If you have a relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you would like to see announced in this section, please forward a copy or review by the BRIDGES staff to Marianne Jacobsen.
THE STATE OF THE FOOD INSECURITY IN THE WORLD 2003. By the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). This report analyses issues such as: food insecurity and HIV/AIDS, water and food security, causes of food emergencies in developing countries, yields and water requirements of irrigated and rain-fed agriculture and the importance of agriculture and agricultural trade in food security.
THE WORLD ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SURVEY 2003. By the UN Department of Economics and Social Affairs (DESA). This is the United Nations’ annual analysis of current developments in the world economy and emerging policy issues. It contains the Secretariat’s forecast of short-term global and regional economic trends. It reviews major developments in international trade and it discusses the net transfer of financial resources of developing countries. The Survey includes statistical tables which give standardized data on macroeconomic, international trade and finance.
GLOBAL ECONOMIC PROSPECTS: REALIZING THE DEVELOPMENT PROMISE OF THE DOHA AGENDA By the World Bank, 2003. Based on a ‘pro-poor’ scenario the World Bank Report estimates that "a deal to lower global trade barriers could add more than USD 500 billion a year to global incomes by 2015, lifting 144 million people out of poverty.
AUSTRIA BIOTECHNOLOGY, STATUS OF BIOTECH REGULATIONS, 2003. By the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA-FAS). This report finds that Austrian consumers perceive that America is trying to force them to consume genetically modified (GM) products rather than their own organic products. "Science-based pro-biotech discussions with government regulators provide no change in consumer opinions and thus no change in Austrian laws," the report says. The report concludes that Austrian consumer opinion must change in order for anti-GM laws to be changed.
"The WTO and the Cartagena Protocol: International Policy Coordination or Conflict?" by Grant E. Isaac in CURRENT AGRICULTURE, FOOD & RESOURCE ISSUES (4, 2003) 116-123. This article presents a case study of the implications of overlapping multilateral paradigms - the World Trade Organization and an MEA known as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety - for international market access of biotechnology-based agri-food products.
"Europe Responds to UK’s GM Field Trials," by Peter Mitchell in NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY. This article discusses how European attitudes towards genetically modified (GM) crops will be affected by the recently released results of the U.K. Farm Scale Evaluation (FSE). It says that despite pressure from the European Commission to end the de facto moratorium on GM crops by May 2004, the decision of each European government depends more on the direction of public debate, relayed by national media coverage of the GM issue, than on the results of scientific studies.
DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT IN INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW. By Philippe Cullet. (Ashgate Publishing, 2003). This book is a comprehensive study of differential treatment for developing countries in international environmental law. It offers an analysis of the legal dimension of the relationship between developed and developing countries in the environmental field and beyond. It first critically examines the principle of legal equality of states and then explores the conceptual framework behind the notion of differential treatment in international law and its relevance in bringing about substantive equality. The book examines the development of differentiation in international environmental law, considers its application in various environmental treaties and evaluates the legal status of existing differential norms.
"Mutual Misgivings: Civil Society Inclusion in the Americas" By Yasmine Shamsie in VOICES — THE RISE OF NONGOVERNMENTAL VOICES IN MULTILATERAL INSTITUTIONS. The author analyses the participation of Civil Society Organisations in the hemispheric-wide processes, providing essential background for those seeking to understand the dynamics in and around negotiations and in the streets. The document analyses the why, what, who, and how of government engagement with civil society organizations and raises issues for further debate.
"International Law on Investment: The Minimum Standard of Treatment (MST)". By the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL). This is a briefing note analysing the minimum standard of treatment under international investment law. The note surveys the origins of the concept in international law, its incorporation in investment treaties, and its invocation by investors in the context of disputes with host governments (particularly under the NAFTA).
CONSERVATION FARMING IN ZAMBIA. By Steven Haggblade and Gelson Tembo. (International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Michigan State University). This report finds that conservation farming (CF) techniques used in Zambia appear to increase levels of agricultural productivity and farmer income. Results from a survey of 125 farms during the 2001/02 growing season show that maize yields for hand hoe farmers using CF techniques were double those of conventional ox-plow farmers. The report notes that part of this difference is likely due to greater use of agricultural inputs on CF farms, made possible through donor support. However, it says results from cotton farming provide a valuable contrast since all cotton farmers in the survey used the same inputs.
WTO DISCUSSION PAPERS NO. 2: IMPROVING THE AVAILABILITY OF TRADE FINANCE DURING FINANCIAL CRISES. By the WTO. This discussion paper explores the reasons behind the failure by private markets and other institutions to meet demand for cross-border and domestic short-term trade finance during financial crises such as the one, which affected emerging economies in the 1990s.
TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT AT THE WTO: LEARNING THE LESSONS OF CANCUN TO REVIVE A GENUINE DEVELOPMENT ROUND. By the House of Commons International Development Committee. The WTO’s 5th Ministerial in Cancún, Mexico, collapsed on 14 September 2003 without reaching an agreement. This report tries to explain why it happened and points out the lessons that should be learned in the process such as: improvements in timing, organization and substance.