Bridges Trade BioRes

Volume 4 • Number 11 11th June 2004

  • EC RELEASES FIRST SUBMISSIONS IN GMO DISPUTE - US RESPONDS
    EC RELEASES FIRST SUBMISSIONS IN GMO DISPUTE - US RESPONDS The EC has defended its policies on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in its first written submission in the dispute launched by the US against a ‘de facto’ EC moratorium on the approval and marketing of biotech products (see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 30 April 2004). The…
  • AGRICULTURE: MEMBERS STILL DIVIDED OVER MARKET ACCESS
    AGRICULTURE: MEMBERS STILL DIVIDED OVER MARKET ACCESS The special (negotiating) session of the WTO Committee on Agriculture (CoA) convened from 2-4 June for another ‘agriculture week’ in an effort to establish a negotiating framework agreement for the Doha agriculture talks, before delegates adjourn at the end of July for the annual WTO break. In his summary,…
  • JAPAN AND WWF ENGAGE IN FISHERIES SUBSIDIES DISCUSSION
    JAPAN AND WWF ENGAGE IN FISHERIES SUBSIDIES DISCUSSION The WTO Negotiating Group on Rules, which focuses on the review and improvement of WTO rules that govern issues such as dumping, antidumping measures, subsidies and countervailing measures, met from 7-8 June to consider, among other things, a surprise proposal by Japan focusing on how to…
  • In Brief
  • World's High Seas in Deep Trouble
    A group of environmental NGOs recently urged the UN to establish a moratorium on bottom trawling on the high seas in order to protect deep sea coral and sponge communities. The call was issued during the fifth meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (UNICPOLOS), held…
  • New IPPC Risk Analysis Guidelines for Biotech Plants
    On 1 June the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation published new guidelines for assessing the potential risk to plants and plant products posed by living modified organisms (LMOs). These guidelines were adopted in April by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary measure, the governing body of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). The guidelines were developed…
  • New Biodiversity Act for South Africa
    On 31 May Thabo Mbeki, the President of South Africa, signed the country’s new Biodiversity Act, providing political clout to the protection of the country’s biodiversity. The Act regulates the sharing of benefits derived from biodiversity products with local communities, thus protecting traditional knowledge and regulating bio-prospecting. It further requires full environmental impact assessment…
  • Report Highlights Environmental Concerns in Kenya
    The recent State of Environment Report of Kenya — a new publication produced by the Kenyan National Environment Authority (Nema) — highlights a number of environmental problems in the country. These include deforestation, waste disposal problems, biodiversity loss and pollution issues. Due to inadequate capacity and financial constraints, solid waste — including radioactive waste —…
  • 'Copenhagen Consesus' Challenged by Global Conscience Conference
    A group of economists participating in the Copenhagen Consensus conference from 24-28 May ranked preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, fighting hunger, and promoting free trade as the top three areas to take action in. The conference, organised by the Danish Environmental Assessment Institute, headed by Bjorn Lomborg, aimed at prioritising proposals for confronting ten global…
  • Positive Outlook for Investment in Renewable Energy
    The International Conference for Renewable Energies, “Renewables 2004” was held in Bonn, Germany, from 1-4 June. Key outcomes of the conference included the adoption of a political declaration, an international action program and policy recommendations. In the declaration, countries reaffirmed their “commitment to substantially increase with a sense of urgency the global share of…
  • 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. ICTSD 17 June, Sao Paolo, Brazil: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY…
  • Resources
  • 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. BIOTECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS IN FOOD PROCESSING: CAN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES BENEFIT? By the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations. Produced by Electronic Forum…