The Expert Panel on Trade and Sustainable Development (EPTSD) was convened to examine the interface of international trade, environment and development policy. As part of its work, the EPTSD has developed and is testing its Framework which is aimed at maximising synergies and minimising conflicts between these policies in order to promote their joint contribution to sustainable development.
Increasingly, the conflicts between these policies are finding themselves before the dispute settlement system of the World Trade Organisation. These disputes are proving divisive and seem unlikely to abate. In fact, considering the growing interdependencies between nations, both economic and environmental, the regularity and intensity of these disputes may increase, with consequences for the integrity of the multilateral trading system. Preventing these conflicts from occurring, and resolving them once they start, requires the creation of a more integrated approach to dispute settlement.