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BEIJING CONSENSUS CREATES BLUEPRINT FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
BEIJING CONSENSUS CREATES BLUEPRINT FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT Experts on agriculture, environment and economics from around the world met in Beijing, China for a 9-10 September dialogue on "Agricultural and Rural Development in the 21st Century". The meeting, which was hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), included…
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GOVERNMENT ROLE IN FOREST CERTIFICATION QUESTIONED
GOVERNMENT ROLE IN FOREST CERTIFICATION QUESTIONED Diverse visions of the relationship between governments and forest certification arose at a policy forum organised by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) and the FAO in Geneva on 29 September. European governments, along with several other countries, shared their experiences with forest certification during the one-day discussion organised…
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CONSUMERS GROUP SAYS STANDARDS MUST ADDRESS CONSUMER CONCERNS
CONSUMERS GROUP SAYS STANDARDS MUST ADDRESS CONSUMER CONCERNS Standard-setting bodies need to stay true to their original goal of protecting food safety and plant and animal health, Consumers International (CI) said at a public hearing on 20 September. Representatives of the global consumer group federation told WTO delegates, non-governmental organisations and academics meeting in Geneva that…
- In Brief
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US Bans Caspian Sea Beluga Caviar
On 30 September the US suspended imports of beluga caviar from Caspian Sea nations after they failed to present information on their conservation efforts by the 6 September deadline. Survey results cited in Science magazine in September 2004 indicate that the stocks of the Caspian beluga sturgeon have declined as much as 30 percent in…
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Thai GM Papaya Benefit-Sharing Deal Causes Concern
Thailand’s Department of Agriculture said on 26 September that it is likely to sign an agreement with US-based Cornell Research Foundation to share the benefits from the patenting and commercialisation of a virus-resistant genetically modified papaya called eksotika. The deal would cover a gene making the variety resistant to the papaya ringspot virus, a disease…
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Fisherfolk Conference Adopts Jakarta Declaration
During a workshop in Jakarta on 26 to 28 September, approximately 40 participants representing small-scale fisherfolk organisations from Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines arrived at a common position on trade liberalisation of fisheries and the definition of small-scale, ‘artisanal’ fisheries. The conference, which was organised by the SEAFish for Justice Network…
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Codex Starts Work on Second Generation Biotech
The Codex Alimentarius Commission Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology decided on 23 September to create guidelines for the conduct of food safety assessments of food derived from GM animals and from plants modified for nutritional and health benefits. The group was re-created by the Commission at its July 2005 session…
- 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 2-6 October,…
- 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 to BRIDGES staff at smohan@ictsd.ch. HOW TO LOBBY AT INTERGOVERNMENTAL MEETINGS- MINE IS A CAFÉ LATTE. By Felix Dodds and Michael Strauss, September 2005. This book is a guide on how…