FAOThailand Workshop on Good Agricultural Practices GAP for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in Thailand

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FAO-Thailand Workshop on Good Agricultural
Practices (GAP) for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
in Thailand Bangkok, 14-15 September 2005
Trade and Environment Dimensions of the Food and
Food-Processing Industries in Asia and the Pacific

• Lorenzo Santucci
• United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
  Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP)

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Capacity Building in Trade and Environment

• Addressing GAP in the context of the project
  Capacity Building in Trade and Environment
• Joint project of 4 UN Regional Commissions (ECA,
  ECLAC, ESCWA and ESCAP)
• Support from UNCTAD, UNEP and WTO
• Implementation 2005-2006
• Regional, sub-regional and national activities
• Interregional coordination

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Objective

• Promote environmentally-sustainable economic
  growth by
• a) enhancing the capacity of developing
  countries to respond to environmental standards
  thus improving market access and
• b) better manage the pressures on the local
  environment arising from trade flows and
  production for export

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Main issues addressed (1)

• Focus on primary agricultural products,
  horticulture, aquaculture, fisheries, and
  processed food
• Two-dimensional track
• (a) environment (and health related)
  requirements for exports of food products (i.e.
  TBT, SPS, HACCP, GAPs, Eco-labels, etc) and
• (b) domestic environmental implications of food
  production and food processing
• Trade flows out / trade flows in

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Main issues addressed (2)

• How to develop coherent trade and environment
  policies?
• Review and compare government policies and
  private sector initiatives
• Identify good practices across the region
• Make recommendations for government policy and
  private sector initiatives to improve export
  competitiveness and environmental sustainability
  and for possible regional cooperation

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Main project activities

• Regional study (Dec 05)
• 3 Sub-regional workshops (Jan May 06)
• 1 Regional workshop (Jul 06)