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CITES Callenges as It Considers Heavily Traded Commodities
CITES Faces New Challenges as It Considers Heavily Traded Commodities The upcoming 12th Conference of the Parties (COP-12) to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) on 3-15 November in Santiago, Chile, might mark an important milestone in CITES’ history, paving the way towards extending the Convention’s scope…
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Top-Down or Bottom-Up? Members Deliberate How to Address WTO-MEA Relationship
Top-Down or Bottom-Up? Members Deliberate How to Address WTO-MEA Relationship At the third meeting of the special (negotiating) session of the WTO Committee on Environment (CTE) on 10-11 October, WTO Members continued to disagree on how to examine the relationship between the WTO and multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). Major discussions took place over whether Members should…
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EU Agriculture Ministers Fail to Finalise GMO Rules
EU Agriculture Ministers Fail to Finalise GMO Rules The European Council of Agriculture Ministers at its 14-16 October meeting failed to reach agreement on the European Commission’s proposed labelling and traceability regulations for genetically modified organisms (GMOs), instead postponing the debate to next month’s Council meeting. Discussions on the EU’s GMO-related regulations…
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WTO Stalemate Persists over Developing Country Imports of Generics
WTO Stalemate Persists over Developing Country Imports of Generics Meeting last week from 14-17 October, delegates from both Geneva-based trade missions and capitals were unable to reach a compromise around compulsory licensing options for developing countries under the WTO’s Doha mandate on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) and public health. Despite a Chair’s…
- In Brief
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Iceland Rejoining Whaling Commission
During a special meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Cambridge, UK on 14 October, IWC members voted for Iceland again to become a full member of the Commission, despite the country’s reservation on the global moratorium on whaling. The vote was extremely close, with 19 votes in favour and 18 against. Conservationists now…
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CGRFA Discussions Highlight Split over Biotech and IPRS
Debates on issues related to biotechnology and intellectual property rights (IPRs) at the ninth session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) on 14-18 October in Rome, Italy, highlighted differences between those countries favouring a precautionary approach and food security, and those wanting to promote market access for new technologies and…
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EU Plans Sugar Policy Reforms in Light of New Report
A recent report commissioned by the Agriculture Directorate-General of the European Commission states that the EU’s sugar production subsidisation and pricing system have contributed to intensive farming practices that can lead to environmental degradation. “In the absence of price support and production quotas, the EU would probably devote a smaller area of land to sugar…
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In Brief
ICELAND REJOINING WHALING COMMISSION During a special meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Cambridge, UK on 14 October, IWC members voted for Iceland again to become a full member of the Commission, despite the country’s reservation on the global moratorium on whaling. The vote was extremely close, with 19 votes in favour and 18…
- Events
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Events
For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar. Please bear in mind that dates and times of WTO meetings are often changed, and that the WTO does not always announce the important informal meetings of the different bodies. Coming up in the next two weeks 23 October…
- Resources
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Resources
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. Communication from the European Communities and their Member States: “Review of Article 27.3 (b) of the TRIPS Agreement, and the relationship wbetween the TRIPS…