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WTO Must Heed World Leaders Call to Respect The Environment

May 20th, 1998

Fishing boat in the Waddensea, Netherlands

GENEVA, Switzerland -- The two conservation organizations WWF and Greenpeace today urged immediate action to heed calls made by world leaders at the WTO ministerial conference for urgent environmental reforms, openness and transparency within the WTO.

"We will be looking for concrete results within the next six months on increased transparency and environmental reform at the WTO," said Mrs Sabina Voogd, in charge of Treaties and Conventions in Greenpeace International. "Lack of progress in the WTO's Committee on Trade and Environment during the last four years has now been publicly acknowledged. Our biggest concern is that fine words should not mask inaction."

Greenpeace and WWF call on WTO members to allow NGOs to submit 'amicus briefs' before the Appellate Body hearing on the recent Shrimp-Turtle dispute, as proposed by President Clinton.  This requires only a liberal interpretation of existing WTO rules and can be achieved within weeks.

"The European Commission must back the US call as the indispensable first step to genuine environmental reform in the WTO," said said Charles Arden-Clarke, Head of WWF International's Trade and Investment Unit. "We call on Mr. Blair, who made the environment number one priority for the WTO, to join the US in encouraging other WTO Member States to support these transparency proposals."

The other crucial test will be following up the proposal to hold a High Level Meeting on Trade and Environment.

"This high level meeting must happen in the next six months," said Mr Arden-Clarke.  "The United States and the European Union, who made the proposal, must actively seek wider support within the WTO for their initiative. Unless they do this, NGOs will not believe their sincerity."

Wheat farming in Hungary

The two environmental organizations stressed the need for any further trade liberalization moves in the WTO to be accompanied by simultaneous environmental assessments.  These should focus on ecologically sensitive sectors such as agriculture and fisheries.


"The proposed WTO reforms will be meaningless unless environmental concerns are fully integrated into WTO's mainstream activities," said Mrs Voogd. "NGOs will oppose further liberalization efforts in the WTO until such policy integration is implemented."

Contact:
Charles Arden-Clarke at 079 326 8762 or
Sabina Voogd at +41 22 734 3003 or
Someshwar Singh at 079 310 8102