---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 1999 16:54:14 -0800
From: Ed Deak <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: WTO Chief Proposes World Environment Organization
Forwarded without comment, except: Does anybody believe this sob? Ed.
>
>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>WTO Chief Proposes World Environment Organization
>
>GENEVA, Switzerland, March 15, 1999 (ENS) - The World Trade Organization's
>(WTO) High-Level Symposium on Trade and the Environment that opened today
>in Geneva was highlighted by a call from WTO director-general, Renato
>Ruggiero, to create a World Environment Organization parallel to the World
>Trade Organization.
>
>Renato Ruggiero(Photo courtesy WTO)
>For the first time, senior trade officials are holding open dialogues with
>non-governmental organizations in two high-level symposia organized by the
>WTO: on trade and environment on March 15-16, and on trade and development
>on March 17-18. Delegates from the 134 nations who are members of the WTO
>met today with representatives of 26 inter-governmental organizations, and
>people from 130 non-governmental organizations representing the
>environment, development,
>agriculture, trade unions, consumers, academia and business.
>
>Discussions in this high level symposium focus on the links between global
>trade - close to $3 trillion dollars of activity each year - and efforts to
>protect the global environment.
>
>In his opening statement Ruggiero told them, "With the WTO we are poised to
>create something truly revolutionary - a universal trading system bringing
>together developed, developing, and least-developed countries under one set
>of international rules, with a binding dispute settlement mechanism. I
>would suggest that we need a similar multilateral rules-based system for
>the environment - a World Environment Organization to also be the
>institutional and legal counterpart to the World Trade Organization. This
>should be a main message from this meeting."
>
>Saying that he does not belive that the issue of national sovereignty is at
>stake in this debate, Ruggiero said, "On the contrary, consensus-based
>multilateral rules - for trade as for the environment - by definition only
>extend national sovereignty beyond borders. The issue of trade barriers and
>subsidies which waste precious resources and harm the environment, is
>clearly one which must be addressed. And most important of all, we need to
>tackle the problem of poverty - a major cause of the environmental crisis
>we all face."
>
>United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) executive director Klaus
>Toefper agreed that there has been a failure to articulate clear,
>acceptable trade and environment policies because "too much has been
>demanded of the WTO and too little has been done in other fora, both at the
>national and international levels."
>
>While he did not specifically endorse the concept of a World Environment
>Organization, Toepfer said UNEP is ready, willing and able to strengthen
>collaboration with WTO. Toepfer said UNEP will be gathering essential data
>on the environmental consequences of international economic policies.
>
>"Many countries have identified, for example, environmental and trade
>benefits of removing price-distorting subsidies. The environmental costs of
>these distortions are now known to be staggering. Experts estimate that
>these inefficient policies cost society over $50 billion dollars in fishing
>subsidies; over $300 billion in energy subsidies and over $350 billion in
>agricultural subsidies," Toepfer said.
>
>Sir Leon Brittan, vice-president of the European Commission, who originated
>the idea for a high-level meeting on trade and environment, emphasized the
>principles of sustainable development as agreed by 178 nations at the 1992
>Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
>
>"The key to a successful policy on trade and environment seems to me to
>pursue in a co-ordinated way that concept of sustainable development, Sir
>Leon said. "This in turn means that in every area of WTO activity, and not
>simply the deliberations of the Committee on Trade and the Environment, we
>need to apply Rio Earth Summit principles. In particular, we need to
>reconcile the competing demands of economic growth, environmental
>protection and social development. Pursuing any one of these three at the
>expense of the other two will inevitably lead to an unbalanced approach."
>
>Sir Leon called for the formation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements
>(MEAs) "so as to have a common base, agreed among as many states as is
>feasible, for tackling particular environmental problems. These include not
>only national ones but the protection of global resources, and of course
>include animal welfare," he said.
>
>The problem is that even multilateral agreements are not necessarily proof
>against a WTO challenge by non-members of such agreements," he acknowledged.
>
>President Bill Clinton sent a message to the gathering in which he urged
>the World Trade Organization to achieve consensus on supporting policies
>that promote freer trade while protecting the environment.
>
>U.S. representatives at this week's meeting will call for further progress
>on transparency and openness at the WTO and propose the reduction of
>environmentally damaging subsidies and a pledge by the U.S. to conduct an
>environmental review of the next round of negotiations.
>
>Clinton said, "Sustainable development is a stated objective and mission of
>the WTO. Achieving this goal will require greater inclusiveness and
>transparency in WTO proceedings to win the confidence of people around the
>world."
>
>
>� Environment News Service (ENS) 1999. All Rights Reserved.
>
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