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 Malena Sell.
THE WTO GMO DISPUTE: IMPLICATIONS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND THE NEED FOR AN APPEAL. By Alice Palmer, November 2006. This report, written for GeneWatch UK, the RSPB, Forum for Biotechnology and Food Security and the GMFreeze, is a legal analysis of the WTO Dispute Panel’s report deciding upon a case brought by the USA, Canada and Argentina against Europe’s moratorium on GM crops. It notes that serious errors have been made in the interpretation of trade law. The report further challenges the decision that only narrow technical and scientific matters were relevant to the assessment of the risks of GM crops and foods as one at odds with other WTO decisions and international law. The report concludes that if unchallenged, the Panel’s errors could mean that the precautionary principle will not be allowed to be used in laws designed to protect the environment, human health or other consumer concerns. To access this report, internet: http://www.genewatch.org/uploads/f03c6d66a9b354535738483c1c3d49e4/WTO_Biotech_case_dcsummaryfinal_1.pdf.
WHO BENEFITS FROM GM CROPS? - MONSANTO AND THE CORPORATE-DRIVEN GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROP REVOLUTION. By Friends of the Earth, 2006. This report analyses the way in which GM crops have been introduced into the environment between 1996 and 2005. It describes how the rapid penetration of GM crops in a limited number of countries has largely been the result of the aggressive strategies of the biotech industry, particularly pushed by top GM crop leader Monsanto, rather than the consequence of the benefits derived from the use of this technology. To access this report,visit http://www.foei.org/publications/pdfs/gmcrops2006execsummary.pdf.
"FAIR MILES"? THE CONCEPT OF "FOOD MILES" THROUGH A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT LENS. By James MacGregor and Bill Vorley, October 2006. This IIED report on the long-distance transport of food finds that this commercial practice is associated with additional emissions due to increased transportation coupled with greater packaging, as well as negative impacts on local rural communities, and a disconnection between the public and local farming. Furthermore, "food miles" encapsulates (and is at the vanguard of) the climate change debate in the UK. To access this report, visit http://www.iied.org/pubs/pdf/full/11064IIED.pdf.
SUPERMARKETS, INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND FARMERS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: EVIDENCE FROM MADAGASCAR. By B. Minten, L. Randrianarison, and J.F.M Swinnen, 2006. Published by the Cornell University Food and Nutrition Policy Program, this report refutes the notion that global retail companies (supermarkets) have an increasing influence on developing countries, through foreign investments and/or through the imposition of their private standards and are negatively impacting developing countries and poverty. The opposite is proposed, based on an analysis of primary data collected to measure the impact of supermarkets on small contract farmers in Madagascar. Significant effects on improved technology adoption, better resource management and spillovers on the productivity of the staple crop rice are also discussed. To access this report, visit http://www.cfnpp.cornell.edu/images/wp191.pdf.
ECOLABELS AND FISH TRADE: MARINE STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL CERTIFICATION AND THE SA HAKE INDUSTRY. By Stefano Ponte, Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa. This case study of Marine Stewardship Council certification of the hake industry in South Africa illustrates that ecolabelling is sought in the context of competitive pressures, political economies, and specific interpretations of conservation, not simply on the basis of value-free science or systemic management alone. The paper concludes that independent auditing, transparency of standard-setting, accountability, and the need for standards to be based on ‘good science’, are not enough to facilitate certification in small-scale developing country fisheries. What is needed are special systems of compliance and verification that cater to their needs. Until this happens, and until premiums are not paid at the producer level, MSC and similar initiatives will keep putting sustainability at the service of commercial interests. To access this report, visit http://www.tralac.org/pdf/20060829_PonteMSCcertification.pdf.
FUELLING CONTROVERSY: CAN BIOFUELS SLOW THE SPEED OF CLIMATE CHANGE? By Panos, October 2006. The challenges posed by climate change have given rise to an industry developing alternative forms of energy, such as biofuels produced from crops. This new media brief for journalists shows that the extent to which biofuels can actually play a beneficial role in replacing fossil fuels is hotly debated. To access the brief visit http://www.panos.org.uk/PDF/reports/climatetoolkit1.pdf.
BEYOND SCARCITY: POWER, POVERTY AND GLOBAL WATER CRISIS - UNDP HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2006. UNDP, November 2006. This annual report documents the systematic violation of the right to water, identifies the underlying causes of the crisis and sets out an agenda for change. It investigates the underlying causes and consequences of a crisis that leaves 1.2 billion people without access to safe water and 2.6 billion without access to sanitation and examines the social and economic forces that are driving water shortages and marginalising the poor in agriculture. To access this report, visit http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/pdfs/report/HDR06-complete.pdf.
CALL FOR COMMODITY CASE STUDIES
TRADE KNOWLEDGE NETWORK CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR COUNTRY CASE STUDIES ON COMMODITY REVENUE MANAGEMENT. The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is conducting a study of the tools available to governments and producers in the developing world to manage their often volatile commodity revenues. For further information, contact Oli Brown, e-mail: obrown@iisd.ca.
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