Addressing global environmental challenges: What to expect from future dispute settlement panels?

 

Thursday 25 September 2008, 14:15h - 16:15h

WTO Public Forum 2008 - Session 29
Room CR1 (new building)

World Trade Organization, Centre William Rappard
Rue de Lausanne 154, CH-1211 Geneva 21

The trade-environment debate has recently gained center-stage with the overwhelming evidence and the increasing political acknowledgement of the Earth’s accelerated global warming – possibly one of the most important challenges ever faced by humans. But the debate on the relationship between environment and trade is not new. The debate is long-standing, involving cultural and philosophical differences in approaching environmental/health risks, and sometimes tensions between environmental protection in the North and export interests of countries in the Global South. Still new trade-environment challenges stand on the horizon, and they are unlikely to be resolved in WTO negotiations. WTO dispute settlement may therefore gain on importance, and will be called upon to strike a balance between competing goals and interests.

A discussion amongst lawyers with different backgrounds and perspectives will focus on the possible future of WTO dispute settlement dealing with the trade-environment inter-linkage, and ask whether WTO panels and the Appellate Body are well-equipped to deal with upcoming challenges.

Programme*

Thursday 25 September 2008

14:15h - 16:15h

Room CR1

Moderator:

Mr. Vicente Paolo B. Yu III, South Centre

Speakers:

- Ms. Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder, Center for International Environmental Law

- Mr. Robert Howse, Lloyd C. Nelson Professor of International Law, New York University School of Law

- Mr. Niall Meagher, Advisory Centre on WTO Law

For more information see under Session 29 at: http://www.wto.org/english/forums_e/public_forum08_e/session29_e.doc

Report [added November 2008]

Report of the WTO Public Forum, Addressing global environmental challenges: What to expect from future dispute settlement panels?

 

Contacts:

Marcos Orellana, morellana@ciel.org

Charly Poppe: charly.poppe@foeeurope.org