Book excerpt: This publication examines international trade policy issues and the role of the World Trade Organization in the context of sustainable development objectives. Topics discussed include: institutional efforts at the intergovernmental level over the past 50 years to address environmental management considerations; trade liberalisation and sustainable assessment scenarios, focusing on the fisheries sector; discrimination and WTO rules; WTO Agreements and standards, notably GATT 1994; multilateral environment agreements (MEAs); developments in biotechnology; WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS); the current approach of special and differential treatment for developing countries and the need for development strategies and legal flexibility which reflect the economic diversity of developing countries; the role and functioning of the WTO, global governance and policy coherence.