TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT: WORKSHOP ON ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS AND SERVICES 23-25 SEPTEMBER 2009

Workshop on Environmental Goods and Services

On 23-25 September, the WTO Secretariat organized a Workshop on Environmental Goods and Services in Geneva, Switzerland. The purpose of this Workshop was to help Members deepen their understanding of issues arising under the mandate of Paragraph 31(iii) of the Doha Ministerial Declaration, including development related aspects, without prejudice to ongoing negotiations in the CTESS1.

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The Workshop included speakers from governments, the private sector and international organizations with relevant expertise in the area of Environmental Goods and Services. It therefore provided a platform for an interactive exchange among delegations and experts on key issues of relevance to the CTESS mandate.

  

Programme

Part I: Developing Markets for Environmental Goods and Services: Overview of Key Environmental Categories
  
Wednesday, 23 September 2009 back to top
  

 

Speakers Biographies

 

> Document
  

14.30-14:45

Opening Remarks by Mr. Harsha V. Singh, WTO Deputy Director General

 

> Document
  

The first part of the workshop provided an overview of key Environmental Goods and Services categories, namely: Renewable Energy, with a particular focus on Wind and Solar Energy; Solid and Hazardous Waste Management; Water and Waste Water Treatment; and Air Pollution Control and Environmental Technologies.

 

The various sessions included speakers from governments, private sector and international organizations with relevant expertise, who were invited to address issues such as: What are some of the goods and technologies of particular importance under this category? What are their environmental benefits? What characterizes trade in this sector? What are the market drivers at the country and/or international level? What is the potential for growth in that sector? What has been the role of supportive policy measures in promoting market deployment, production and exports? What are the main non tariff barriers (NTBs) faced by exporters and how can they be overcome?
  

14.45-18:00

Renewable Energy

 

> Summary

 

Moderator: Mr. Ronald Steenblik, Senior Trade Policy Analyst, Trade and Agriculture Directorate, OECD

 

Speakers:

  • Mr. Ralph Sims, Senior Analyst, Renewable Energy and Climate Change, International Energy Agency (IEA) and Professor of Sustainable Energy, Director, Centre for Energy Research, Massey University, New Zealand
    > Presentation
      
  • Ms. Veena Jha, Expert, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD)
    > Presentation

Wind

  • Prof. Mohamed S. El-Sobki, Manager, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Program, Industry Modernization Center, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Egypt
    > Presentation
      
  • Mr. Chintan Shah, Head, Strategic Business Development, Suzlon Energy Ltd, India
    > Presentation

Q&As

 

Solar

  • Dr. Moses Ikiara, Executive Director, Kenyan Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA), Environment for Development in Kenya
    > Presentation
      
  • Mr. Dylan Tudor-Jones, Managing Member, Solar Heat Exchangers, Chair of the Solar Water Heating Division of the Sustainable Energy Society of Southern Africa (SESSA)
    > Presentation

Q&As
  

 

Thursday, 24 September 2009  back to top

14:30-16:30

Solid and Hazardous Waste Management

 

> Summary

 

Moderator: Mr. Pierre Portas, President, Waste Environment Cooperation Centre

 

Speakers:

  • Ms. Katharina Kummer Peiry, Executive Secretary, Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal
    > Presentation
    > Document
      
  • Ms. Marba Visagie, Deputy Director Environment, Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa
    > Presentation
      
  • Dr. Jean Bogner, President, Landfills Plus Inc., Research Professor at University of Illinois, Chicago, United States
    > Presentation

Q&As
  
  

16:30-18:00

Water and Waste Water Treatment

 

> Summary

 

Speakers:

  • Ms. Chizuru Aoki, Senior Programme Officer, United Nations Environment Programme International Environmental Technology Centre (UNEP IETC)
    > Presentation
      
  • Dr. Suda Bunduwongse, General Manager and Senior Environmental Engineer, Aquathai Co. Ltd, Thailand
    > Presentation

Q&As
  

  

Friday, 25 September 2009  back to top

10:00-11:30

Air Pollution Control and Environmental Technologies

 

> Summary

 

Moderator: Mr. Pedro Roffe, Senior Fellow, ICTSD

 

Speakers:

  • Mr. XU Qinghua, Director-General, Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Environment Protection, China
    > Presentation
      
  • Prof. Shozo Kaneko, Kaneko Laboratory, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Japan
    > Presentation
      
  • Mr. Peter Bruijns, President, Biorem Technologies, Canada
    > Presentation
      
  • Mr. Thaddeus Burns, Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property & Trade, General Electric
    > Presentation

Q&As
  

  

Part II: Improving Access to Green Goods and Technologies to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals  back to top
  

11:30-13:00

This session focused on development related aspects of trade in Environmental Goods and Services, especially on the issue of technology transfer. Speakers were invited to present their perspective on the particular needs of developing countries in this regard and to discuss concrete actions that may contribute to building domestic capacity of developing country Members with respect to green goods and services. The session addressed some of the main drivers of technology transfer in relation to specific examples of environmentally sound technologies.

 

> Summary

 

Speakers:

  • Mr. Heinz Leuenberger, Director, Environment Management Branch, UNIDO
    > Presentation
      
  • Mr. Muthukumara S. Mani, Senior Environmental Economist, Sustainable Development Department, World Bank
    > Presentation

Q&As
  

Note:
  
1. The mandate under Paragraph 31(iii) of the Doha Declaration calls for “the reduction, or as appropriate, elimination of tariff and non tariff barriers to environmental goods and services.” back to text