WORLD TRADE WT/CTE/W/56
28August 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-3498)
Committee onTrade andEnvironment
RESULTS OFTHE UNGENERAL ASSEMBLY SPECIAL SESSION
TOREVIEW THE IMPLEMENTATION OFAGENDA 21
Note bytheSecretariat
1. Thenineteenth special session oftheUNGeneral Assembly (referred toasUNGASS orthe
Earth Summit +5)washeldfrom23-27 June1997. Thepurpose ofthesession wastoreview progress
inimplementing Agenda 21since theUNConference onEnvironment andDevelopment (UNCED)
in1992. Agenda 21istheProgramme ofAction forSustainable Development which wasagreed at
theUNCED. Thefocus oftheUNGASS wasontheneedto:(a)revitalize andenergize commitment
totheconcept ofsustainable development; (b)recognize failures tomeetcertain goals andidentify
reasons forfailure; (c)boost implementation oftheRiocommitments through means including the
identification ofinnovative approaches tocooperation andfinancial assistance, andthrough concrete
proposals foraction; (d)agree ontheCommission onSustainable Development 's(CSD) Programme
ofWork for1998-2002; and(e)raisetheprofile ofissues thatwerenotsufficiently addressed inRio,
orwhere significant developments havetaken place since then.
2. Theoutcome oftheUNGASS wastheadoption ofaProgramme forthefurther implementation
ofAgenda 21,which wasforwarded totheUNEconomic andSocial Council during itssession from
30June-25 July1997. TheProgramme forthefurther implementation ofAgenda 21contains four
parts: (a)statement ofcommitment; (b)assessment ofprogress made since theUNCED; (c)
implementation inareas requiring urgent action; and(d)international institutional arrangements.1It
setsouttheCSD'smulti-year programme ofwork for1998-2002, forwhich theoverriding issues will
bepoverty andconsumption andproduction patterns.
3. Ofspecific relevance totheCommittee onTrade andEnvironment 'swork isthesection on
"Making Trade andEnvironment Mutually Supportive" (paragraph 29). Reference alsoismade to
theCTEinthesection on"International Institutional Arrangements" (paragraph 127). These andother
relevant paragraphs areattached asanAnnex tothisNote.
4. Thesection on"Energy" refers totheneedforpolicies which promote environmental cost
internalization soastoachieve more sustainable energy usetotakeintoaccount thespecial and
differential treatment accorded todeveloping countries intheWTO Agreement onSubsidies and
Countervailing Measures (paragraph 46(g)).
5. Reference inthesection on"Land andSustainable Agriculture" ismade tothe"need tosupport
thecontinuation ofthereform process inconformity withtheUruguay Round Agreements, particularly
Article 20oftheAgreement onAgriculture, andtofullyimplement theWTO Decision onMeasures
Concerning thePossible Negative Effects oftheReform Programme onLeast-Developed andNet
Food-Importing Developing Countries" (paragraph 63).
1ThefulltextoftheProgrammefortheFurtherImplementationofAgendaisavailableatthefollowingInternet
address: gopher://gopher.un.org:70/00/ga/docs/S-19/plenary/AS19.WT/CTE/W/56
Page2
6. TheCSDhasalsobeenmandated to"establish closer interaction withinternational financial,
development andtrade institutions, aswellaswithother relevant bodies within andoutside the
United Nations system, including theWorld Bank, GEF, UNDP, WTO, UNCTAD andUNEP, which,
inturn, areinvited totakefullaccount oftheresults ofpolicy deliberations intheCommission and
tointegrate them intheirownwork programmes andactivities" (paragraph 133(d)).
7. Anadhoc,open-ended Intergovernmental Forum onForests wasestablished under theaegis
oftheCSD. TheForum onForests hasamandate to,interalia,"identify thepossible elements of
andwork towards consensus forinternational arrangements andmechanisms, forexample alegally
binding instrument. TheForum willreport onitswork totheCSD in1999. Based onthatreport,
anddepending onthedecision oftheCSDatitseighth session, theForum willengage infurther action
onestablishing anintergovernmental negotiation process onnewarrangements andmechanisms or
alegally binding instrument onalltypes offorests" (paragraph 40).
8. Anopen-ended Intergovernmental Group ofExperts onEnergy andSustainable Development
wasestablished under theaegis oftheCSD (paragraph 46)which should contribute by,interalia,
"encouraging Governments andtheprivate sector toconsider appropriate ways togradually promote
environmental costinternalization soastoachieve more sustainable useofenergy, taking fullyinto
account theeconomic, social andenvironmental conditions ofallcountries, inparticular developing
countries. [...]There isalsoaneedtoencourage thereduction andthegradual elimination ofsubsidies
forenergy production andconsumption thatinhibit sustainable development. Such policies should
takefully intoaccount thespecific needs andconditions ofdeveloping countries, particularly
least-developed countries, asreflected inthespecial anddeferential treatment accorded them inthe
Uruguay Round ofMultilateral Trade Negations Agreement onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures"
(paragraph 46(g)).
9. Inpreparation fortheUNGASS, theCSD helditsfifthsession from 7-25April 1997. In
response toResolution 50/95 oftheGeneral Assembly, which invited theWTO toprovide areport
ofitswork ontrade, environment andsustainable development totheUNGASS through theCSD,
theCommittee onTrade andEnvironment forwarded its1996 Report totheMinisterial Conference
(WT/CTE/1).
10. Initscapacity astheCSD'staskmanager fortrade andenvironment, UNCTAD forwarded
aReport ontrade andenvironment matters totheUNGASS through theCSD(A/S-19/4; E/1997/13).WT/CTE/W/56
Page3
ANNEX
Select references from theProgramme fortheFurther Implementation ofAgenda 21
Adopted bythenineteenth special session
oftheGeneral Assembly (UNGASS)
23-27 June1997
Making Trade andEnvironment Mutually Supportive
29. Inorder toaccelerate economic growth, poverty eradication andenvironmental protection,
particularly indeveloping countries, there isaneedtoestablish macroeconomic conditions inboth
developed anddeveloping countries thatfavour thedevelopment ofinstruments andstructures enabling
allcountries, inparticular developing countries, tobenefit fromglobalization. International cooperation
andsupport forcapacity-building intrade, environment anddevelopment should bestrengthened through
renewed system-wide efforts, andwithgreater responsiveness tosustainable development objectives,
bytheUnited Nations, theWorld Trade Organization (WTO), theBretton Woods institutions, aswell
asbynational Governments. There should beabalanced andintegrated approach totradeandsustainable
development, based onacombination oftradeliberalization, economic development andenvironmental
protection. Trade obstacles should beremoved withaviewtocontributing toachieving more efficient
useoftheearth'snatural resources inbotheconomic andenvironmental terms. Trade liberalization
should beaccompanied byenvironmental andresource management policies inorder torealize itsfull
potentialcontributiontoimprovedenvironmentalprotectionandthepromotionofsustainabledevelopment
through themore efficient allocation anduseofresources. Themultilateral trading system should
havethecapacity tofurther integrate environmental considerations andenhance itscontribution to
sustainable development, without undermining itsopen, equitable andnon-discriminatory character.
Thespecial anddifferential treatment fordeveloping countries, especially theleastdeveloped countries,
andtheother commitments oftheUruguay Round ofmultilateral trade negotiations should befully
implemented inorder toenable those countries tobenefit fromtheinternational trading system, while
conserving theenvironment. There isaneedforcontinuing theelimination ofdiscriminatory and
protectionist practices ininternational trade relations, which willhavetheeffect ofimproving access
fortheexports ofdeveloping countries. Thiswillalsofacilitate thefullintegration ofeconomies in
transition intotheworld economy. Inorder tomake trade, environment anddevelopment mutually
supportive, measures needtobetaken toensure transparency intheuseoftrade measures related to
theenvironment, andshould address therootcauses ofenvironmental degradation soasnottoresult
indisguised barriers totrade. Account should betaken ofthefactthatenvironmental standards valid
fordeveloped countries mayhaveunwarranted social andeconomic costsinothercountries, inparticular
developing countries. International cooperation isneeded andunilateralism should beavoided. The
following actions arerequired:
(a) timely andfullimplementation oftheresults oftheUruguay Round ofMultilateral
Trade Negotiations11andfulluseoftheComprehensive andIntegrated WTO Planof
Action fortheLeast Developed Countries12;
(b) promotion ofanopen, non-discriminatory, rule-based, equitable, secure, transparent
andpredictable multilateral trading system. Inthiscontext, effective measures are
11"Results oftheUruguay Round ofMultilateral Trade Negotiations: TheLegal Texts", (Geneva, GATT
Secretariat, 1994).
12Adopted bytheWTO Ministerial Meeting heldatSingapore inDecember 1996.WT/CTE/W/56
Page4
called fortoachieve thecomplete integration ofdeveloping countries andcountries
witheconomies intransition intotheworld economy andthenewinternational trading
system. Inthisconnection, there isaneedtopromote theuniversality ofWTO and
tofacilitate theadmission tomembership inthatorganization inamutually beneficial
way,ofdeveloping countries andcountries witheconomies intransition applying for
membership. Actions should betaken tomaximize theopportunities andtominimize
thedifficultiesofdevelopingcountries,includingthenetfood-importingones,especially
theleastdeveloped countries, andofcountries witheconomies intransition inadjusting
tothechanges introduced bytheUruguay Round. Decisions onfurther liberalization
oftrade should takeintoaccount effects onsustainable development andshould be
consistentwithanopen,rule-based,non-discriminatory,equitable,secureandtransparent
multilateral trading system. Therelationship between multilateral environmental
agreements andtheWTO rules should beclarified;
(c) implementation ofenvironmental measures should notresult indisguised barriers to
trade;
(d) within theframework ofAgenda 21,trade rulesandenvironmental principles should
interact harmoniously;
(e) further analysis oftheenvironmental effects oftheinternational transport ofgoods
iswarranted;
(f) cooperation andcoordination between theUnited Nations Conference onTrade and
Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Industrial Development Organization
(UNIDO), WTO, UNEP andother relevant institutions should bestrengthened on
various issues, including (i)theroleofpositive measures inmultilateral environmental
agreements aspartofapackage ofmeasures including, incertain cases, trademeasures;
(ii)thespecial conditions andneeds ofsmall andmedium-sized enterprises inthetrade
andenvironment interface; (iii)trade andenvironment issues attheregional and
subregional levels, including inthecontext ofregional economic andtrade aswell
asenvironmental agreements;
(g) cooperation andcoordination between UNCTAD andotherrelevant bodies within their
existing respective mandates should beenhanced, inter alia,onenvironment and
sustainable development issues. Without prejudice totheclearunderstanding inWTO
thatfuture negotiations, ifany,regarding amultilateral agreement oninvestment will
takeplace onlyafteranexplicit consensus decision, future agreements oninvestments
shouldtakeintoaccounttheobjectivesofsustainabledevelopmentand,whendeveloping
countries areparties tothese agreements, special attention should begiven totheir
needs forinvestment;
(h) national Governments should make every effort toensure policy coordination ontrade,
environmentanddevelopmentatthenationallevelinsupportofsustainabledevelopment;
(i) there isaneedfortheWTO, UNEP andUNCTAD toconsider ways tomake trade
andenvironment mutually supportive, including through duerespect totheobjectives
andprinciples ofthemultilateral trading system andtotheprovisions ofmultilateral
environmental agreements. Such considerations should beconsistent withanopen,
rule-based, non-discriminatory, equitable, secure andtransparent multilateral trading
system.WT/CTE/W/56
Page5
Forests
40. Tohelpachievethis,itisdecidedtocontinuetheintergovernmentalpolicytheintergovernmental
policy dialogue onforests through theestablishment onanadhoc,open-ended Intergovernmental Forum
onForests under theaegis oftheCommission onSustainable Development towork inanopen,
transparent andparticipatory manner, withafocused andtime-limited mandate, charged with,interalia:
(a) promoting andfacilitating theimplementation ofthePanel'sproposals foraction;
(b) reviewing, monitoring andreporting onprogress inthemanagement, conservation and
sustainable development ofalltypes offorests;
(c) considering matters leftpending ontheprogramme elements oftheIPF,inparticular
tradeandenvironment inrelation toforest products andservices, transfer oftechnology
andtheneedforfinancial resources.
TheForum should alsoidentify thepossible elements ofandwork towards consensus forinternational
arrangements andmechanisms, forexample alegally binding instrument. TheForum willreport on
itswork totheCommission forSustainable Development in1999. Based onthatreport, anddepending
onthedecision oftheCommission atitseighth session, theForum willengage infurther action on
establishing anintergovernmental negotiation process onnewarrangements andmechanisms oralegally
binding instrument onalltypes offorests.
Energy
46. Therefore there isaneedfor:
(a) amovement towards sustainable patterns ofproduction, distribution anduseofenergy.
Toadvance thiswork attheintergovernmental level, theCommission onSustainable
Development willdiscuss energy issues atitsninth session. Noting thevitalroleof
energy inthecontinuation ofsustained economic growth, especially fordeveloping
countries, betheyimporters orsuppliers ofenergy, andrecognizing thecomplexities
andinterdependencies inherent inaddressing energy issues within thecontext of
sustainable development, preparations forthissession should beinitiated attheseventh
session andshould utilize anopen-ended Intergovernmental Group ofExperts onenergy
andsustainable development tobeheldinconjunction withinter-sessional meetings
oftheeighth andninth sessions oftheCommission. Inlinewiththeobjectives of
Agenda 21,theninth session oftheCommission should contribute toasustainable
energy future forall;
(g) encouraging Governments andtheprivate sector toconsider appropriate ways to
gradually promote environmental costinternalization soastoachieve more sustainable
useofenergy, taking fully intoaccount theeconomic, social andenvironmental
conditions ofallcountries, inparticular developing countries. Inthisregard, the
international community should cooperate tominimize thepossible adverse impacts
onthedevelopment process ofdeveloping countries resulting fromtheimplementation
ofthose policies andmeasures. There isalsoaneedtoencourage thereduction and
thegradual elimination ofsubsidies forenergy production andconsumption thatinhibit
sustainable development. Suchpolicies should takefullyintoaccount thespecific needs
andconditions ofdeveloping countries, particularly least-developed countries, as
reflected inthespecial anddeferential treatment accorded themintheUruguay Round
ofMultilateral Trade Negations Agreement onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures.WT/CTE/W/56
Page6
Land andSustainable Agriculture
63. Itremains essential tocontinue efforts fortheeradication ofpoverty through, inter alia,
capacity-building toreinforce local foodsystems, improving foodsecurity andproviding adequate
nutrition forthemorethan800million undernourished people intheworld, located mainly indeveloping
countries. Governments should formulate policies thatpromote sustainable agriculture aswellas
productivity andprofitability. Comprehensive ruralpolicies arerequired toimprove access toland,
combat poverty, create employment andreduce rural emigration. Inaccordance withcommitments
agreed tointheRome Declaration onWorld FoodSecurity andtheWorld Food Summit PlanofAction,
adopted bytheWorld FoodSummit (Rome, 13-17 November 1996)26,sustainable foodsecurity among
boththeurban andtherural poor should beapolicy priority, anddeveloped countries andthe
international community should provide assistance todeveloping countries tothisend.Tomeetthose
objectives, Governments should attach highpriority toimplementing thecommitments oftheRome
Declaration andPlanofAction, especially thecallforaminimum target ofhalving thenumber of
undernourished people intheworld bytheyear2015. Governments andinternational organizations
areencouraged toimplement theGlobal PlanofAction fortheConservation andSustainable Utilization
ofPlant Genetic Resources (Leipzig, Germany, 17-23 June 1996). Atthesixth session ofthe
Commission onSustainable Development, in1998, theissues ofsustainable agriculture andlanduse
should beconsidered inrelation tofreshwater. Thechallenge foragricultural research istoincrease
yields onallfarmlands while protecting andconserving thenatural resource base. Theinternational
community andGovernments mustcontinue orincrease investments inagricultural research because
itcantakeyears ofdecades todevelop newlinesofresearch andbring those research findings into
sustainable practice ontheland. Developing countries, particularly thosewithhighpopulation densities,
willneedinternational cooperation togainaccess totheresults ofsuchresearch andtotechnology
aimedatimprovingagriculturalproductivityinlimitedspaces.Moregenerally,internationalcooperation
continues tobeneeded toassist developing countries inmany other aspects ofbasic requirements of
agriculture. There isaneedtosupport thecontinuation ofthereform process inconformity with
theUruguay Round Agreements, particularly Article 20oftheAgreement onAgriculture, andtofully
implement theWTO Decision onMeasures Concerning thePossible Negative Effects oftheReform
Programme onLeast-Developed andNetFood-Importing Developing Countries.
International Institutional Arrangements
127. TheWTO Committee onTrade andEnvironment, UNCTAD andUNEP should advance their
coordinated work ontrade andenvironment, involving other appropriate international andregional
organizations intheircooperation andcoordination. Incoordination withWTO, UNCTAD andUNEP
should continue tosupport efforts topromote theintegration oftrade, environment anddevelopment.
TheCommission onSustainable Development should continue toplayitsimportant roleinthe
deliberations ontrade andenvironment tofacilitate theintegrated consideration ofallfactors relevant
forachieving sustainable development.
Methods ofWork oftheCommission onSustainable Development
133. Basedontheexperiencegainedduringtheperiod1993-1997,theCommission,undertheguidance
oftheEconomic andSocial Council, should:
(d) establish closer interaction with international financial, development andtrade
institutions, aswellaswithother relevant bodies within andoutside theUnited Nations
26"Report oftheWorld Food Summit, Rome, 13-17 November 1996, PartOne" (WFS 96/REP) (Rome,
Food andAgriculture Organization oftheUnited Nations, 1997), appendix.WT/CTE/W/56
Page7
system, including theWorld Bank, GEF, UNDP, WTO, UNCTAD andUNEP, which,
inturn, areinvited totakefullaccount oftheresults ofpolicy deliberations inthe
Commission andtointegrate them intheirownwork programmes andactivities.