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WTO Negotiations Speed up in Lead-up to Cancun
From 10-14 September WTO Members will meet in Cancun, Mexico, for the fifth WTO Ministerial Conference to take stock of the current round of trade negotiations launched in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001. Environment- and biodiversity-related issues explicitly feature within the negotiating mandate of the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE), but are also folded…
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GMO Update: US-EU, China, Africa
GMO Update: US-EU, China, Africa US requests WTO panel in US-EU biotech dispute The US at the 18 August meeting of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) requested the establishment of a panel to rule on its complaint against the EU’s de facto moratorium on the approval of new genetically modified organisms (GMOs, see BRIDGES Weekly, 15…
- In Brief
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Iceland Commences Whaling - Pacific Islands Establish Sanctuary
Iceland has decided to resume its whaling activities and has announced that it would hunt 38 minke whales this summer under the scientific research provision of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). According to Iceland’s Ministry of Fisheries, the objective of the scientific whaling is to “gain knowledge on the role that minke whales have in…
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Vietnam to Appeal US Decision on Catfish Tariffs
Vietnam on 7 August announced that it would appeal a US Department of Commerce’s decision to impose US duties ranging form 37 to 64 percent on catfish products shipped from Vietnam. The increase put into effect a 23 July decision by the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to allow new duties on Vietnamese Tra and…
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Soft Drink Contamination Scandal Keeps Bubbling in India
On 21 August the Indian Minister of Health Sushma Swaraj confirmed that 9 out of 12 soft drinks tested by two certified laboratories were found to contain pesticide levels of 1.6 to 5.2 times above EU standards. “The assertion of the soft drink manufacturers that their product is within the EU limits has not…
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‘No-Go’ for Mining in World Heritage Sites
The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) signed a statement on 20 August, agreeing “not to explore or mine in World Heritage properties”. ICMM, which is comprised of 15 of the largest mining and metal producing companies, also committed to taking “all possible steps to ensure that operations are not incompatible with the outstanding…
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In Brief
In Brief ICELAND COMMENCES WHALING - PACIFIC ISLANDS ESTABLISH SANCTUARY Iceland has decided to resume its whaling activities and has announced that it would hunt 38 minke whales this summer under the scientific research provision of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). According to Iceland’s Ministry of Fisheries, the objective of the scientific whaling is to "gain…
- 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. ICTSD events 5-7 September, Cancun, Mexico: 18TH GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY…
- 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 Marianne Jacobsen. 26 DAYS LEFT BEFORE CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY ENTERS INTO FORCE: NECESSARY ACTION, PREPARATIONS, AND CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE 11TH SEPTEMBER 2003. By the International Service…