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 Heike Baumüller.
ACCESSING BIODIVERSITY AND SHARING THE BENEFITS: LESSONS FROM IMPLEMENTING THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY. Edited by Santiago Carrizosa, Stephen B. Brush, Brian Wright, and Patrick E. McGuire (IUCN and the University of California Genetic Conservation Program, 2004). This book will be launched at the third IUCN Congress in Bangkok, Thailand in Breakout Room 11 between 20h00 and 22h00.
BILATERAL INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS: AGENTS OF NEW GLOBAL STANDARDS FOR THE PROTECTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS? By Carlos M. Correa (August 2004). This study, commissioned by GRAIN, is an independent exploration into the implications of bilateral investment treaties and free trade agreements with chapters on investment, in terms of international standards for the protection of intellectual property rights.
LEGAL FACTORS DRIVING AGROBIODIVERSITY LOSS. By Franziska Wolf in Environmental Law International network Review (1, 2004): 25-36. This article describes the problem, diagnosis and the causes identified. In particular, it will analyse how legal and institutional structures in the international, European and national realm contribute to the problem. The focus is on intellectual property rights, sovereignty regimes as well as on seed trade and livestock breeding regulations. Finally, chances for sustainable use and protection of agrobiodiversity in the future are discussed. .
RURAL LIVELIHOODS AND POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGIES IN FOUR AFRICAN COUNTRIES. By Frank Ellis and H. Ade Freeman in the Journal of Development Studies 40 (4, 2004): 1-30. This paper compares and contrasts rural livelihoods in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi, with a view to informing rural poverty reduction policies within Poverty Reduction Strategy Plans (PRSPs). Low household incomes in rural areas of all countries are associated with low land and livestock holdings, high reliance on food crop agriculture, and low monetisation of the rural economy. The paper also includes lessons from PRSPs centre on the creation of a facilitating, rather than blocking, public sector environment for the multiplication of non-farm enterprises; seeking creative solutions to the spread of technical advice to farmers; and examining critically the necessity for, and impact of, tax revenue collection by district councils on rural incomes and enterprise.
FROM CANCUN TO HONG KONG: CHALLENGING CORPORATE-LED TRADE LIBERALISATION. By the Seattle to Brussels Network (S2B)(October 2004). The publication, a collection of contribution from a number of S2B’s Members, which include Greenpeace, Attac and the World development Movement, offers an analysis of some of the most pressing issues in the current international trade setting, touching, among others, matters related to development, the environment and gender. The focus of the analysis converges on the European Union’s corporate-led trade agenda and its role and behaviour in the aftermath of the failed ministerial of the World Trade Organisation in Cancun in September 2003, and in view of the foreseen 2005 Ministerial in Hong Kong.
ALTERNATIVES TO ECONOMIC GLOBALISATION: A BETTER WORLD IS POSSIBLE, 2ND EDITION. Eds. John Cavanagh and Jerry Mander (International Forum on Globalisation, 2004). The International Forum of Globalisation presents a new edition of the popular 2002 book that incorporates hundreds of living examples of on-the-ground alternatives as well as some of the better proposals for alternatives at local, national, and global levels to the challenges posed by globalisation. The book has been expanded and updated to incorporate information received over the past two years. Coauthors include Maude Barlow, Walden Bello, Vandana Shiva, and David Korten writing on issues such as the military responses to the terrorist attacks of 9-11, reclaiming the commons, local action and ten principles for sustainability.
MARKET LIBERALISATION AND SUSTAINABILITY IN TRANSITION: TURNING POINTS AND TRENDS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE. By Sandra O. Archibald, Luana E. Banu, and Zbigniew Bochniarz (Environmental Politics 13 (1, 2004): 266-289. This chapter assesses the impact of market liberalisation on the sustainability of transformation in ten Central and East European countries, emphasising the impact of liberalisation on the environment. For CEE countries, assessing environmental effects of structural change in the economy, rising personal consumption, rapid transition to market-oriented economies, and dramatically increased liberalisation is critical. This study demonstrates the progress of the CEE10, relative to other CEE and new independent states (NIS), and how much progress is still needed to secure more sustainable development.
VACANCY
UNEP-GEF REGIONAL TRAINING EXPERTS. The UNEP-GEF Project for "Capacity Building for Effective Participation in the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH)" is seeking qualified candidates for consultancy positions. Specifically, UNEP-GEF is seeking to identify 20 Regional Training Experts on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB); and 50 Regional Training Experts in Information Technology (IT).