Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs)

Recent years have seen a rapid proliferation of regional trade agreements (RTAs). Countries enter into RTAs for strategic reasons, including increasing economic growth, fostering cooperation and promoting sustainable development. For developing countries in particular, RTAs can offer both potential opportunities and risks. Because RTAs are formed by a small number of parties, developing countries may have a unique opportunity to shape RTAs to meet their particular needs and priorities. However, this is dependent on access to timely and relevant information, which is often lacking in many developing countries. In particular, many countries lack the capacity to ensure that environmental and social concerns are thoroughly considered in the negotiation, implementation, and monitoring of RTAs. In response, UNEP-ETB is currently developing a long-term capacity-building programme on RTAs to:

•  assist developing countries assess the environmental and socio-economic impacts of RTAs;

•  support the sharing of national experiences on the negotiation and implementation of RTAs; and

•  assist trade and environment negotiators to integrate environmental concerns into RTAs.

UNEP-ETB, in collaboration with the Organization of American States (OAS), convened a dialogue focused on the possibility of establishing an informal Working Group on Trade and Environment for Latin America and the Caribbean. The aim of the informal Working Group will be to provide a forum to actively discuss capacity-building needs and opportunities and to explore ways to promote mutual supportiveness on regional trade and environment issues in Latin America and the Caribbean. By facilitating regional consultations and policy dialogues, the Working Group can enhance partnerships and help ensure that capacity-building activities respond to regional needs. In addition, UNEP-ETB is developing a paper assessing the capacity-building needs of developing countries in the negotiation and implementation of RTAs.

For further information on these and other related activities, please contact Benjamin Simmons at benjamin.simmons@unep.ch.