The evolution of sustainable development in Public International Law: how does it inform the application and interpretation of WTO Agreements covering the domestic regulation of trade in goods?

This dissertation explores the implications of the evolution of the concept of sustainable development in public international law for the WTO agreements covering the domestic regulation of trade in goods. The first part of the dissertation assesses the evolution of the concept of sustainable development in public international law. The second part analyses how the components of the principle of sustainable development find their reflection in provisions covering domestic regulation in the GATT 1994, the TBT Agreement and the SPS Agreement. The analysis in this dissertation finds that the provisions of the GATT 1994, TBT Agreement and SPS Agreement covering the domestic regulation of trade in goods allow WTO Members to apply the principle of sustainable development. However, this dissertation reveals opportunities to better integrate the principle of sustainable development into the reading and interpretation of the three aforementioned agreements.