CIEL and WWF urge WTO Members to adjust current GATS negotiations to conduct a thorough and transparent assessment of services trade liberalization

June 13, 2002

In their June 2002 services negotiating session, WTO Members moved further towards liberalizing trade in services, including energy, transport, tourism, and basic education and health services. WTO Members are likely to initiate a new bargaining phase to increase market access in such services without having conducted a thorough and comprehensive assessment of the sustainability effects such liberalization may bring about. There are serious concerns that without adequate flanking policies, increasing liberalization of trade in service will bring about negative environmental,
social, and developmental effects. To avoid such outcomes, negotiators must have the appropriate information and right tools at hand. Services trade assessment is a tool to provide negotiators with this much needed information about the sustainability effects of services trade liberalization. Therefore CIEL and WWF urge WTO Members to adjust current negotiations and their timetable to allow for an effective and comprehensive assessment.

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