How Can Trade Stimulate Sustainable Development in Agriculture?

10th September 2003 • Co-organised with The Trade Knowledge Network (TKN)

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Session organised at the Cancun Trade and Development Symposium

Synopsis

International trade, at roughly six trillion dollars per year, is a huge potential force for sustainable development by opening up new markets, exposing domestic firms to international practices, and bringing new investment and growth from trade that can create the necessary conditions for sustainable development and poverty alleviation on a scale unreachable by dwindling traditional official development assistance flows. Potential is only that, potential. Achieving these benefits depends on a number of factors, capacities and conditions for successful achievement of both economic growth and sustainable development.

Trade Knowledge Network (TKN) Partners in eight countries have conducted research and policy workshops on opportunities and challenges for achieving sustainable development goals in their country around specific sectors or trade agreements. TKN research organisations have explored issues which range among opportunities for achieving sustainable agriculture within the Agreement on Agriculture; to standards, labels, and market access in relation to organic products, GMOs, and shrimp aquaculture; to liberalization of electricity and tourism services. While the focus of research has differed from country to country, the learning and lessons which have emerged are of interest to all countries trying to find benefits and overcome challenges to integrating sustainable development goals into trade policy and practice.

This session will focus its discussion on how developing countries could make use of new developments within the framework of the WTO trade negotiations to promote sustainable development. To this end the discussion will draw on various case studies from various countries based on the experience and research as provided by the TKN partners and try to highlight the linkages between sustainable development, economic activity and market access at the domestic and international levels.