-
African Countries Take Plight of Cotton Farmers to WTO
In an unprecedented move, four West and Central African (WCA) countries — Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali — have joined forces to put forward a sectoral initiative at the WTO to eliminate cotton subsidies worldwide in an effort to ensure the survival and development of the cotton sector in their region. Observers have described…
-
GMO Update: EU-Egypt; EU; China
Egypt Withdraws From WTO Complaint Against EU Biotech Moratorium Egypt will not join the US’ WTO challenge of the EU’s de facto moratorium on the approval of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), according to a letter by Egypt’s EU Ambassador to the European Consumers’ Organization. The US in its consultation request to the EU had listed Egypt…
-
Tropical Timber Council Makes Progress on Forest Certification
Delegates at the 34th Council of the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) from 12-17 May in Panama City, Panama, made important progress on the contentious issue of certification, adopting a decision on phased certification schemes for sustainable forest management, which authorises the Executive Director to undertake further work on this issue. Trade-related issues also featured during…
- In Brief
-
Solution Urged to International Coffee Crisis
The International Coffee Organisation (ICO) and the World Bank held a high-level Roundtable on 19 May to address the global coffee crisis brought about by historically low prices. Raw coffee prices are at the lowest levels seen in 30 years, due to overproduction and low quality production, which have led to…
-
EU to Combat Illegal Timber Trade
The EU announced on 21 May an Action Plan to combat illegal logging and trade in related timber products. Global forest product trade is worth US$ 150 billion per year, and according to the European Commission, “in some forest-rich countries, the corruption fuelled by profits from illegal logging has grown to…
-
New EU Constitution Sidesteps Environment?
The draft of a new EU constitution, which will revamp the governance structure and accommodate the ten members joining in May 2004, was released in late May. The Convention on the Future of Europe — a body comprising EU and accession countries’ heads of state, members of parliament, officials from the…
-
In Brief
In Brief SOLUTION URGED TO INTERNATIONAL COFFEE CRISIS The International Coffee Organisation (ICO) and the World Bank held a high-level Roundtable on 19 May to address the global coffee crisis brought about by historically low prices. Raw coffee prices are at the lowest levels seen in 30 years, due to overproduction and low quality production, which…
- Events
-
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 26 May…
- Resources
-
Resources
GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS, A REVIEW OF PROPOSALS AT THE TRIPS COUNCIL: EXTENDING ARTICLE 23 TO PRODUCTS OTHER THAN WINES AND SPIRITS, by Dwijen Rangnekar, May 2003. Produced for the ICTSD-UNCTAD Capacity Building Project on IPRs. The paper critically analyses the submissions to the TRIPS Council on GI-extension, including an overview of the legal doctrines that frame…