OECD Workshop

1
OECD Workshop
On Regional Trade Environment Tokyo, Japan June
19, 2007
By Ms. Kusum Mishra, Deputy Economic
Adviser Ministry of Environment Forests New
Delhi 110003, India E-mail kusummishra_at_nic.in
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Indian Economy Fast Paced

• Average GDP Growth of 8.5 in the past 3 Years.
• Average Annual growth for Agriculture at 2.9
• Average growth for Industrial Sector at 9.8
• Services Sector average growth at 10.2

GDP Growth for 2007-08 is projected at 9
3
Trade A Growth Engine

• Major economic reforms introduced in the early
  1990s.
• Since then foreign trade has grown steadily and
  emerged as a critical sector for achieving higher
  growth.
• Indias trade volume jumped from US 42 billion
  in 1990-91 to US 221 billion in 2005-2006,
  translating into an average annual growth of
  28.4.
• Export Volume in 2005-06 at US90 billion
• Import Volume in 2005-06 at US131 billion

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Regional Trading Arrangements Approach/1

• India views Regional Trading Arrangements (RTAs)
  as building blocks" for trade liberalization
  and multilateral trading system.
• India has come out from a guarded approach to
  regionalism for enhancing trade.
• In principle Agreements/Free Trade Agreements
  with Major Trading Partners / Blocks in goods,
  services investments.
• Framework agreements with a number of trading
  partners with specific road maps within specified
  time frames.

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Regional Trading Arrangements Approach/2

• Joint Study Groups set up for examining
  feasibility of CECA between India-Japan, India-
  Indonesia, India-Brazil-South Africa and
  India-Russia.
• India and European Commission set up a High Level
  Trade Groups (HLTG) as mandated by the India-EU
  Summit held in New Delhi on September 7, 2005.
• HLTG mandated to explore ways to enhance
  bilateral economic co-operation including a
  comprehensive trade investment agreement.
• The 7th India EU Summit held in Helsinki in
  October, 2006 accepted HLTGs report.

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Current Engagements to RTAs/1

• Agreement on South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA)
• Agreement on India-Bhutan Trade Commerce
• India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement
• Trade Agreement between India Bangladesh
  India Maldives
• India-Nepal Treaty of Trade
• IndianAfghanistan Preferential Trade Agreement
• India-MERCOSUR PTA
• Joint Study Group between India and Russia
• Negotiation between India-Korea India-Japan
• RTA Negotiation between India-China
• Framework agreement on CEC, India-ASEAN

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Current Engagements to RTAs/2

• India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic
  Cooperation Agreement
• Framework Agreement for establishment Free Trade
  between India and Thailand
• Joint Study Group for Comprehensive Economic
  Cooperation Agreement between and Malaysia
• Joint Study Group for Comprehensive Economic
  Cooperation Agreement between India and
  Indonesia
• Free Trade Agreement between Indian and Gulf
  Cooperation Council
• Israel-India Joint Study Group and Implementation
  of its recommendations
• PTA/CECP Agreement between India and Mauritius

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Current Engagements to RTAs/3

• PTA/CECP Agreement between India and Mauritius
• Frame Work Agreement with South Africa Customs
  Union
• Asia Pacific Trade Agreement
• Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi - Sectoral
  Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
• Global System of Preferences
• Generalized System of Preferences
• India-EU High Level Trade Group

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Environmental Initiatives

• India views that trade and environment should be
  mutually supportive with the objective of
  Sustainable Development.
• One of the strongest proponents of MEAs and is
  party to all the major MEAs.

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Commitment to Sustainable Development/1

• Beginning was made with the preparation for the
  Stockholm Conference on Human Development 1972.
• Helped to prioritise environmental protection and
  conservation of natural resources within the
  country.
• In the following two decades India developed
  organizational structure and effected major
  environmental legislation.
• UN Conference on Environment Development at Rio
  in 1992 infused the concept of sustainable
  development with country specific programs.
• In 1992 India released the National Conservation
  Strategy and Policy Statement on the Abatement of
  Pollution.

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Commitment to Sustainable Development/2

• In 2002, India reaffirmed its commitment to
  sustainable development in the World Summit on
  Sustainable Development at Johannesburg.
• Decade of 1990s has seen spurt of new
  environmental laws / amendments of older ones.
• Govt. guidelines for production process
  certificates to ensure environmentally sound
  production and management practices for export
  goods. (WTO environment provisions-Agreement on
  Technical Barriers to Trade).
• Being a signatory to the 1992 CBD, India
  recognises the significance of traditional
  knowledge in biodiversity held by indigenous
  local communities.
• The WTO agreement on TRIPS encouraged compilation
  of data on other materials in machine-readable
  form to constitute intellectual creations for
  protection (TRIPs 10)

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International Agreements Conventions

• India participated in major international events
  on environment since 1972.
• Signed and ratified a number of key multilateral
  agreements on environment issues in recognition
  of the trans-boundary nature of several
  environmental problems.
• Efforts made to network and enhance environmental
  co-operation by participating in regional and
  bilateral programs.
• Bilateral MOUs / Agreements with 12 countries.
• JWGs on environment set up with EU, Finland, UK
  and being set up with Norway
• MOU with US EPA renewed
• MoEF makes annual contributions to UNEP, ICIMOD,
  SACEP, UNFCCC, CBD, UNCCD, Basel Convention,
  Rotterdam Convention, Montreal Protocol, Vienna
  Convention etc.
• Need to enhance our own capacity to comply with
  commitments.
• Ministrys delegates participate in important
  international meetings on environment provide
  valuable inputs.

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Recommendations of the Steering Committee for
11th Plan (2007-12)/1

• Initiatives to integrate the global environmental
  agreements with efforts at the national level.
• Need to assess the priorities of different
  international conventions and our strategies for
  the future.
• 1. Basel Convention
• An action plan for efficient, cost effective
  recycling and disposal strategy for electrical
  and electronic waste be drawn up.
• Recommendations of the Expert Committee Report on
  ship-breaking to be implemented.
• Basel ban and Basel Protocol be studied for
  ratification.
• Amendments to exclude recyclables from the
  Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules,
  1989, amended 2000, 2003.

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Recommendations of the Steering Committee for
11th Plan (2007-12)/2

• 2.The Rotterdam Convention (PIC)
• Legislation / amendments to existing legislations
  to implement the provisions/obligation of the
  convention be notified.
• A study to document status of 41 chemicals now
  covered, be conducted.
• A National Action Plan for implementation to be
  drawn up.
• 3. The Stockholm Convention (POPs)
• National Implementation Plan to be completed by
  2008.
• Investment projects to be drawn up in parallel.
• Status of new POPs, POPs covered under OSPAR
  LRTAP in the country to be prepared.
• 4. SAICM
• A work plan prioritizing the activities in the
  Global Plan of Action (GPA) for country be drawn
  up.
• An Inter-ministerial Coordination Committee to be
  established to ensure timely action and
  implementation.

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Recommendations of the Steering Committee for
11th Plan (2007-12)/3

• 5. Bio-safety
• Ensure the conservation of biodiversity and human
  health when dealing with Living Modified
  Organisms (LMOs) in trans-boundary movement in a
  manner consistent with the Bio Safety Protocol.
• Review the regulatory processes for LMOs so that
  all relevant scientific knowledge and
  international regimes are taken into account, and
  ecological, health economic concerns are
  adequately addressed.
• Periodically review the National Bio-safety
  Guidelines and Bio-safety Operations Manual to
  ensure that these are based on current scientific
  and international understanding.

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Role of Ministry of Environment and Forests/1

• The Ministry is the nodal agency in the
  Government for various environment related
  multilateral conventions and protocols.
• These are
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered
  Species, Convention on Wetlands Of Internal
  Importance
• Convention on the Conservation of Migratory
  Species of Wild Animal
• Vienna Convention on the Protection of Ozone
  Layer
• Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the
  Ozone Layer
• Conventions on Biological Diversity
• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

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Role of Ministry of Environment and Forests/2

• Kyoto Protocol
• Basel Convention on Trans-boundary Movement of
  Hazardous Substances
• Convention to Combat Desertification
• Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic
  Pollutants.

India has been pursuing its commitments under
various conventions vigorously by initiating
various measures nationally and by taking several
important initiatives in the region.
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Issues to be Addressed

• Need to identify synergies and overlaps between
  the various MEAs.
• Need to explore synergies between MEAs and RTAs.
• More resources required for ensuring sustainable
  development.
• Environmental measures should be compatible with
  open, equitable and non-discriminatory nature of
  the multi-lateral trading system.
• Technical and financial assistance for
  compliance.
• Additional market access to mitigate negative
  effect of environmental measures.
• Recognise sovereign rights for biodiversity.

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Thank You!