consequences of
environment-related measures.PRESS/TE/038
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MOREBrazil, Egypt, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Peru, Thailand and
Venezuela thanked India for its contribution and emphasized the importance of paragraph 31 of theDoha Declaration to developing countries, give n the increasing consequences of environmental
measures for their exports.
The Czech Republic, Hungary and the EC noted that environmental considerations were
increasingly a market reality.  The EC said it was vital to enable developing countries to respond to
environmental regulations;  the EC was open to suggestions as to how to structure market access inresponse to developing country concerns.  India and others noted that technology and financial
transfers as well as capacity building were essential to reduce the costs of compliance with
environmental regulations, particularly for small and medium size enterprises (SMEs).  Malaysia
welcomed the approach to preserving market access through technical assistance and transparency of
measures.  Given that trade liberalization can generate the resources necessary to implement sound
environmental policies, Brazil said the importance of market access opportunities and preserving an
open, equitable, non-discriminatory multilateral trading system should not be underestimated.Therefore, Brazil proposed that the CTE discuss the developmental and environmental aspects of the
WTO negotiations, particularly for agriculture, in line with its mandate in paragraph 51 of the Doha
Declaration (see below).
Norway noted that non-tariff barriers to trade stemming from legislation on health and the
environment might jeopardize preferential treatment for developing countries.  The answer todeveloping country concerns was not to lower standards, but rather to enable them to meet the
requirements.  Here, Norway referred to its early warning mechanisms to indicate market access
barriers, and was prepared to offer trade-related technical assistance in this area.  The OECD referred
to its ongoing work on the developmental aspects of trade liberalization in certain sectors.  UNCTAD
planned to contribute case studies on environmental requirements related to market access fordeveloping countries.
There were also statements on several sectors where "win-win-win" potential exists from
liberalizing trade.
• Agriculture
The Czech Republic outlined its inter-agency cooperation to study the role of agriculture in
society and to enhance its contribution to environmental protection.  Measures to protect theenvironment should be clearly defined, easily controllable and implemented in the least trade
distorting way.  Noting that when governments seek to support the agricultural sector, they should do
so through policies that do not distort trade, Australia said the ongoing agriculture negotiations would
contribute to improving agricultural sustainability, and to allowing developing countries to pursue
their comparative advantage.  Thailand, New Zealand and others agreed with Australia on the centralimportance of agricultural reform, and that subsidies were bad trade policy as well as bad
environmental policy – the most effective measures being those directly targeted at the policy
objective.  The EC said the real challenge for the CTE is to add value to ongoing negotiations in other
WTO bodies.  In this case, non-trade concerns were already covered in the negotiations in the WTO
Committee on Agriculture.
• Energy
Saudi Arabia (an observer), supported by Venezuela, highlighted the importance of the energy
sector, and the need to remove environmentally-unfri endly subsidies, specifically in the coal sector.
• Fisheries
Iceland recalled that paragraph 28 of the Doha Declaration committed WTO Members to improve
disciplines on fisheries subsidies.  While these negotiations were taking place in the WTO Negotiating
Group on Rules, the US, New Zealand, Chile, Iceland and Australia said the CTE would continue to
play a role in gathering and analyzing information.   Argentina, Jamaica, Peru, the Philippines and
others noted the need for further analysis to take  into account the special conditions in developingPRESS/TE/038
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MOREcountries.  Japan emphasized the need for an holistic approach to sustainable fisheries management,
taking into account the demand-driven causes of fish stock depletion.  Korea and the EC said theduplication of discussions on fisheries in WTO bodies should be avoided.
For discussion, New Zealand contributed a paper highlighting recent research on fisheries
subsidies (WT/CTE/W/204).  In considering the causes of over-fishing, one issue that had generated
debate in the CTE had been the relative importance of subsidies and of deficiencies in fisheries
management.  Some had argued that inadequate management regimes and uncontrolled or illegalfishing activity were the main culprits, and that subsidies specifically designed to reduce capacity
would actually be beneficial.  Recent research by Gordon Munro and Ussif Rashid Sumaila, Subsidies
and their potential impact on the management of the ecosyst ems of the North Atlantic (University of
British Columbia, 2002) provided a technical analysis of the economics of subsidies’ impact on
fisheries sustainability.  To the extent these findings challenged the environmental benefits of certain
subsidies, they reinforced the case for improving WTO disciplines over subsidies with negative trade
impacts.  New Zealand would submit a more comprehensive paper to contribute to a broaderdiscussion on the fisheries sector.
Korea noted that real world fisheries management was more complex than suggested by the
theoretical analysis in this research paper.  It was generally accepted that the main cause of
overfishing was poor management of fish stoc ks and open access fisheries management systems,
which creates a powerful economic incentive for over fishing.  Thus, Korea argued, overcapacity willoccur regardless of subsidies.  Japan said further study on the effects of fisheries subsidies in other
international organizations, including the FAO, was vital to address this issue in a scientific and
factual manner.
UNEP briefed the Committee on its recent Workshop on The Impacts of Trade-Related Policies
on Fisheries and Measures Required for Sustainable Fisheries Management  in Geneva on 15 March.
Members welcomed this initiative by UNEP to provide an open forum to address the impacts of trade-
related policies on fisheries and discuss measures for sustainable fisheries management.  The
discussion had led to a greater understanding of the complexities involved, and would contribute
positively to the WTO negotiations on fisheries su bsidies.  UNEP noted the potential for "win-win-
win" outcomes through reform of fisheries subsidies.  The need for an integrated approach, which alsoaddressed the role of fisheries agreements and management systems, was emphasized.  The
Chairman's Conclusions can be found at http://www.unep.ch/etu .
The US and Iceland suggested that the Secretaria t compile a list of fisheries-related documents in
the CTE.  The Secretariat would continue to up-date Members on the work in other intergovernmental
fora, as well as on the notifications to the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures.  TheFAO noted its fisheries-related work and its intention to hold a second expert consultation, in
collaboration with the WTO, on economic incentives and responsible fishing on 3-6 December 2002.
Item 3(a) - The relationship between the prov isions of the multilateral trading system and
charges and taxes for environmental purposes
Saudi Arabia, supported by Venezuela, said information should be gathered on environmental
taxes on petrochemical exports from developing countries to ensure that these were justified.
Paragraph 32(ii) of the Doha Declaration – The relevant provisions of the Agreement on Trade-
Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs)
The United States referred to its recent submission to the TRIPs Council following up on
aspects of the relationship between the Convention on Biological Diversity and the TRIPs Agreement.
This contribution describes the practices of the US National Cancer Institute in collecting genetic
material for screening for potential therapeutic uses related to cancer (IP/C/W/341).  The relevantprovision of the TRIPs Agreement will be the focus of the 13-14 June meeting of the CTE.PRESS/TE/038
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MOREParagraph 32(iii) of the Doha Declaration – Labelling requirements for environmental purposes
Canada referred to its recent paper to the TBT Committee on how to structure discussions on
labelling issues in general, including non-product-related production and processing methods (PPMs)
(G/TBT/W/174).  Canada suggested holding a joint informal TBT/CTE meeting to discuss labelling.
Members welcomed Canada's contribution, noting that labelling should not become an unnecessary
barrier to trade.  The EC highlighted the need to take full account of the work in the TBT Committee,
and noted that it was not obligatory to have a "one-size fits all" approach to addressing such issues asnon-product-related PPMs.  Keeping in mind the need to avoid duplication with work in the TBT
Committee, Australia, Brazil, Korea, Japan and othe rs looked forward to focused discussions on eco-
labelling at the 8-9 October meeting of the CTE.
Items 1&5 The relationship between the provisions of the multilateral trading system and
trade measures for environmental purposes, including those pursuant to MEAs; and the
relationship between the dispute settlement mech anisms in the multilat eral trading system and
those found in MEAs
Members said they would comment at the next meeting on the Secretariat's updated Note on
GATT/WTO Dispute Settlement Pr actice Relating to Article XX (WT/CTE/W/203).
Item 10 Relations with IGOs and NGOs
In the Doha Declaration, Ministers welcom ed continued cooperation with UNEP and
encouraged efforts to promote cooperation between the WTO and relevant internationalenvironmental and developmental organizations, es pecially in the lead-up to the World Summit on
Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August-September 2002.  UNEP and the
CITES Secretariat underlined the importance they attach to being granted observer status in CTE
Special Sessions, particularly in light of the strengthened collaboration between them and the WTO,
and the fact that the negotiations in the Special Sessions directly concern them.
Members emphasized the importance of strengthened cooperation between the WTO, UNEP and
MEAs, as well as other organizations, such as FAO, ITC, OECD, UNCTAD and WIPO.  The
usefulness of cooperation had been evident at the recent UNEP Workshops on Fisheries, and on
Capacity Building on Environment, Trade and Development.  UNEP had also contributed to
enhancing national policy coordination by financing the participation of environmental negotiatorsfrom developing country capitals at the UNEP Workshops, as well as the CTE and its Special Session.
Members also welcomed the upcoming WTO public symposium on The Doha Development
Agenda and Beyond,  from 29 April to 1 May 2002, which included a session on trade and
environment.  (the programme is available at http://www.wto.org  in WT/INF/47)
Paragraph 33 of the Doha Declaration – Technical assistance, capacity building and
environmental reviews of trade agreements
In the Doha Declaration, Ministers recognized  the importance of technical assistance and
capacity-building in the field of trade and the envir onment to developing countries, in particular the
LDCs, and encouraged the sharing of expertise and experience with Members wishing to perform
national environmental reviews.  This sharing of expertise on both aspects of paragraph 33 will better
enable the CTE to prepare its report to the next WTO Ministerial in 2003.  In this respect, the
Chairman highlighted the value of input from other intergovernmental organizations.
Comments at this meeting focused on the first aspect, with Members praising UNEP for its
recent Workshop on Capacity Building on Environment, Trade and Development  in Geneva on 19-20
March (the Chairman's Summary can be accessed at http://www.unep.ch/etu ).  This Workshop was
held back-to-back with the CTE to allow the UNEP-sponsored environmental experts from
developing country Members to participate in the CTE and its Special Session.  Members appreciatedthis contribution by UNEP to domestic policy coordination and coherence between trade and
environment.  UNEP stressed the need to secure funding in order to continue this practice.PRESS/TE/038
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MOREJamaica referred to collaboration between the WTO, UNEP and MEAs at the WTO regional
seminar on trade and environment, held in Saint Lucia in January 2002.  Japan, Jamaica and otherssaid such cooperation was crucial to respond to the changing nature of technical assistance.  Japan
noted that the private sector had a role to play, given that foreign direct investment was an effective
engine for capacity building in developing countries.
The Doha Declaration contains numerous references to the need for technical assistance and
capacity building to underpin the Doha Development Agenda.  UNCTAD and UNEP highlighted theirplans to include trade-related environmental issues  in their technical assistance activities, with
reference to their joint Capacity Building Task Forc e.  Costa Rica stressed the need to base technical
assistance on national priorities.  Norway felt the focus of technical assistance should be on helping
developing countries in the Doha negotiations.
The United States noted the importance of environmental reviews of trade agreements,
particularly in developing countries, in order to ensure that appropriate environmental policies were
put in place.
Paragraph 51 of the Doha Declaration
Paragraph 51 of the Doha Declaration sets out that the CTE and the WTO Committee on
Trade and Development, within their respectiv e mandates, shall identify and debate the
developmental and environmental aspects of the negotiations to help achieve the objective of having
sustainable development appropriately reflected.  Several Members noted the importance of thismandate.  The EC offered preliminary suggestions as to how to address this paragraph in a structured
way so as to cover all areas of negotiations – includi ng liaising closely with the CTD.  Brazil said the
mandate in paragraph 51 could be used to iden tify "win-win" scenarios for environment and
development in different areas of the negotiations, such as agriculture, TRIPs, and market access for
non-agricultural goods and services.  Noting that several Members felt it premature to address thismandate at this stage in the negotiations, the Chairman said he would hold informal consultations in
mid-May to facilitate an initial debate on paragraph 51 at the June meeting of the CTE.
Members expressed their support for the MEA Information Session  on technical assistance
and capacity building on 13 June, with the participation of the WTO Director-General, as well as the
UNEP Executive Secretary and the heads of the following six MEAs:  the Convention onInternational Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora  (CITES);  the Basel Convention
on Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste;  the Montreal Protocol on Substances that
Deplete the Ozone Layer;  the Convention on Biological Diversity;  the UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change;  and UNEP Chemicals (Rotterdam Prior Informed Consent and Stockholm
Persistent Organic Pollutants Conventions).PRESS/TE/038
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MORECommittee on Trade and En vironment Special Session
22 March 2002
The Special Session of the Committee on Trade and Environment, established by the Trade
Negotiations Committee (TNC), held its first meting on 22 March 2002.  The Committee confirmed
Ambassador Yolande Biké (Gabon) as Chairperson of the Special Session.
The Chairperson noted the negotiations mandated under paragraph 31 of the Doha Ministerial
Declaration and invited comments from participants in the negotiations on how the work of theSpecial Sessions could be organized.
Number of meetings
Two additional meetings have already been sche duled for this year, back-to-back with the
regular meetings of the Committee on Trade and Environment, on 11-12 June and 10-11 October.
The EC called for four meetings to be held.  Some participants supported this, others
indicated they could be flexible, but a third group was opposed, mainly developing countries with
small delegations.  The Chairperson concluded that participants with strong objections to a fourthmeeting should communicate this to her by the end of the following week.
Phases of work
Some delegations suggested dividing the work of the Special Sessions into different phases,
such as a study phase, a proposals phase and a negotiations phase (or a combined study/proposals
phase and a negotiations phase).  Others argued that there was no need for a study phase, since theparagraph 31 mandate had already been studied in the regular CTE.  Some participants argued that it
was important not to straightjacket the Special Sessions by dividing its work into rigid phases.  The
Chairperson noted the different approaches put forw ard, and was confidant that phases of work would
naturally occur through the evolution of work in the Special Session.
Paragraph 31 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration
• Paragraph 31(i) – on WTO rules and specific trade obligations in MEAs
The Chairperson drew the attention of delegations to relevant documents already circulated in
the CTE on MEAs, a full list of which is contained in TN/TE/INF/1, specifically the recently updated
Note by the Secretariat, GATT/WTO Dispute Settlement Practice Relating To GATT Article XX
(WT/CTE/W/203).
The EC introduced a new paper under this subparagraph, entitled MEAs:  Implementation of
the Doha Development Agenda , which intended to define and explain the level of ambition sought by
the EC (TN/TE/W/1).
In the discussion some participants welcomed the submission, while some argued that it
attempted to stretch what was a carefully circumscribed mandate.  Others presented their own
understanding of the terms "MEAs" and "specific trade obligations", and some argued that thediscussion underscored the need for a study phase in the CTE Special Sessions.
• Paragraph 31(ii) – on information exchange and criteria for observer status
Statements were made under this subparagraph on the existing mechanisms for information
exchange between the WTO, UNEP and MEAs, and the need to consolidate and build upon these
mechanisms.  A number of participants stressed the importance of the cooperation arrangement
agreed between the Director-General of WTO and the Executive Director of UNEP in 1999, whichhad led to a noticeable increase in cooperation between the two organizations, such as MEA
Information Sessions in the CTE;  and back-to-back meetings organized by UNEP and WTO, which
allowed numerous developing and least-developing country participants to attend the CTE through
UNEP funding.  Some Members expressed their hope that an early harvest could be achieved in thePRESS/TE/038
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MOREnegotiations under this item.  Others emphasized the importance of contributing to enhanced
understanding of the WTO and MEAs, and in providing for information exchange that would becritical to avoiding disputes involving trade-related measures in MEAs.
• Paragraph 31(iii) – on Environmental Goods and Services
There was generally broad support for the CTE Special Session to keep track of negotiations
on environmental goods and services conducted in the Services Council and the Negotiating Group on
Market Access for Non-agricultural Products.  Some participants suggested that the CTE Special
Session work towards clarifying the concept of environmental goods, without thereby sequencingsuch definitional work and the negotiations in the Negotiating Group on Market Access.  It was also
suggested that the Special Session could keep track of work undertaken in the Special Session of the
Committee on Agriculture.PRESS/TE/038
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MOREANNEX I
FOURTH WTO MINISTERIAL DECLARATION
Adopted on 14 November 2001
Doha, Qatar
Selected sections relevant to trade and environment
(document WT/MIN(01)/DEC/l)
Paragraph 6 We strongly reaffirm our commitment to the objective of sustainable development, as
stated in the Preamble to the Marrakesh Agreement.  We are convinced that the aims of upholding and
safeguarding an open and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system, and acting for the protection
of the environment and the promotion of sustainable development can and must be mutually
supportive.   We take note of the efforts by Members to conduct national environmental assessments
of trade policies on a voluntary basis.  We recognize that under WTO rules no country should beprevented from taking measures for the protection of human, animal or plant life or health, or of the
environment at the levels it considers appropriate, subject to the requirement that they are not applied
in a manner which would constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination between
countries where the same conditions prevail, or a disguised restriction on international trade, and are
otherwise in accordance with the provisions of the WTO Agreements.  We welcome the WTO´s
continued cooperation with UNEP and other inter- governmental environmental organizations.  We
encourage efforts to promote cooperation between the WTO and relevant international environmentaland developmental organizations, especially in the lead-up to the World Summit on Sustainable
Development to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in September 2002.
T
RADE AND ENVIRONMENT
Paragraph 31 With a view to enhancing the mutual supportiveness of trade and environment, we
agree to negotiations, without prejudging their outcome, on:
(i) the relationship between existing WTO rules and specific trade obligations set out in
multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs).  The negotiations shall be limited in
scope to the applicability of such existing WTO rules as among parties to the  MEA
in question.  The negotiations shall not prejudice the WTO rights of any Member that
is not a party to the MEA in question;
(ii) procedures for regular information exchange between MEA Secretariats and the
relevant WTO committees, and the criteria for the granting of observer status;
(iii) the reduction or, as appropriate, elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers to
environmental goods and services.
We note that fisheries subsidies form part of the negotiations provided for in paragraph 28.1
                                                     
1 WTO R ULES
Paragraph 28 In the light of experience and of the increasing application of these instruments by
Members, we agree to negotiations aimed at clarifying and improving disciplines under the
Agreements on Implementation of Article VI of the GATT 1994 and on Subsidies and Countervailing
Measures, while preserving the basic concepts, principles and effectiveness of these Agreements andtheir instruments and objectives, and taking into account the needs of developing and least-developed
participants.  In the initial phase of the negotiations, participants will indicate the provisions,
including disciplines on trade distorting practices, that they seek to clarify and improve in the
subsequent phase.  In the context of these negotiations, participants shall also aim to clarify and
improve WTO disciplines on fisheries subsidies, taki ng into account the importance of this sector to
developing countries.  We note that fisheries subsidies are also referred to in paragraph 31.PRESS/TE/038
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MOREParagraph 32 We instruct the Committee on Trade and Environment, in pursuing work on all items
on its agenda within its current terms of reference, to give particular attention to:
(i) the effect of environmental measures on market access, especially in relation to
developing countries, in particular the least-developed among them, and those
situations in which the elimination or reduction of trade restrictions and distortions
would benefit trade, the environment and development;
(ii) the relevant provisions of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual
Property Rights;  and
(iii) labelling requirements for environmental purposes.
Work on these issues should include the identification of any need to clarify relevant WTO rules.  The
Committee shall report to the Fifth Session of the Ministerial Conference, and make
recommendations, where appropriate, with respect to future action, including the desirability of
negotiations.  The outcome of this work as well as the negotiations carried out under paragraph 31(i)
and (ii) shall be compatible with the open and non-discriminatory nature of the multilateral tradingsystem, shall not add to or diminish the rights and obligations of Members under existing WTO
agreements, in particular the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures,
nor alter the balance of these rights and obligations, and will take into account the needs of
developing and least-developed countries.
Paragraph 33 We recognize the importance of technical assistance and capacity building in the field
of trade and environment to developing countries, in particular the least-developed among them.  We
also encourage that expertise and experience be shared with Members wishing to perform
environmental reviews at the national level.  A report  shall be prepared on these activities for the Fifth
Session.
Paragraph 51 The Committee on Trade and Development and the Committee on Trade and
Environment shall, within their respective mandate s, each act as a forum to identify and debate
developmental and environmental aspects of the negotiations, in order to help achieve the objective of
having sustainable development appropriately reflected.PRESS/TE/038
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ENDANNEX II
COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT
Work programme and schedule of meeting for 2002
1. The following schedule of meetings gives particular attention to one of the issues identified in
paragraph 32 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration at each meeting, while allowing Members toaddress all the other items on the work programme of the CTE, as well as paragraphs 33 and 51 of the
Doha Ministerial Declaration.  The possibility of scheduling a fourth meeting should be kept in mind
as the discussions proceed.
2. The CTE meeting of 21 March will address items relevant to market access, with particular
attention to:
• Paragraph 32(i) of the Doha Declaration  – "The effect of environmental measures on market
access, especially in relation to developing countries, in particular the least-developed among
them, and those situations in which the elimination or reduction of trade restrictions anddistortions would benefit trade, the environment and development";
• Other items in the market access cluster of the work programme of the CTE:  Items 2, 3, and 4;
Following this debate, Members will have the possibility to raise other issues in paragraph 32 of the
Doha Declaration, and other items of the work programme of the CTE;  as well as:
• Paragraph 33 of the Doha Declaration on technical assistance and environmental reviews;  and
• Paragraph 51 of the Doha Declaration on identifying and debating developmental and
environmental aspects of the negotiations, in order to help achieve the objective of having
sustainable development appropriately reflected.
3. At a meeting on 13-14 June,  the CTE will hold an MEA Information Session on technical
assistance and capacity building, and discuss th ose items related to the linkages between the
multilateral environment and trade agendas, with particular attention to:
• Paragraph 32(ii) of the Doha Declaration  – "The relevant provisions of the TRIPs Agreement";
• Other items in the linkages cluster of the work programme of the CTE:  Items 1, 5, 7, 9 and 10;
After this discussion, Members will have the possibility to raise other issues in paragraph 32 of the
Doha Declaration, as well as other items of the work programme of the CTE;  as well as:
• Paragraph 33 of the Doha Declaration on technical assistance and environmental reviews;  and
• Paragraph 51 of the Doha Declaration on identifying and debating developmental and
environmental aspects of the negotiations, in order to help achieve the objective of havingsustainable development appropriately reflected.
4. On 8-9 October , discussion in the CTE will give particular attention to:
• Paragraph 32(iii) of the Doha Declaration – "Labelling requirements for environmental
purposes";
Following debate on this issue, Members may address other issues in paragraph 32 of the Doha
Declaration, and other items of the work programme of the CTE;  as well as:
• Paragraph 33 of the Doha Declaration on technical assistance and environmental reviews;
• Paragraph 51 of the Doha Declaration on identifying and debating developmental and
environmental aspects of the negotiations, in order to help achieve the objective of having
sustainable development appropriately reflected;  and
• Report of the CTE in 2002.