Global Public Goods

GLOBAL PUBLIC GOODS AND TRADE: CONFLICTS, COMPATIBILITY AND COMPLEMENTARITIES
Round Table 3 - Regulation policies and global norms: Articulation with the trade regime?

CITES: Global Policies, Norms and Interaction with the WTO

Richard Tarasofsky
Ecologic , Berlin (Germany)

1 General Introduction to CITES

· Rationale
· History and development
· Main treaty mechanisms: Appendices I, II and III
· Linkage to "global public goods" discussions

2 Economic Incentives to Conserve Endangered Species and Biodiversity

· Annotations to Appendix I - e.g. African Elephant listings
· Incentives to strengthen Appendix II: Significant trade process, ranching, quotas, etc.
· Lack of financial mechanism - indirect linkage to the GEF

3 Compatibility with the WTO

· GATT Article XX(b) and (g) as developed by the jurisprudence should cover most cases of potential conflict
· Problematic areas: non-parties, reservations, and stricter domestic measures

4 General Observations

· Importance of flexibility in the design and application of market controls
· Importance of linking this to a holistic approach to conserving biodiversity: linkages to the Convention on Biological Diversity
· Good governance within the treaty regime is important not only for its own sake, but to also to ensure legitimacy particularly vis-à-vis international trade regime.