This workshop focused on key issues related to Regional Trade Agreements (RTA) and the environment. It had three main objectives: (i) to take stock of current experience and insights on RTAs and the environment from different stakeholders, and to establish a stakeholder dialogue on this topic; (ii) to investigate how RTAs can serve as a vehicle to advance a resource efficient and circular economy transition; and (iii) to explore the potential of RTAs in addressing the nexus of illegal trade and environmental crime

1. SPEAKER’S BIOGRAPHIES
Key contacts
Valentina Beomonte Zobel, Valentina.BEOMONTEZOBEL@oecd.org
Shunta Yamaguchi, Shunta.YAMAGUCHI@oecd.org
OECD WORKSHOP ON
REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS
AND
THE ENVIRONMENT
10-11 June 2021, 1 – 4 pm CET (GMT + 2)
Virtual Meeting, Via Zoom

2. OPENING
RODOLFO LACY________________________________________________
Dr. Rodolfo Lacy is the Director of the Environment Directorate of the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Dr. Lacy has been Vice
Minister of Environmental Policy and Planning at the Ministry of Environment and
Natural Resources of Mexico (2012-2018), Chief negotiator of Climate Change
(COP19-COP23), Co-chair of the Global Methane Initiative, Member of the High-
Level Group of the Global Environmental Outlook (GEO6), and Board Member of
the Climate Action Reserve in California, USA. Dr. Lacy has had extensive
experience in policy making in the field of environment. He held the following positions: Technical Director at
Mario Molina Center for Energy and Environmental Strategic Studies, Chief of Staff for the Minister of
Environment and Natural Resources, Founder President of the Mexican Environmental Engineering Association
CINAM, General Director of Environmental Projects and Studies and of Environmental Pollution Control and
Prevention - Mexico City Government, and Director of Environmental Planning at the Ministry of Urban
Development and Ecology. He holds a Doctorate Degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from the
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (Mexico), a Master's Degree in Urban Studies and Planning from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
ALEXANDRA AGUILAR___________________________________________
Ms. Alejandra Aguilar is the co-ordinator for Trade and Sustainable Development of
the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica. As part of her position, she led the
negotiations of environmental matters in the trade agreements between Costa Rica
and the European Union, China, Singapore, EFTA and South Korea, as wells as
Costa Rica´s participation in the negotiation of the Plurilateral Agreement on
Environmental Goods. She is responsible for the implementation of the
environmental and sustainable development provisions of all trade agreements
signed by Costa Rica. Ms. Aguilar also coordinates Costa Rica´s participation on
trade and environment related matters in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). She led Costa Rica´s accession process to the OECD in the
area of environment. As part of this work, she was in charge to coordinate the joint effort of the agencies
responsible for environmental policy making and regulation, with a view to achieving the alignment of Costa
Rican´s legal and environmental policy framework with the standards of the OECD. In addition, she is the co-
ordinator of the North America Forum, responsible for following up Costa Rica's commercial relationship with
the United States and Canada, and overseeing the implementation of the trade agreements with both countries.
She has more than 15 years of experience working in trade, investment and sustainable development. Ms.
Aguilar has a degree in law by the University of Costa Rica and holds a master's degree in commerce and
international business from LEAD University.

3. SESSION 1: Overview and recent developments on regional trade agreements and
the environment
JEAN-FRÉDÉRIC MORIN__________________________________________
Prof. Jean-Frédéric Morin if Full Professor at Université Laval (Québec City) and
Canada Research Chair in International Political Economy. Prof. Morin is also
Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, Senior
Research Fellow at the Earth System Governance Project, fellow of the Canadian
International Council, and affiliated with the Ostrom Workshop at University of
Indiana. Prof. Morin’s research projects look at the interplay between trade and
environmental governance. He is the lead investigator of the Trade and Environment
Dataset (TREND), which lead to numerous publications in journals like Global
Environmental Politics, World Trade Review, World Development, Environmental
Politics, World Economy, and Business and Politics. Prof Morin’s recent books include Greening through Trade
(MIT Press, 2020) and Global Environmental Politics (Oxford University Press 2020). Several of his publications
can be downloaded from www.chaire-epi.ulaval.ca/en/jean-frederic-morin.
JOE FERRANTE________________________________________________
Mr. Joseph A. Ferrante is the Senior Advisor for the Asia Pacific and Europe Program
within the Office of International and Tribal Affairs, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). In this capacity, he coordinates the Agency’s environmental activities
in Europe and the Asia Pacific regions. Previously, Mr. Ferrante was EPA’s
longstanding Senior Advisor for Trade and Economics. In that capacity, Mr. Ferrante
served as the Agency’s lead for trade and international finance issues, and was
EPA’s lead negotiator for several trade agreements, including the United States–
Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment
Partnership (TTIP). He has served on the JWPTE Bureau since January 2009.
ROB DELLINK_________________________________________________
Mr. Rob Dellink is Senior Economist at the Environment and Economy Integration
Division of the OECD Environment Directorate. In this capacity, dr. Dellink leads the
Directorate’s work on trade and environment. He joined the OECD in 2009 and has
been working mostly on long-term environmental-economic projections. His work on
trade and environment interlinkages focuses on the trade consequences of
environmental policies, including climate change and circular economy. His most
recent publication deals with the long-term environmental consequences of the
Covid-19 pandemic and government response measures. Prior to joining OECD,
Rob was a university lecturer and researcher in the Netherlands.

4. SESSION 2: RTAs as a vehicle to advance a resource efficient and circular economy
transition
SHARDUL AGRAWALA___________________________________________
Dr. Shardul Agrawala is Head of the Environment and Economy Integration Division
at the OECD Environment Directorate since 2013. He is also a member of the
Science Advisory Panel of the Climate Change and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). At
the OECD since 2002, Dr. Agrawala has previously served as Senior Advisor to the
OECD Secretary General, Co-ordinator of the OECD-wide initiative on New
Approaches to Economic Challenges, Acting Head of the Climate Change
Biodiversity and Development Division, and Senior Economist Climate Change. Dr.
Agrawala has published extensively on climate change. He has led teams of international experts as
Coordinating Lead Author for chapters of the Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He has testified before the US Congress, contributed to the Stern Review,
and served on advisory panels for the Pilot Program on Climate Resilience of the World Bank and the
International Climate Initiative (ICI) of the German Government. Dr Agrawala received his PhD from Princeton
University and has previously held research positions at Princeton University, Harvard University, Columbia
University and at the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).
AIK HOE LIM __________________________________________________
Mr. Aik Hoe Lim is Director of the Trade and Environment Division at the World Trade
Organization and oversees its work on trade and environment, as well as on the
Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. He joined the WTO in 1999 and served
in the External Relations Division, the Director-General's Office and the Trade in
Services Division. He was previously Counsellor to two WTO Director-Generals,
Adviser to the Director General’s Consultative Group, and Secretary to WTO
committees, working groups and negotiating bodies on services trade and domestic
regulation. His principal areas of interest and expertise are on trade and sustainable
development, climate change, technical barriers to trade, services trade policy, and
trade and regulation. He is currently a member of the UN Global Environment
Outlook (GEO) for Business Advisory Committee.
SHUNTA YAMAGUCHI____________________________________________
Mr. Shunta Yamaguchi is a Policy Analyst of the Environment and Economy
Integration division of the OECD Environment Directorate. He joined the OECD in
2014 and works on trade and environment issues since 2016. He serves as the
Secretariat of the OECD Joint Working Party on Trade and Environment (JWPTE).
Main areas of research include regional trade agreements (RTAs) and the
environment, trade and the circular economy, and trade and climate change. Prior
to his current assignment, he worked on resource efficiency and waste management
projects, as well as environmental accounts at the National Accounts Division
(Statistics Directorate). Prior to joining the OECD, he worked with the Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA), where he was responsible for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and environmental projects across
Asia, Middle-East and Africa.

5. CHRISTOPHE BELLMANN _________________________________________
Mr. Christophe Bellmann is a Senior Policy Advisor in IISD’s Energy program. He
has more than 25 years of experience working on trade policy and sustainable
development in international negotiations. His expertise includes trade and food
security, fisheries subsidies, trade and environment, and development policies.
Over the course of his career, he has worked in different capacities for international
organizations including Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
(FAO), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Since 2014, he has served as adviser to various developing country groupings in WTO negotiations. He is also
an Associate Fellow at the Chatham House Hoffmann Centre for Sustainable Resource Economy and a
member of the Academic Advisory Council of the Trade Policy Training Centre in Africa (TRAPCA), Arusha,
Tanzania. Prior to that, he worked for the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD)
and as an associate researcher with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
He holds a master’s degree in international relations from the Graduate Institute of International and
Development Studies (IHEID) in Geneva.
MALENA SELL _________________________________________________
Ms. Malena Sell is a senior specialist on circular economy at the Finnish Innovation
Fund Sitra. She is currently on leave from the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs
trade policy unit, where she is responsible for trade and sustainability. Before joining
the Ministry, Ms. Sell worked at the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable
Development (ICTSD) in Geneva for over 10 years, including as Environment and
Natural Resources Senior Programme Officer. She also worked at the World Bank
and the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Ms. Sell holds an MA in
Environmental Studies and a BA in International Relations (international commerce),
both from Brown University.
MARI CARLSON _______________________________________________
Ms. Mari Carlson works on trade policy and environment at the Ministry for Foreign
Affairs of Finland. Before joining the Ministry, she worked at the Department of
Economics and Management at the University of Helsinki.
Ms. Carlson holds a M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics where she specialised in
agricultural policy with special interest on international trade and trade policy. She is
currently a postgraduate student in a doctoral programme for Sustainable Use of
Renewable Natural Resources at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

6. NANNO MULDER _______________________________________________
Mr. Nanno Mulder is Chief of the International Trade Unit in the Division of
International Trade and Integration of the United Nations Economic Commission for
Latin America and the Caribbean. His main areas of research and technical
assistance are on Latin America’s participation in global value chains in general and
global services in particular, digital trade and ecommerce, and sustainable trade with
a focus on the internationalization of SMEs, gender equality and climate change. Mr
Mulder worked as an economist at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) in the team for Latin America of the Economic Department
(2002-2005) and as a researcher at the French Centre for Prospective and
International Studies (CEPII) (1996 -2002). He has a Master's and PhD in economics
from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Mr. Mulder is also co-founder and President of the Latin
American network for research and policy on services. From January to March 2017, he was a visiting
researcher at the Institute of Social Studies in the Hague.
RACHNA ARORA _______________________________________________
Dr. Rachna Arora is working as a Team Leader in the Resource Efficiency project
of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
funded by the European Union on issues related to fostering resource efficiency and
secondary resource utilization. She is also working as a Team Leader on the GIZ
Circular Economy solutions project to prevent Marine litter, financed by the German
Ministry of Environment, Nature conservation. She has been working with GIZ since
last 13 years under the bilateral projects, combi-finance projects of the European
Commission and the partnership projects with the private sector with relevant
Ministries and government departments. She has been supporting the Government
of India (GoI) on policy formulation and its implementation. She is a TEDx speaker
on Circular Economy. She holds a doctorate degree in environmental chemistry from Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) Roorkee. She was a member of the Inter-departmental committee set up by Niti Aayog (Policy
think tank, GoI) on Resource Efficiency strategy and Research and Development (R&D) committee set up by
the Ministry of Information Technology and Communication (MeiTY), GoI on electronic waste management.
She is also a working group member of the FICCI Circular Economy Group constituted in 2017 to support
industry research and dialogues on Circular Economy.
BEZAWIT ESHETU _______________________________
Ms. Bezawit Eshetu is Circular Economy Expert, member of the Executive Team and
Ethiopia’s Country Representative at the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN).
Bezawit has over 10 years of experience of specializing in environmental
management, sustainable development, climate change mitigation and adaptation,
green growth, policy dialogue and the SDGs. Prior to joining the ACEN, she has
worked as Circular Economy Expert for the FAO and in various positions and
organizations as Green Growth Advisor and Environmental Engineer. Bezawit has
experience in creating synergies, coordinating and forging partnerships. Bezawit
holds Master of Science in Botany/Plant Biology and Bachelor of Science in Biology
and Chemistry, both from Addis Ababa University. Bezawit is a Ellen MacArthur
Foundation Circular Economy Pioneer and Cofounder at Circular Alternatives.

7. SESSION 3: Potential of RTAs in addressing illegal trade and environmental crime
LOUIS MARECHAL ______________________________________________
Louis Maréchal joined the Centre for Responsible Business Conduct of the OECD
in September 2014. He specifically works on projects related to the implementation
of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals
from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas.
Prior to joining the OECD, Louis Maréchal worked for four years with the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of France on issues related to transparency and governance in the
mining sector, and security of supply of strategic metals. He started his career with
a strategic consultancy firm focusing on the defence and extractives industries. Louis holds a master’s degree
in international relations, with a specialization in the defence industry.
APHRODITE SMAGADI ___________________________________________
Ms. Aphrodite Smagadi is a Legal Officer with the United Nations Environment
Programme, where she coordinates the Law Division’s activities on implementation
and enforcement of environmental law, including under the Green Customs
Initiative. Prior to joining UNEP, she worked for the secretariats of the Aarhus and
the Espoo Conventions and the World Bank. Ms Smagadi is specialized and has
published in international environmental law, and holds a PhD in law from the
European University Institute (Florence, Italy).
RORY CORCORAN ______________________________________________
Rory is seconded from the Irish Police (An Garda Sìochàna) to INTERPOL since
2018, where he currently holds the position of Assistant Director in the Organized
and Emerging Crime Directorate. He has responsibility for a number of INTERPOL’s
crimes programmes including, Environmental Security (ENS) and Illicit Goods and
Global Health (IGGH).
He has 30 years’ experience in Law Enforcement having served the majority of his
career in the Garda Counter Terrorism Unit and most recently in the Garda National
Economic Crime Bureau. He hold a Master’s and Post Graduate Degree in Legal Studies and also holds
academic qualifications in Cyber Crime, Financial Crime Investigations and Corporate Risk and Governance,
from University College Dublin, Ireland.

8. ROUX RAATH _________________________________________________
Mr. Roux Raath is responsible for the Environment Programme within the
Compliance and Facilitation Directorate at the World Customs Organization (WCO).
The Environment Programme encompasses various Multilateral Environmental
Agreements (MEAs) such as the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete
the Ozone Layer (ODS); the Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary
Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal etc.
Roux is formerly from the South African Revenue Service where he held various
positions, the last being Senior Specialist: Enforcement.
BEN JANSE VAN RENSBURG ______________________________________
Mr. Van Rensburg is the Chief of the Enforcement Unit at the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
Secretariat, based in Geneva, Switzerland. Ben joined CITES in 2011 and served in
the South African Police Service for 21 years prior to working for CITES as Chief of
the Enforcement Unit. He is responsible for managing and coordinating the
implementation of programs and activities on enforcement matters of the CITES
Secretariat, to prevent and combat illegal trade in CITES listed specimens and in
particular the activities of organized crime groups involved in wildlife crime. Ben also serves as the Chair of the
International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) Senior Experts Group, and work in close
collaboration with ICCWC partner agencies to develop and implement projects through ICCWC.
LEON VAN DER WAL ____________________________________________
Mr. Leon is a Policy Analyst in the OECD Environment Directorate. He joined the
OECD in 2014 and works amongst others on the safety of chemicals within the
OECD Pesticides Programme where he coordinates the work of the OECD Network
on Illegal Trade of Pesticides (ONIP).
The OECD activities against illegal trade in pesticides started in 2010, which has
resulted in the Recommendation of the Council on Countering the Illegal Trade of
Pesticides, adopted in 2019. The accompanying Best Practice Guidance to Identify
Illegal Trade of Pesticides, provides guidance for inspectors and regulatory authorities on best practices for
identifying and tackling illegal pesticides throughout the complete lifecycle of a pesticide.
CLARA FREZAL ________________________________________________
’Ms Clara Frezal is a policy analyst of the Agri-Food and Market division of the
OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate. She joined the OECD in 2017. She has
experience in agricultural commodity markets, agriculture and environment issues,
trade and environment issues, trade digitalization and agricultural innovation. Clara
holds a master degree in environmental and natural resources economics from
Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).

9. XAVIER JARDI_________________________________________________
Mr. Xavier Jardi currently works for the French Treasury (French Ministry in charge
of Economy and Finance), as a Deputy head of the International Trade and
Investment Rules Unit, where he is preparing and co-ordinating the French position
on social and environmental aspects of the European trade policy. His work also
includes monitoring other European and domestic trade-related policies on
sustainable development, such as carbon border adjustments, imported
deforestation, circular economy, etc. Formerly responsible for analyzing interactions
between international trade and the environment for the French Ministry in charge of the Environment, he has
been representing France as a JWPTE delegate since 2015. He holds a Master degree in environmental and
energy economics and an Advanced Master in Public Policies and Actions for Sustainable Development.
KATY SATER_________________________________________________
Ms Katy Sater is the Director of Environment and Natural Resources, at the U.S.
Trade Representative. She is a Foreign Affairs policy expert with a successful track
record of working with diplomatic missions, foreign governments, and throughout
the U.S. government to advance foreign policy goals for fisheries management and
conservation. She has more than 10 years of progressively complex domestic and
international experience providing effective leadership and partnership development
that support strategic environmental policy initiatives. Extensive experience working
in both bilateral and multilateral formats on complex, politically sensitive projects.
TIFFANY PRATHER_____________________________________________
Tiffany Prather is the Division Chief, Environment and Trade, in the Bureau of
Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs at the U.S.
Department of State. Ms. Prather focuses on negotiating and implementing U.S.
FTA Environment Chapters and related Environmental Cooperation Mechanisms.
Prior to joining the Department in 2007, Ms. Prather worked for eight years at the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/Office of International and Tribal Affairs on
environment and trade issues. Ms. Prather also served as a Legislative Fellow with
the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Ms. Prather holds a
J.D. and Master of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School and
B.A.s in Political Science and Journalism from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

10. JORGE GUZMÁN _______________________________________________
Mr. Jorge Guzmán is an internationalist lawyer with a Masters’ in Business
Administration. Mr. Guzmán has experience in international trade, as well as in
sustainable development and the impact that citizen participation can have on the
consolidation of the rule of law. In the Salvadoran public administration, he had the
opportunity to work with various international economic blocs. He was appointed in
2009 by the Environment Ministers of CAFTA-DR as the General Coordinator of the
Secretariat of Environmental Affairs of the Treaty. Additionally, he has been in
charge of the establishment and institutional and business operative start (both
nationally and internationally). From the national, with the implementation of the CAFTA-DR Office in the
Ministry of Economy of El Salvador. From the international, in the re-engineering and subsequent consolidation
of the Secretariat of Environmental Affairs in Central America, the Dominican Republic and the United States.
Both he and his wife Lorena are entrepreneurs. They own and manage both a Hotel in the City of San Salvador,
and a small restaurant in Guatemala City. In his experience in both the public and private sector, Mr. Guzmán
has led work teams of various kinds, from international commercial negotiations for the responsibility of
coordinating multidisciplinary teams, to coordination activities for everyday business in the Hotel.
PIOTR STRYSZOWSKI ___________________________________________
Piotr Stryszowski is Senior Project Manager at the OECD Public Governance
Directorate in charge of the Task Force on Countering Illicit Trade. As the manager
of the Task Force, Piotr supervises factual research on the magnitude and scope of
illicit trade and on governance solutions to counter this threat. To advance the Task
Force's goals, Piotr works together with delegates from OECD member countries,
industry, academia, and other international organizations. With more than 15 years
at the OECD, Piotr also has profound experience in several economic policy areas
other than illicit trade, such as innovation, intellectual property rights, and the
Internet economy. Piotr holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Tilburg University (the Netherlands).
JAVIER ARRIBAS-QUINTANA______________________________________
Mr. Javier Arribas-Quintana is currently a Senior Expert at the Directorate General
for the Environment (DG ENV) of the European Commission where he covers issues
related to trade and environment. He is also DG ENV’s coordinator for relations with
UNEP and responsible for the preparations for UNEA (UN Environment Assembly).
Mr. Arribas-Quintana has been serving in the European Commission since 1993. In
his previous positions, he has covered a number of trade, services and environment
related issues. He served as the EU Financial Counsellor at the EU delegation in
Beijing from 2007 to 2012, where he covered financial regulatory and market access
issues, capital markets, banking, insurance and public procurement. He has served on the JWPTE Bureau
since January 2019.

11. CLOSING
BRETT LONGLEY_______________________________________________
Mr. Brett Longley currently works for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Trade on secondment from the Ministry for the Environment as a Senior Policy Adviser
in the Trade Negotiations Division. Mr. Longley has served as lead adviser for
environmental issues in New Zealand’s free trade agreements, and in the WTO,
UNCSD, and UNFCCC. He has led New Zealand’s input to the Joint Working Party on
Trade and Environment at the OECD since 2008. His experience includes negotiating
environmental provisions in New Zealand’s trade agreements with Chile, Singapore
and Brunei (P4), China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, ASEAN-Australia, Chinese Taipei, Russia, India, Korea, and the
Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership. His work on domestic policy issues includes climate
change, environmental tax reform, national environmental accounts, international carbon markets, sustainability
indicators, and natural capital. He holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from the University of
Canterbury and a Master of Commerce degree in economics from Lincoln University in New Zealand. He has
served on the JWPTE Bureau since January 2018, and as Co-Chair since January 2019.