Bridges Trade BioRes

Volume 4 • Number 18 8th October 2004

  • WIPO TAKES UP 'DEVELOPMENT AGENDA', MOVES ON DISCLOSURE
    WIPO TAKES UP ‘DEVELOPMENT AGENDA’, MOVES ON DISCLOSURE In response to a proposal put forward by Brazil and Argentina, the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) General Assembly (GA), taking place from 29 September to 5 October in Geneva, adopted a decision to move forward the discussions on a ‘development agenda’ in WIPO. The Assembly also set…
  • WTO MEMBERS SCRUTINISE JAPAN'S FISHERIES PROPOSAL
    WTO MEMBERS SCRUTINISE JAPAN’S FISHERIES PROPOSAL The ongoing negotiations on disciplining subsidies in the fisheries sector featured high on the agenda of the WTO Negotiating Group on Rules, meeting from 28-30 September in Geneva. Discussions focused mainly on a Japanese proposal on fisheries subsidies disciplines presented at the last meeting (see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 11 June…
  • AFRICAN BIOTECH MEETING WORKS TOWARDS POLICY CONSENSUS
    AFRICAN BIOTECH MEETING WORKS TOWARDS POLICY CONSENSUS On 20-22 September representatives from across Southern Africa met in Harare, Zimbabwe, for a policy dialogue aimed at building consensus and strategies for common action on biotechnology in the region. While delegates agreed that there was a need to develop a common approach to biotechnology regulation in order to…
  • In Brief
  • Thailand to Lead Initiative Against Wildlife Trafficking
    In his opening speech to the 13th Conference of the Parties (COP-13) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) in Bangkok on 2 October, Thailand’s Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra stressed the need for global and regional efforts to fight organised criminal activities related to international trade in…
  • Ugandan Coffee Exporters Concerned Over DDT Use
    The Ugandan Health Ministry’s approval of the use of DDT for the prevention of malaria has raised concerns among coffee farmers in Uganda over possible negative impacts on coffee exports. They fear that the DDT, though sprayed only in houses, could easily spill into agricultural fields, thus contaminating agricultural products that are then exported to…
  • 'Open-Source' Initiative to Facilitate Biotech Research
    Biologists launched an ‘open-source’ initiative last week which aims to make research tools, information and patented technologies more readily available to scientists, in particular in developing countries. Founded by the Australia-based Center for the Application for Molecular Biology to International Agriculture (CAMBIA), the Biological Innovation for Open Society (BIOS) initiative describes…
  • Report Highlights Liberalisation Impacts on Energy Efficiency
    Market liberalisation in Central and Eastern Europe as part of EU accession has neglected opportunities to enhance energy efficiency in the region, the environmental group WWF concluded in its September 2004 report entitled “Ending wasteful energy use in Central and Eastern Europe“. “In preparing countries of Central and Eastern Europe for the accession to the…
  • Draft Plan Released on Millennium Development Goals
    On 23 September, an advisory body to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan — the Millennium Project — released a preliminary draft report on meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Regarding the role of trade, the draft report stresses that while increased openness to trade is key to economic development, it is not a “magic bullet” for…
  • Russia's Kyoto Ratification Reaching Home Stretch?
    On 30 September, the Russian Cabinet approved a draft law aimed at the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, which would trigger the Protocol’s entry into force. For Russian ratification to proceed, the law has to be approved by the State Duma (the lower house of the Russian parliament, which is dominated by President Vladimir Putin’s…
  • 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 Event 14 October, Geneva, Switzerland: ROUNDTABLE ON…
  • 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 Heike Baumüller. THE EARTHSCAN READER IN ENVIRONMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND RURAL LIVELIHOODS. Edited by Samantha Jones and Grace Carswell, September 2004. This reader brings together a core…