United Nations Environment Programme
Division of Technology, Industry, and Economics
Economics and Trade Branch

Meeting on the Integrated Assessment of Trade Liberalization in the Agriculture Sector

19-20 February 2003, Geneva, Switzerland

Environmental integrated assessment has been one of the major activities of UNEP's work during the last decade. Since 1997, UNEP has conducted 11 studies assessing the impacts of trade-related policies on specific sectors (such as fisheries, cotton and forestry). These assessments, undertaken by domestic policy research institutions, provide data on the linkages between trade, environment and development policies, identifying positive and negative impacts of trade and trade liberalization.

Following two workshops organised in 2002, the Economics and Trade Branch (ETB) of UNEP has launched a third set of country projects on trade liberalisation in the agricultural sector focusing on the rice sector. These projects are intended to analyse the environmental, social and economic effects of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture for the rice sector in six different countries: Colombia, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal and Vietnam. They are also tackling important related issues, such as poverty alleviation, biological diversity and food security.

Furthermore, in parallel to this project, UNEP has also initiated the preparation of a Reference Manual for the Integrated Assessment of Trade-Related Policies for the Agriculture Sector. The new operational manual is designed to be a practical tool for policy makers and practitioners for the integrated assessment of the impacts of trade liberalization on the agriculture sector.

A Technic Review Meeting was organized by UNEP and held in Geneva on 19 and 20 February 2003 in order to review the preliminary results of the studies, as well as the first draft of the reference manual for the agriculture sector.

The Meeting was attended by the members of the UNEP Working Group supporting the work of the country projects, as well as by representatives of other international organizations, NGOs and academic institutions.

The Meeting achieved the following objectives:

  • review and comment on the preliminary results of the country projects; and
  • review the first draft of the Reference Manual for the Integrated Assessment of Trade-Related Policies for the Agriculture Sector.

Presentations were made by the project team leaders at the meeting and the results were commented on by the Working Group.