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STRENGTHENING MULTILATERALISM: A MAPPING OF PROPOSALS ON WTO REFORM AND GLOBAL TRADE GOVERNANCE. By Carolyn Deere-Birkbeck and Catherine Monagle, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, November 2009. This mapping study starts from the premise that the WTO is a valuable and indispensible multilateral institution. However, after an eighty-year history, the multilateral trading system faces a suite of challenges and needs to be strengthened to better reflect the different political and economic times we live in, address the sustainable development challenges we face, and support the new aspirations of our generation. To access the publication, please visit http://ictsd.org/i/programmes-issues/multilateral-trading-system/61814/
CAPPING UNUSUALLY HIGH TARIFFS: THE WTO DOHA ROUND AND ‘TARIFF PEAKS’. This information note examines the proposed tariff cap and what this would mean for countries with extremely high tariffs. The tariff peaks of Iceland, Japan, Norway and Switzerland are examined in closer detail. For more information, please see http://ictsd.org/i/publications/60731/. Connect with the ICTSD Agriculture Programme for the most relevant information on agricultural trade on Facebook and on Twitter. Or join the email list.
STUDY ON INTRAREGIONAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT IN SOUTH ASIA. Asian Development Bank, 2009. This study broadens and deepens intraregional cooperation and integration in trade and investment among South Asian countries. It showcases the benefits of regional integration and presents an array of policy recommendations to maximise and realise such gains. Three parallel initiatives are presented: first, a call for reduction in nontariff barriers to deepen the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA); second, expansion of SAFTA’s scope to include investments and services; and third, focus on key industries to succinctly demonstrate the process and benefits of reforms. The study invigorates the debate and focus on South Asian integration as a means to further growth and reduce poverty. This resource is available at http://www.adb.org/Documents/Books/Intraregional-Trade-Investment/default.asp
THE IMPACT OF THE DOHA ROUND ON KENYA. By Eduardo Zepeda et al, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, November 2009. Kenya’s economy has yet to recover from the global financial crisis and the political upheaval and social violence that followed the disputed elections at the end of 2007. The implementation of a likely agreement of the ongoing Doha Round of trade negotiations would improve Kenya’s competitive position in processed food and agriculture, but would harm manufacturing and mining. Depending on the content of negotiations, the liberalisation of trade in goods would boost the country’s GDP by 0.2 percent annually, placing Kenya on the winning side of Doha. However, the benefits would be small, according to the report from the Carnegie Endowment, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, United Nations Development Programme, and Kenya Institute for Policy Research and Analysis. To download the report, please visit http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=24087
STATISTICS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN BANKING SERVICES: REQUIREMENTS, AVAILABILITY AND PROSPECTS. By Andrew Cornford. UNCTAD, 2 November 2009. This paper addresses the availability of statistical data for international trade in banking services. Such data are required for WTO negotiations and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). Following a discussion of areas of work for which data on international trade in banking services are required and of the outcome so far of international initiatives directed at the development of statistics for international trade in services, the availability of statistics relevant to the different GATS Modes of Supply of banking services of the GATS is reviewed. The paper focuses on two promising categories of information, namely the income statements of banks, which depend on data already generated by private-sector entities, and data on trading in financial markets. In particular, the paper shows how information in the income statements can be approximately matched to the activities specified in the definition of financial services in the Annex on Financial Services of the GATS, exemplifying the argument with recent income statements of Jordanian banks. To access this resource, visit http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/osgdp20092_en.pdf
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