Integrating the UN SDGs into WTO Law

Xinyan Zhao is a teaching fellow at Durham University. Prior to joining Durham, Xinyan was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Inclusive Trade Policy at the University of Sussex. He specialises in WTO law and trade policy, with a particular focus on trade and sustainable development. Xinyan holds a PhD in International Economic Law from the University of Lausanne. In 2020, Xinyan was a research intern at the University of Montreal (Canada). He has authored several scholarly publications and is actively engaged in the global academic community.

• Introduction.- Part I: WTO Law: An Impediment to the Implementation of the UN SDGs.- The Lack of Trade-Related Sustainable Development Commitments in WTO Law.- WTO Law’s Constraints on National Regulation.- Part II: Reconciling WTO Law with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.- The Sustainability Test.- Balancing Sustainability Elements.- Part III: Integrating Sustainability into WTO Law.- The Constitutionalisation of the WTO: An Ideal Methodology.- Progress in Embedding Sustainability into WTO Rules.- The Sustainable Development Club: A Practical Approach.- Potential Trade Rules and Policies of the Sustainable Development Club.- Suggestions for the Next Steps.- Conclusion.