NSU Research Contributions

Title : An Appraisal of the South Asian Free Trade Agreement and Its Consistency with the WTO Rules on Preferential Trade Agreements

Authors : Md. Rizwanul Islam

Journal Title: Journal of World Trade	Volume Number: 44	Publication Year : 2010	Issue Number: 6
Index: scopus	Ranking: Q4	ISSN: 10116702	Publisher Name: Kluwer Law International / Wolters Kluwer
Pages : 1187-1206
ISBN : 1572979X

Funding Information:

Funding Source : None

Other Information:

Direct Sustainable Development Goals : SDG16 Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions SDG17 Partnership for the Goals	Indirect Sustainable Development Goals : SDG2 Zero Hunger SDG8 Decent Work & Economic Growth
Impact statement: This article critically examines the Agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) within the WTO’s legal framework for preferential trade agreements. It finds compliance gaps with WTO notification requirements and shortcomings in internal trade liberalisation mechanisms under GATT Article XXIV, highlighting legal and policy tensions between regional trade initiatives and multilateral trade law norms.	Collaboration: None	Keywords: South Asian Free Trade Agreement, SAFTA, WTO Rules, Preferential Trade Agreements, GATT Article XXIV, trade liberalisation.