International Trade and the Environment

There has been a general feeling that developing countries have little to benefit from their membership of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and international financial organizations like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. What could be the reasons behind this conception? The differences between the global North and South will always continue to bedevil global efforts at the expense of environmental justice and prudent natural resource management. Is it true that the environmental problems of the North are divorced from those of the South? If so what can be done to find common ground to combat global environmental problems? These are some of the issues, which ZELA focuses on under this program with a view to ultimately developing domestic environmental standards to be met by development projects. Issues of intellectual property rights and human rights in international trade will also be scrutinized under this program.

At a national level ZELA will develop a project that aims to develop and introduce environmental conditionalities in the financing of development activities, especially mining activities. The tendency of local financial institutions is to simply require security for the funds advanced to development firms. The financial institutions do not have as one of their requirements the need for an approved environmental impact assessment for particular projects. The question that arises is; what is the role of environmental laws and non-legal options to try and resolve this quagmire? Will the environmental impact assessment provisions in the new Environment Management Act (Chapter 20:24) assist?

ZELA will assist local communities protect their common property through ensuring that there is sustainable exploitation of these resources which also benefits local communities and ensuring that international trade standards are observed.

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