Division of Technology, Industry,
and Economics
Economics and Trade Branch
Overview of Initiative
Integrated Assessment of Trade-related Policies
and Biological Diversity in the Agricultural Sector
26-28 November 2007
Geneva, Switzerland
BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
UNEP-ETB:
• PAST INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT INITIATIVES
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD):
• ARTICLE 14
• COP DECISION VI/5
• COP 7 SPECIAL REPORT (COP/7/INF/15)
Integrated Assessment
Systematic process for obtaining, processing and
disseminating information on
the environmental, social
and economic impact of a
specific policy or set of policies
Sustainable Dev.
Social
Environmental
Biodiversity
Economic
OVERALL AIM
Support African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)
countries to assess, design and implement traderelated policies in the agricultural sector that
safeguard biological diversity while maximizing
development gains from trade liberalization.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
• Enhance capacities to assess environmental, social and
economic impacts of agricultural trade-related policies,
with emphasis on the protection of biological diversity
• Enhance capacities to develop and implement integrated
national responses to the outcomes of the assessment
• Support implementation of the CBD through increased
understanding of factors that lead to a loss in biodiversity
and protection of biodiversity associated with traderelated policies
• Enable ACP countries to integrate the sustainable
management of biodiversity in the negotiation of the EUACP Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA)
MAJOR ACTIVITIES
4-year project funded by EC and SIDA
Year 1:
• Development of trade and biodiversity manual to provide
guidance for assessing trade-related policies in the
agriculture sector.
Year 2 - 3:
• Country projects implemented in six ACP countries to
assess environmental, economic and social impacts of
agricultural trade-related policies in the agricultural sector.
Year 4:
• Elaboration and implementation of national policy responses.
Overview Activities 2005-2006
1st ISC
2005
July
Launching
- Development of draft manual
- Pre-selection of countries
2nd ISC
2006
Country
Workshop
May
Capacity Building
Workshop
Oct
Development of
project proposals
Preparation
of projects
Overview Activities 2007-2009
1st review
meeting
2007
2008
2nd review
meeting
Nov 07
Nov 08
Country projects (phase 1)
Integrated assessment studies
Final draft
manual
Final outcome
meeting
2009
Country project (phase 2)
Implementation of national action plans
Selection of Country Projects
May to October 2006
=> Development of project proposals
Jamaica Cameroon
Uganda
PNG
Madagascar
Mauritius
Capacity Building Workshop
• 3 days October 2006
• 3 reps of each country team
• Trade-environment linkages
• IA process
• Stakeholder participation
• Project implementation
• National workshop preparation
Country projects agreements
Nov 2006 to Feb 2007:
Signing of MOUs and LOAs with countries
Setting up of national institutions
Structure of Integrated Assessment Projects
Leading
Government
Ministries
National Policy
Research Institute
At the national level:
- Facilitating project
- Performing
analytical work
National Steering
Committee
Stakeholder
Consultations
International Advisory
Group
UNEP Team
At the international level:
- Providing advice to projects
- Suggesting methodologies
Project Launching and Capacity Building
March to May 2006: National launching and capacity
building workshops organized by country project
teams
•
•
•
•
•
Presentation of project
Involvement of stakeholders
Outreach
Familiarization with IA process
Refining focus of the study
Building on experiences and
material of October workshop
Visibility-related Activities
• Development and wide dissemination of project
brochure
• Articles in MEA bulletin and IAIA newsletter
• Development of project website
• Briefings at the WTO CTE
• Submission of side-event proposals
Next Steps 2008
• National Review Workshops
• CBD-COP-9
• Side Event IUCN World Congress, Bracelona Oct
2008
• Development of Discussion Paper
• Refinement of Trade and Biodiversity Manual
• Finalization of assessment studies
• Second International Review Workshop (outcome first
phase country projects)
Focus of Country Projects
Jamaica: Impacts of reforms of the EU-ACP Sugar Protocol
as part of the EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreement
negotiations (loss of trade preferences).
Cameroon: Impacts of the national law (N°2004/025)
liberalising trade in the cacao sector
Mauritius: Impacts of reforms of the EU-ACP Sugar Protocol
as part of EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreement
negotiations (loss of trade preferences).
Focus of Country Projects
Madagascar: Impacts of national trade measures
(particularly non-tariff measures) in the aquaculture shrimp
sector implemented as a result of increase in regional and
international trade competition.
Uganda: Impacts of trade liberalisation in the horticulture
sector following EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreement
negotiations.
Papua New Guinea: Impacts of trade liberalisation measures
(particularly tariff reduction) affecting major export crops
(e.g. coffee and oil palm) on two major staple food crops
(taro and sweet potato).