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FISHERIES TALKS STUMBLE ALONG AT WTO
FISHERIES TALKS STUMBLE ALONG AT WTO As part of week-long discussions in the Negotiating Group on Rules, WTO Members on 3 June briefly examined two submissions on fisheries subsidies from the EC and the US. Members looked at a new paper from the EC on enforcement and transparency measures, requesting clarification on the dual notification system…
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ANIMAL HEALTH ORGANISATION LOOKS AT TRADE, BIOTECH STANDARDS
ANIMAL HEALTH ORGANISATION LOOKS AT TRADE, BIOTECH STANDARDS At the 73rd General Session of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), meeting from 22-27 May in Paris, France, OIE members heard presentations and adopted resolutions on genetically engineered animals and the relationship between the implementation of the organisation’s standards and international trade. OIE Standards have…
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MOP-2: DIVISIONS OVER LABELLING PROVE INSURMOUNTABLE AT BIOSAFETY MEET
MOP-2: DIVISIONS OVER LABELLING PROVE INSURMOUNTABLE AT BIOSAFETY MEET After long and difficult negotiations, talks on documentation requirements for shipments of living modified organisms for use as food or feed, or for processing (LMO-FFPs) finally broke down on the last day of the 2nd Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (MOP-2), gathering…
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Agreement Reached on AARHUS Coverage of GMOs
Participants in the 25-27 May second meeting of the Parties to the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (the Aarhus Convention) agreed to extend the public’s legal right to participate in environmental decision-making, as set out in the Convention,…
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WTO Agriculture CTTE Takes up Green Box
WTO Members on 30 and 31 May re-started talks on exemptions to agricultural liberalisation commitments under the “Green Box” during informal negotiations of the Committee on Agriculture. Although WTO Members are in general required to reduce agricultural subsidies under the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) and the reduction commitments that are currently being negotiated, Annex 2…
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UNESCO Decides on Draft Convention on Cultural, Artistic Diversity
The third session of the intergovernmental meeting of experts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 3 June decided to forward a draft Convention on the Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions to an upcoming UNESCO General Conference in October 2005 for approval. The third session of…
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WIPO: No Agreement at Patent Harmonisation Talks
Differences between developed and developing countries on how to multilaterally harmonise patent law and related procedures widened at a 1-3 June meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO) Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP). The SCP is the central body in WIPO that moves ahead patent law harmonisation. Its central purpose is…
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UNFF Fails to Agree on Strengthened Forest Arrangements
Delegates meeting in New York from 16-27 May for the fifth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF-5) were unable to agree on a strengthened International Arrangement on Forests (IAF) that, it had been hoped, would bring much-needed improvements in the international governance of forestry issues after many years of talks. A number…
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Controversy on Japanese Whaling Proposal in Lead-up to IWC
A leaked document suggesting that Japan will seek to expand its quotas for scientific whaling dominated a heated debate in the run up to the 57th Annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). According to the leaked document, Japan will try to get approval at the 20-24 June meeting to double their current minke…
- 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 10-19 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 Sarah Mohan . WHO DECIDES? GM CROPS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD. By the Panos Institute, June 2005. Government decisions about genetically modified (GM) food are having…