EU POSTPONES DECISION ON RESTARTING BIOTECH APPROVALS
During a 10 November meeting, the European Standing Committee on The Food Chain and Animal Health deferred a decision on whether to approve a strain of genetically modified maize — Syngenta’s Bt-11 — for food use in the EU. A positive decision would have marked the end of the de facto moratorium on the approval of new genetically modified organisms, in place since 1998 and currently challenged in the WTO (see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 25 August 2003). The vote is now expected to take place the next Committee meeting on 12 December. EU member states remain divided over the approval, with the UK, Spain and the Netherlands in favour while France, Austria and Italy are less enthusiastic. Even if the maize was approved, imports would not start until April 2004 when new EU labelling and traceability regulations come into effect. Friends of the Earth Europe hailed the delay as a "victory for common sense" while Greenpeace called on countries to not approve the maize variety.
For more biotech news, see the 14 November issue of BRIDGES Trade BioRes at http://www.ictsd.org/biores/index.htm.
"EU postpones biotech test case vote to December," REUTERS, 11 November 2003.
MEXICO-US BORDER AIR POLLUTION RESPONSIBLE FOR HIGHER CHILD DEATH RATES
According to a report released on 10 November by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America (CEC), children from poorer areas of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua are being hospitalised and dying because of air pollution at levels that are below Mexico’s current health standards. "Children were being rushed to the hospital on days when no air quality alarms were sounding," said Dr. Matiana Ramírez Aguilar, a co-investigator in the study from the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico City. "This suggests that lower levels of ozone affect children’s respiratory health and that action should be taken to revise Mexico’s standards," she said at a press conference. Ciudad Juárez, which lies at the border between the US and Mexico, has seen a dramatic increase in both vehicle traffic and industrial ‘maquiladora’ activity since the coming into force of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994. The CEC study found that child mortality was linked to diesel truck emissions of tiny particles 10 micrometers or less in diameter (PM10). In 2001, more than one million trucks crossed the border between Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas. According to Paul Miller, CEC Program Coordinator for air quality, "these results are not unique to Ciudad Juárez. Similar or even higher air pollution levels exist at other crossings along the Mexico-US and Canada-US borders". He said solutions would have to come from "cooperative efforts among federal, state, local and industry officials".
The CEC was established by the thee NAFTA parties — Canada, Mexico and the US — to address regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential trade and environmental conflicts, and to promote the effective enforcement of environmental law.
The full report, "Health Impacts of Air Pollution on Morbidity and Mortality Among Children of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico," is available at: http://www.cec.org/pubs_docs/documents/index.cfm? varlan=english&ID=1347.
"Poor Children on Mexico-U.S. Border Dying from Air Pollution," ENS, 11 November 2003.
NEW GUIDE FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES EXPORTING ORGANIC PRODUCTS
The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released a new publication to help developing countries capture some of the growing export market in organic agriculture. The publication, Organic Fruit and Vegetables from the Tropics: Market, Certification and Production Information for Producers and International Trading Companies, offers recommendations on how developing countries can implement food quality and safety programmes, increase consumer confidence and conform with the regulations of importing countries. It also contains information on market potential and access conditions in Europe, North America and Japan. Currently, only a few developing countries have fully employed the organic production methods necessary to meet the high sanitary and technical requirements of importing countries. As a result, producers in Europe and the US supply most of the export market, worth USD 20 billion in 2000 and expected to grow between 10 and 30 percent in the next 10 years. There is growing recognition that certain regulations in developed countries can be overly burdensome for developing country organic producers, and effectively prevent them from competing in the organic export market. A recent study of the Swedish National Board of Trade contains recommendations for how EU market access could be facilitated for developing country organic producers.
To access the UNCTAD report, visit http://www.unctad.org/Templates/webflyer.asp? docid=3500&intItemID=1397&lang=1.
To view the report of the Swedish National Board of Trade, see http://www.kommers.se/binaries/attachments/1691_Handel_med_ekologiskt_od lade_varor.pdf.
ICTSD reporting; "Marketing organic tropical produce", UNCTAD Press release, 31 October 2003.
CASPIAN RANGE STATES FINALLY ADOPT CASPIAN SEA CONVENTION
Ministers from the five Caspian littoral states — Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan — met on 4 November for a ceremony at the Iranian capital, Tehran, to sign the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea. While four of the countries signed the treaty designed to protect the fragile environment of the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan refused to sign the Convention, arguing that it needed more time to consider its terms. However, on 8 November Turkmeni Environment Minister Matkarim Radzhapov returned to the Iranian capital and added his name to the treaty. The Framework Convention aims to reverse ecological and environmental damage in the Caspian Sea area caused by industrial pollution, sewage and leaks from oil refineries. The sea also suffers from uncontrolled fishing of the caviar-producing sturgeon, the over-exploitation of marine resources, and the destruction of the region’s biological diversity. The adoption of the Framework Convention has been the objective of a five-year process under the Caspian Environment Programme (CEP) implemented by UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank. The initiative has also been linked to a process under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) on the protection of Caspian sturgeon, the stocks of which have declined by 90 percent since the late 1970s (see BRIDGES Weekly, 19 June 2001). Until recently, the five littoral states were at odds over the legal status of the Caspian Sea, as this question has significant implications for each country’s share of the enormous oil reserves of the Caspian. The Convention is the first treaty adopted by the five new, young countries, inexperienced in international political dialogue. The accord now goes to member governments for ratification, a process that could take several more years.
"Turkmenistan signs Caspian Sea Environmental treaty," UN WIRE, 11 November 2003; "Turkmenistan backs away from landmark Caspian agreement," IRIN, 5 November 2003; "Turkmenistan walks away from Caspian Sea treaty," UN WIRE, 5 November 2003; "Caspian states sign deal to protect caviar sea," REUTERS, 4 November 2003.
COMPROMISE REACHED ON MONITORING SYSTEM FOR CONFLICT DIAMONDS
A compromise was reached on 30 October between all participants in the UN- backed Kimberley Process for a voluntary monitoring system to prove countries’ compliance with Process rules. The Kimberley Process is an international initiative launched in 2000 aimed at breaking the link between legitimate trade in diamonds and conflict diamonds (rough diamonds used to finance conflicts). The Kimberley Process requires each diamond-trading or producing country to issue a certificate of origin for every diamond to ensure it does not come from a conflict area. Representatives from 55 countries, the diamond industry and NGO’s agreed to a monitoring system that uses ‘review visits’ to countries that volunteer to show their compliance with Kimberley Process rules. The monitoring system was agreed on as a compromise between demands by countries such as South Africa and numerous NGO’s — who were calling for a regular independent monitoring system — and countries like Australia, China, India and Japan, who opposed mandatory reviews. The Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, two countries allegedly steeped in the diamond trade, have already volunteered to be reviewed by the end of the year. Several NGO’s, including Fatal Transactions, Amnesty International and ActionAid, harshly criticised the voluntary monitoring plan stating that it lacked independent and regular scrutiny.
The WTO Council for Trade in Goods approved a waiver from WTO rules for countries implementing the Kimberly Process earlier this year (see BRIDGES Weekly, 27 February 2003).
ICTSD reporting; "Countries Adopt Monitoring Process For Conflict Diamonds," UNWIRE, 31 October.