99-5142 MOREPRESS RELEASE
PRESS/154
29 November 1999
Elements of Cooperation Between the WTO and UNEP
A global arrangement between the Secretariat of the World Trade Organization and the
United Nations as a whole was agreed between the tw o Secretariats in an exchange of letters between
the Director-General of the WTO and the Secret ary-General of the United Nations on 29 September
1995.  In accordance with the mandate given to the Secr etariat of the WTO and the mandate given to the
Secretariat of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), recognition is given to theimportance of cooperation and collaboration between th e two Secretariats with respect to their work on
issues of mutual interest.
Recalling the commitment of Members to continue  to improve efforts towards the objective of
sustainable development, the WTO and UNEP Secretar iats have elaborated the following elements of
cooperation between their respective organizations.  This cooperation will take place in the context of
our respective mandates and within our respective resources.
Building on the global arrangement between the UN and the WTO, consultations have been
held between the Director-General of the WTO and the Executive-Director of UNEP to further effective
cooperation between the two Secretariats  in areas of mutual interest and to help achieve the aims of the
Rio Declaration.  It is underst ood that cooperation between the WTO and UNEP Secretariats should
encompass practical measures which could assist in the smooth and efficient functioning of both
organizations in areas where interaction could be of mu tual benefit.  The goal is to improve the working
relationship at all levels in the two Secretariats, including with respect to technical cooperation and
research initiatives.
Cooperation between the WTO and UNEP Secretariats will thus include the provision and
exchange of relevant non-confidential informati on, including access to trade-related environmental
databases, and reciprocal representation at meetings  of a non-confidential nature, in accordance with the
decisions of the competent bodies of the respective organizations.  With respect to participation and
representation, it is noted that the WTO Secretariat is an observer of the Governing Council of UNEP,
and UNEP is an observer of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment.PRESS/154
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ENDBuilding on past practice, the Secretariats of the two organizations will also continue, as
appropriate, their cooperation and collaboration, in particular through informal staff meetings andinformation sessions, including where feasible with th e participation of the Secretariats of Multilateral
Environmental Agreements.
Capacity building for developing countries and c ountries with economies in transition is another
form of cooperative activity between the two Secretariats which could usefully be continued and further
strengthened, thus contributing to raising awaren ess on the linkages between trade, environment and
sustainable development and the development of policies which integrate sustainable development
considerations with trade policies.  We agree to wo rk for complementarity in technical cooperation with
the aim of improving cooperation across the board and making better use of available resources.