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WIPO Committee Continues Discussions on Legal Protection for TK
WIPO COMMITTEE CONTINUES DISCUSSIONS ON LEGAL PROTECTION FOR TK Extensive discussions continued at the fourth meeting of the WIPO [World Intellectual Property Organization] Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore on 9-17 December on possible ways of providing legal protection for traditional knowledge (TK) and folklore, including…
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EU Ministers Agonise over Fishing Quotas and Discuss AG Proposal
EU MINISTERS AGONISE OVER FISHING QUOTAS AND DISCUSS AG PROPOSAL EU Ministers, meeting for the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 16-19 December, faced the toughest negotiations for years on a compromise deal on 2003 fishing quotas. They furthermore discussed the European Commission’s new proposal outlining the EU’s negotiating stance in the current agriculture talks at the…
- In Brief
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India’s Upper Chamber Passes Biodiversity Bill
After two years since its introduction, the Indian Biological Diversity Bill 2000 was finally passed by the Upper Chamber of the Indian Parliament. The Bill, which constitutes the first such legislation in any of the 12 megadiverse countries, aims to prevent biopiracy and protect biodiversity and local farmers by regulating access to plant and animal…
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Alien Species Threaten Southern African Biodiversity
The indigenous biodiversity of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is increasingly under threat from alien invasive species, a recent report by the Southern Africa Biodiversity Support Program (SABSP) concluded. The report points out that thousands of hectares of the region’s land and water have already been contaminated by thousands of alien plant species. The…
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Brazilian AG Minister Speaks Out in Favour of GMOs
The new Brazilian Agriculture Minister Roberto Rodrigues, who heads the Brazilian Association of Agribusiness, spoke out in favour of legalising genetically modified (GM) crops. “We need to give Brazilian farmers the chance to use GM crops, as long as there is absolute control, labelling and scientific assurances that there is no impact on public health…
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New Zealand Releases New Anti-Pest Biosecurity Plan
Following two years of consultation and study, New Zealand’s Biosecurity Council released its draft Biosecurity Strategy, which will now receive public comments and go through a final round of consultations to be closed on 28 February 2003. The government plans to finalise the Strategy by June 2003. The director of the MAF Biosecurity Authority, Barry…
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Free Trade Can Be Good for Environment, CEC Report Concludes
On average, free trade has been both good and bad for the environment in Mexico, Canada and the US under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), concludes a report by the Commission on Environmental Cooperation (CEC), the environmental watchdog established under NAFTA. The report entitled ” Free Trade and the Environment: The Picture becomes…
- 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 2003 2-7 January, Hyderabad, India: ASIAN…
- 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. NON-VOLUNTARY LICENSING OF PATENTED INVENTIONS. By Jerome H. Reichman and Catherine Hasenzahl, October 2002. Produced as part of the UNCTAD-ICTSD Capacity Building Project On…