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NGOs Concerned About Trade-Bias in WSSD Preparatory Process
NGOs Concerned About Trade-Bias in WSSD Preparatory Process The second Preparatory Meeting (PrepCom II) for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) ended on 8 February with the adoption of the Chair’s Paper, which raises amongst other issues a number of trade- related points, including market access, subsidies and intellectual property. The Paper will form…
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Misappropriation of Traditional Knowledge Discussed at CBD Working Group
Misappropriation of Traditional Knowledge Discussed at CBD Working Group The Ad Hoc Open-ended Inter-Sessional Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions — established by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) — held its second meeting from 4-8 February in Montreal. Some of the liveliest discussions centred on intellectual property,…
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Government Panel to Review Brazil's GMO Policy
The government of Brazil has set up an inter-ministerial committee to review the country’s rules on labelling products containing genetically modified organisms (GMO). In particular, the committee will reassess a federal decree issued in July 2001 which requires all packaged food with a GMO content of more than 4 percent to be labelled by 2002,…
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US Climate Policy Met with Disappointment
US Climate Policy Met with Disappointment US President George W. Bush’s proposed plan released on 14 February to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other pollutants was met with widespread criticism by the conservation community for the lack of mandatory measures to reduce GHGs. Their calls to urgently address global warming were supported by two new…
- In Brief
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South Africa to Request CITES’ Permission for Rhino Horn Trade
The government of South Africa recently announced that it would seek permission from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to trade in white rhinoceros horns. The trade in rhino horns, which are used as dagger handles in Yemen and as traditional medicines in southeast Asia, has been prohibited under CITES since 1977.…
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Species-Rich Countries Band Together to Fight Biopiracy
Twelve of the world’s most ecologically diverse nations signed an agreement in Cancun, Mexico, on 18 February to protect against biopiracy and advocate rules protecting their people’s rights to genetic resources found on their territory. The alliance, formally called the Group of Allied Mega-Biodiverse Nations, brings together the biodiversity-rich countries of Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa…
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FAO Sub-Committee Discusses Implications of Doha
At the 8th Session of the Sub-Committee on Fish Trade of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s Committee on Fisheries (COFI), held in Bremen, Germany, on 12-16 February, delegates highlighted the overlap between FAO’s work and the current round of trade negotiations launched at the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha. While underlining the…
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WTO Agrees on Chairs, Ready to Begin Substantive Negotiations
On 15 February, WTO Members agreed on Chairs for the seven negotiating groups and regular bodies of the WTO (see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 7 February 2002), thereby paving the way for Members to begin scheduling the negotiations timetable to execute the mandate from the Doha Ministerial Declaration agreed in Qatar last November. A number of…
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In Brief
South Africa To Request CITES’ Permission For Rhino Horn Trade The government of South Africa recently announced that it would seek permission from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to trade in white rhinoceros horns. The trade in rhino horns, which are used as dagger handles in Yemen and as traditional medicines…
- 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. Coming up in the next two weeks 21-22 February, London, UK: CONFERENCE ON HOW INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS COULD WORK BETTER FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND POOR PEOPLE. Organised by the UK Commission on Intellectual Property Rights. The conference precedes the…
- 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. Submissions of publications to ICTSD’s documentation centre would also be welcome (contact Matteo Rizzolli). "Value of biodiversity in pharmaceutical research with differentiated products," by…