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 smohan@ictsd.ch.
EC-BIOTECH: OVERVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF THE PANEL’S INTERIM REPORT. By Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder and Maria Julia Oliva, Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL), March 2006. This report provides an overview of the main findings and reasoning in the Panel’s Interim Report. The analysis evaluates the Panel’s findings in relation to the three categories of challenged measures as well as addresses crosscutting issues such as transparency, public participation, and the relevance of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) in interpreting WTO. It focuses on the points of the reasoning of the Panel most relevant for the challenged measures and for broader discussions on the relationship between WTO rules and biosafety and biotechnology regulations.
ECONOMIC IMPACT OF GM CROPS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. By Terri Raney (Current Opinion in Biotechnology, March 2006). Recent economic studies show that institutional factors such as national agriculture research capacity, environmental and food safety regulations, intellectual property rights and agricultural input markets matter at least as much as the technology itself in determining the level and distribution of economic benefits of transgenic crops. This paper notes that evidence shows that farmers in developing countries can benefit from transgenic crops citing the experiences of farmers in China, Argentina, South Africa, Mexico, and India.
CLOSING THE NET — STOPPING ILLEGAL FISHING ON THE HIGH SEAS. By the High Seas Task Force on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, March 2006. This publication was approved at a meeting of fisheries ministers attending the final OECD Task Force gathering on 2-3 March 2006 in Paris, France. The ministerial report identifies key measures that the members will begin to implement immediately to address IUU fishing. It also proposes measures that it will endeavour to implement in collaboration with the wide global community to achieve more comprehensive solutions to this problem.
WATER AND AGRICULTURE: SUSTAINABILITY, MARKETS, AND POLICIES. By the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2006. This publication is drawn from an OECD Workshop held in Adelaide, Australia in November 2005. It highlights certain conclusions and recommendations for ensuring that water resources used by agriculture are allocated through the best means possible.
CHINA AND THE GLOBAL MARKET FOR THE FOREST PRODUCTS: TRANSFORMING TRADE TO BENEFITS FORESTS AND LIVELIHOODS. Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the Center for Chinese Agricultureal Policy, March 2006. This report says that China’s expanding timber industry could have major positive implications for China’s leadership as they handle social unrest in rural areas. The report calls on international governments and the forest industry to increase transparency and accountability procedures and crack down on corruption and money laundering that drives the illegal business.
Electronic Resource
ILLEGAL-FISHING.INFO. Maintained by the Energy, Environment, and Development Programme of the Chatham House in London, www.illegal-fishing.info has been launched as a sister website to www.illegal-logging.info. The purpose is to provide background information on the key issues in the debate around illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, together with news stories, information on events, key documents and links to other relevant websites.