Madame le Secrétaire-General
Monsieur le Secrétaire Exécutive
Cher Président,
Excellences,
Chers délégués
Mesdames et Messieurs,
A l’occasion de cette semaine de l’environnement, nous avons voulu accueillir dans l’Atrium de l’OMC quelques très belles œuvres d’art. Je vous invite à prendre le temps de les admirer: elles portent des messages forts sur les raisons qui nous réunissent aujourd’hui.
Une sculpture nous invite à réfléchir sur la double nature du carbone pour notre planète, à la fois origine de la vie et cause de sa destruction.
Une sélection de photographies évoque la montée des eaux.
Des objets ont été mis en perspective pour témoigner de notre malheureuse addiction au plastique.
Deux peintures contemplent tristement la fonte des glaces.
Toutes ces œuvres nous disent, plutôt nous crient devrais-je dire, la même histoire : il n’y a plus de temps à perdre, le changement climatique tue dès à présent chaque jour, il représente un danger avéré et immédiat et personne, aucun secteur économique ne peut plus ignorer le défi de la soutenabilité environnementale.
Le commerce et l’OMC ne sont pas “isolés cliniquement” (c’est une expression connue de l’Organe d’Appel) de cette réalité. Bien au contraire, il suffit de regarder autour de soi.
Les récentes inondations au Pakistan ont submergé plus d’un tiers du pays, le faisant passer en quelques semaines du statut d’exportateur à celui d’importateur de produits alimentaires.
Le fleuve Paraná qui transporte 90 % du commerce international de produits agricoles du Paraguay, 85 % de celui de l’Argentine et 50 % de celui de la Bolivie – est confronté à des sécheresses qui provoquent des encombrements et des retards importants dans les voies navigables et les ports. La faiblesse des niveaux d’eau du Danube et du Yangtze affecte aussi les transports et les chaînes d’approvisionnement.
Certains pays, certaines économies risquent même de tout perdre, par exemple les pays insulaires du Pacifique: aux Îles Marshall, Kiribati et Tuvalu, plus de 95 % des infrastructures sont situées dans des régions côtières, vulnérables à l’élévation du niveau de la mer et aux phénomènes météorologiques extrêmes.
L’Afrique nous inquiète particulièrement: la Banque africaine de développement estime que 5 à 15 % de la croissance africaine sont dilapidés a cause de changement climatique.
We need to act boldly and rapidly to confront this reality and turn trade into a fully sustainable economic activity. The private sector is leading and is already implementing huge investments for that purpose.
Trade policy must support and amplify this global effort. Bilateral and regional agreements have shown the way. This is now happening at the WTO.
First, and most importantly, our members are showing their determination to act against climate change and for sustainability. We are already making good progress:
The recently concluded Fisheries Subsidies Agreement prohibits subsidies for illegal and unregulated fishing. It is the first WTO agreement with sustainability at its core. It will protect marine biodiversity and the interest of the 260 million women and men whose livelihoods depend on healthy oceans.
There are three new initiatives on trade and environment sustainability, fossil fuel subsidies reform, and elimination of trade in polluting plastics, which are currently being held by 89 WTO Members representing approximately 90% of world trade.
Since our last Ministerial meeting in June, climate change is now being fully recognized as part of the WTO agenda, and many technical discussions are already happening in various fora within the WTO: goods, services, standards.
Second, our leadership is acutely aware and committed toward sustainable trade which we consider central for the future of trade and the fight against food insecurity. Our DG, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala will soon convey this message to the global community at COP 27 in Charm-El-Cheikh, Egypt next November. We will there launch our new World Trade Report, which this year will entirely be dedicated to the trade and climate change nexus.
Third, our civil societies constituents are on board and helping as everyone could see recently during our Public Forum.
I want to thank the campaigners who have been supporting the Fisheries Agreement and are again supporting actively the campaign for its swift ratification as well as the restart of the second phase of negotiations.
Thanks to businesses and business organisations for our dialogues on decarbonation of value chains, carbon standards, biodiversity, plastic pollution.
Thanks for the academic works from institutions which are giving food for thought to our negotiators and for the events and discussions that are being organised here in Geneva.
Last and central today I would like to express my profound appreciation to partners of the Multilateral Environmental Agreement (MEA) secretariats who are here today – UNEP, CITES, CBD, and BRS – for participating in this Panel on Trade and Environment Cooperation. The collaboration between the WTO and MEA secretariats dates back to 1995 and we have worked closely throughout the last 27 years.
I would also like to highlight particularly the very strong ties we have with UNEP with whom we are collaborating closely on a number of pressing issues. Together we already have been ahead of the curve as shown by our joint 2009 Trade and Climate Change report and our joint 2018 study on Making trade work for the environment, prosperity and resilience.
So, you see, all stars have now aligned for a real change. What should the change be about?
In short, we have to boldly move a big step beyond what we have done in the past.
In the past, the law of the land was: “the WTO does not stand in the way of environmental policies.” Some of you are familiar with, the old Appellate Body ruling in the 1998 “Shrimp – Turtle” case: it had made it clear that WTO Members can take trade actions to protect the environment by way of derogation from WTO rules.
For the future, the law of the land ought to be: “the WTO fully enables environment policies”. This is what our Members are now exploring: new initiatives that seek to cultivate and strengthen “positive” ways in which the WTO plays on the climate and sustainability challenges of our time.
Maybe more humanly and modestly, let’s foster collaboration between the trade and environment communities, which is an essential driver of this change. Building these bridges is the raison d’être of the WTO environment week.
Ambassador Manley, dear Simon, you chair the committee whose work we are celebrating this week and as chair of the CTE you carry the huge responsibility of making all this happen. I just have one wish to formulate for this week: let’s move from contemplating problems to imagining solutions, from words to actions. Let’s make it happen.
Ambassador Manley, dear Simon: the CTE is a very inspiring committee and these are very inspiring times. This is a Members’ driven Organisation: Chair, Members, please drive and drive fast!
Thank you for your attention.
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