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CITES at a Crossroad - Elephants, Whales and Stricter Domestic Measures
CITES at a Crossroad - Elephants, Whales and Stricter Domestic Measures The use of economic incentives in the conservation of endangered species and the relationship between conversation measures and WTO rules were among the topics discussed during the first negotiating days of the 12th Conference of the Parties (COP-12) to the Convention on the International Trade…
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Civil Society Groups Scrutinise Intellectual Property Provisions in FTAA Text
Civil Society Groups Scrutinise Intellectual Property Provisions in FTAA Text A wide range of civil society representatives met on 29-30 October in Quito, Ecuador, for a stakeholder forum entitled “Towards Civil Society Participation in the Americas” to discuss the content and the process of the negotiations for the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The…
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US Sides with Developing Countries in Resisting Additional Climate Commitments
US Sides with Developing Countries in Resisting Additional Climate Commitments The deep division between developing and developed countries’ positions was again apparent at the Eighth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in New Delhi, India, on 23 October to 1 November. Many civil society groups accused the US of deliberately…
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Developing Countries Criticise WIPO for Meeting Clash
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) came under strong criticism from a number of developing countries for re-scheduling the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (Eighth Session) to exactly coincide with the November-session of the WTO Council for Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs). Discussions at the WIPO meeting will be closely linked…
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Illegal Planting of GM Soy in Brazil May Hurt Amazon
Brazil’s rejection of genetically modified (GM) soybeans - a decision generally praised by green groups - might cause increased degradation of the Amazonian rain forests, according to some observers. “Ironically, Brazil’s choice to produce non-GM soya is resulting in huge tracks of land being cleared,” said Andy Tait from the environmental group Greenpeace. William Laurance…
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Farmers Accuse CGIAR of Excessive Focus on ‘Techno-Fixes’
Hundreds of farmers from 10 countries — gathering for marches and a street conference at the annual meeting of the Consultative Group on Agriculture Research (CGIAR) held on 28 October - 1 November in Manila, Philippines — called for farmer-led and farmer-centred approaches to replace the current system of agricultural research. They claimed that the…
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New Gold Rush in Australian Rainforests
In what some termed as Australia’s new “gold rush”, corporations and scientists are hunting for new drugs and products to be derived from plants found in the country’s tropical rainforests. As Selwyn Snell, CEO of BioProspect Ltd., an Australian science group, pointed out, “Australia remains the last continent to be discovered in biodiversity.” The key…
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In Brief
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES CRITICISE WIPO FOR MEETING CLASH The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) came under strong criticism from a number of developing countries for re-scheduling the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (Eighth Session) to exactly coincide with the November-session of the WTO Council for Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs). Discussions at the…
- 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 3-15 November,…
- 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. GREENING THE AMERICAS: NAFTA’S LESSONS FOR HEMISPHERIC TRADE. Edited by Carolyn L. Deere and Daniel C. Esty. Forward by José María Figueres- Olsen. September…