Technical Co-operation on Trade and Environment for the Arab Countries..
Implemented by:
 UNCTAD and UNDP will closely co-operate in further development and implementation of this project
Status:
 On-going
Donors:
  
Beneficiary Countries:
 Arab countries
Description
 The League of Arab States (LAS) informed UNCTAD of the decision by the Arab Ministers for the Environment to develop activities in cooperation with UNEP and UNCTAD in the field of trade and environment. The League of Arab States also requested UNCTAD to organise a seminar on Trade and Environment, in cooperation with the secretariats of the WTO and UNEP. This follows a request from the LAS Council of Environment Ministers
Objectives:

To assist Arab countries to participate effectively in multilateral deliberations on Trade and Environment, in particular in the context of the WTO, and to identify areas of common interest to Arab countries.
To assist selected Arab countries in strengthening their capacities for policy-oriented research as well as trade and environment policy co-ordination at the national level.

Activities:

Regional activities proposed:

  • A conference on Trade and Environment, requested by the LAS, in May 2000. The conference will be organized in cooperation with the secretariats of UNEP and the WTO.
  • Annual regional seminars as of 2001, to examine the implications for Arab countries of developments in the context of a new round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations as well as to disseminate results of national projects aimed at strengthening the capacities of Arab countries to deal with Trade and Environment issues.

Activities proposed at the national level:

It is envisaged to organize a number of national workshops as well as to carry out country-level studies.

The TRAINFORTRADE package and follow-up activities will also play a key role in the context of national projects.

Supporting studies and training packages:

The following analytical activities will be carried out and provide input to the above mentioned expert meetings and brainstorming seminars:Further development of the TRAINFORTRADE package and its adaptation to the conditions and needs of Arab countries.

  • A conceptual study on "Trade and Environment: the perspectives of Arab countries" which will focus on the items of the WTO/CTE agenda and their particular implications for Arab countries and also the elaboration of a positive agenda on trade and environment for Arab countries.
  • Empirical studies on environmental policy, market access and competitiveness focussing on some key sectors, including, for example, petrochemicals.
  • An in-depth study on the trade implications of the ISO 14001 standard on environmental management systems, in selected Arab countries, considering the particular needs of SMEs.
  • A study on the ways and means to facilitate access to and transfer of environmentally sound technologies to enhance the environmental performance of products and process technologies used in Arab countries.
Project Managers:
 Rene Vossenaar UNCTAD