V. MULTILATERAL TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT AGREEMENTS
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Under the federal Constitution, matters regarding the representation of Malaysia in the international arena, especially in terms of agreements, treaties and Conventions, fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government. The role and responsibility of the federal government in servicing each Convention includes various measures such as:
- Identifying the appropriate federal agency to function as the Scientific Authority and Management Authority at the federal level for the implementation of each Convention in Malaysia;
- Liaison with the international secretariat for each Convention;
- Identifying and sending Malaysian representatives to conferences of the parties to a particular Convention;
- Drafting national policies related to each Convention;
- Making resources (manpower and funds) available for servicing each Convention;
- Coordinating the work of agencies at the federal and State levels in order to fulfil the obligations under each Convention entered into by Malaysia, wherever such coordination is required.
While the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment plays a major role in the implementation of international Conventions related to environmental management, international Conventions with an indirect bearing on environmental management such as the Law of the Sea and World Heritage come under the purview of other ministries or departments. The federal government is also responsible for the establishment of national-level steering committees and technical committees to guide and advise on the implementation of international Conventions in Malaysia. The Ministry of International Trade and Industry is responsible for issues concerning trade and environment under GATT/WTO provisions.
The current GATT rules allow for the imposition of quantitative restrictions, subject to conditions, against imports of agricultural products, while export subsidies are permitted in circumstances where it would not lead to obtaining more than an equitable share of the world agricultural trading system. In implementing the reform measures, the developing countries would be allowed a longer time-frame in addition to the exemption of programmes related to poverty redress and socio-economic development.
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