Capacity Building for Integrated Policy Design and Implementation for Sustainable Development - Developing Mutually Supportive Trade and Environment Policies

27- 28 March 2004, Jeju Island, Republic of Korea

The meeting which was co-hosted by the Korean Ministry of Environment provided an opportunity for representatives from Governments of both developing and developed countries, international organizations, multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), regional institutions and other stakeholders to develop concrete recommendations for enhancing future capacity building for integrated policy design and implementation for sustainable development. In particular, the meeting focused on the development of mutually supportive trade and environment policies in the promotion of sustainable development and poverty alleviation. The meeting immediately preceded the 8th Special Session of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Forum (GCSS/GMEF), which was held in Jeju Island from 29-31 March 2004.

The "Capacity Building for Integrated Policy Design and Implementation for Sustainable Development" meeting was designed to support the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) Plan of Implementation, which emphasized the importance of taking a "holistic and inter-sector approach" to implementing sustainable development. The meeting also furthered the goals articulated in the Ministerial Declaration of the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar, which recognized the importance of providing technical assistance and capacity building to developing countries in the fields of trade and environment. In its resolution 53/242, the UN General Assembly stressed the need to ensure that capacity building and technical assistance, in particular with respect to institutional strengthening in developing countries, remained an important component of the work of UNEP. Furthermore, the Seventh Special Session of the UNEP Governing Council held in Cartagena in 2002 requested that the role of UNEP in capacity building should be strengthened.

Currently, a major realignment of development assistance strategies is taking place. The World Bank, UNDP and many bilateral donors are developing new pro-poor policies that combine a range of actions previously taken separately to meet the Millenium Development Goals. Environmental Sustainability is an integral aspect of this new approach. The importance of environmental management, even where the need for poverty reduction action is urgent, is no longer in doubt. Many developing and transitional countries lack the basic capacity to undertake assessment and planning that integrate environment with other factors, including poverty alleviation and trade enhancement.

The meeting is part of a series of regional meetings, seminars, and workshops convened by UNEP in collaboration with partner organizations, notably UNCTAD. Outcomes from these meetings and workshops formed the basis of a background paper which was distributed in advance of this meeting.