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WTO ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MAKES SLOW PROGRESS
WTO ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MAKES SLOW PROGRESS In what was described as a meeting "lacking in energy", the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) convened for its regular session on 21 June, with discussions focusing on paragraph 51 of the Doha Mandate. The generally more constructive debates in the special session on 22 June revolved around…
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BIODIVERSITY DISCUSSIONS STAGNATE IN TRIPS COUNCIL
BIODIVERSITY DISCUSSIONS STAGNATE IN TRIPS COUNCIL On 16 June, trade delegates convened to continue their discussions on Article 27.3(b) (patentability of life forms), genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore in the WTO Council for Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Despite continued efforts by developing countries to keep these issues on the table, the meeting…
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UNCTAD XI TAKES ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES
UNCTAD XI TAKES ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES On 18 June, the eleventh ministerial meeting of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XI) closed with the adoption of a declaration entitled the "Spirit of São Paulo", as well as the "São Paulo Consensus", a negotiated document providing more detail on the role of UNCTAD…
- In Brief
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Costs of Marine Protection Lower than Fisheries Subsidies - Study
According to a new study by the environmental groups WWF and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the cost of establishing global networks of marine protected areas — estimated at US$ 12-14 billion — would be less than the amount annually spent on fisheries subsidies (US$ 15-30 billion). Such subsidies are frequently cited…
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Civil Society Groups Reject FAO Annual Report as Big Business PR
On 16 June 650 civil society organisations sent an open letter to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), rejecting its annual State of Food and Agriculture report. The report, released a month earlier, focused on the potential of biotechnology to address the needs of the world’s poor and food-insecure. The civil society response, however,…
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European Commission Adopts Action Plan on Organic Farming
The European Commission on 10 June adopted the “European Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming” in an effort to facilitate the ongoing development of organic farming in the EU. The Plan sets out 21 policy measures aimed at improving information dissemination about organic farming, streamlining public support via rural development, improving production standards, and…
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African Ministers Voice Cautious Support for Biotech
During the US-sponsored Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology, held from 21-23 June in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the Presidents of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Ghana expressed cautious support for biotechnology. “We cannot and must not wait on the sidelines of this global debate and ignore scientific and technological innovations that are crucial to progress……
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Biodiversity Forum Links Livelihoods and Conservation
On 9-11 June, the 4th Eastern and Southern African Regional Biodiversity Forum took place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, organised jointly by IUCN and ResourceAfrica. Under the overall theme of “Biodiversity and Livelihoods in Africa: Delivering on the Millennium Development Goals”, the Forum brought together 120 governmental and civil society actors from 18 countries in…
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WTO Panel Issues Final Report in US Cotton Case
On June 18, the WTO panel on Brazil’s challenge against US cotton subsidies confirmed its findings in a final report issued solely to the parties to the dispute (see BRIDGES Weekly, 28 April 2004). According to WTO practise, the report will be available to the public after it has been translated into the three working…
- 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 the next two weeks 27 June…
- 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. ICTSD AGRICULTURE NEGOTIATIONS AT THE WTO: ‘FRAMEWORK PHASE’ UPDATE REPORT. By ICTSD (June 2004). The aim of this report is to provide stakeholders in…