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TROPICAL TIMBER COUNCIL TACKLES ILLEGAL LOGGING, TRADE IN THREATENED SPECIES
TROPICAL TIMBER COUNCIL TACKLES ILLEGAL LOGGING, TRADE IN THREATENED SPECIES Illegal logging and trade in threatened timber species featured prominently at a major international forest policy meeting in Papua New Guinea. With an eye to improving the conservation and management of the world’s forests, delegates discussed ways to combat illegal timber practices and control trade in…
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MULTILATERAL TALKS AT A CROSSROADS IN 2007?
MULTILATERAL TALKS AT A CROSSROADS IN 2007? The head of the WTO, Pascal Lamy, has drawn parallels between the arduous negotiations on trade and those on climate change, stressing the importance of finding multilateral solutions. According to Lamy, "If there were to be a failure [of the Doha Round trade negotiations], it would be a serious…
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CODEX: WORK ON LABELLING OF BIOTECH FOOD TO CONTINUE
CODEX: WORK ON LABELLING OF BIOTECH FOOD TO CONTINUE Delegates at the 35th session of Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) held from 30 April to 4 May in Ottawa, Canada, agreed to establish a working group to continue work on Draft Guidelines for the labelling of biotech food and food ingredients. Discussions were based on…
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COMMENTARY: THE GLOBAL ENERGY AND CLIMATE AGENDA -- STUCK IN PARALYSIS OR TIME TO RETHINK OLD AGENDAS?
COMMENTARY: THE GLOBAL ENERGY AND CLIMATE AGENDA — STUCK IN PARALYSIS OR TIME TO RETHINK OLD AGENDAS? Currently hardly any issue is dividing the players in the international political arena more than climate and energy. Climate is the "make it or break it" issue for the G8 summit in June. The quest for energy resources is…
- In Brief
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Marine Scientists Appeal to WTO to Halt Overfishing
A group of international marine scientists have appealed to WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy, asking him to push for a slashing of fisheries subsidies that they believe are the principle cause for declining fish stocks in the world’s oceans. Signed by a group of 125 fisheries experts from 27 countries, the declaration was delivered to the…
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Environmental Provisions Strengthened Under White House, Democrat Trade Deal
The Bush administration and senior Democratic lawmakers announced an agreement on 10 May that imposes substantial new environmental standards on the US and its potential trading partners. The pact, which followed six months of intense negotiations after Democrats took control of Congress, received the cautious support of several environmental groups, who said in a joint news…
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Asian Nations Toughen Stance on Wildlife Smuggling
Wildlife officials from ten Southeast Asian nations have agreed on measures to crack down on illegal trade in wildlife, a multibillion dollar industry that has deep roots in the region. The meeting of the Wildlife Enforcement Network (WEN) — established under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) — was held in Bogor, Indonesia from 22-23…
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Future Fate of Foodstuffs
While agriculture trade negotiators worldwide are fixed on the end of 2007 for most of their pressing deadlines, those in the food and agricultural technology industry are looking further into the future. Some industry experts believe that by 2040 the world’s food supply will no longer rely on conventional agriculture, but instead be produced on…
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A Fresh Look at the Commodities Problem
A new multi-stakeholder process has recently been set up to address commodities problems from a poverty reduction and development perspective. A conference on “The Global Initiative on Commodities,” held from 7-11 May in Brasilia, Brazil, aimed to re-launch the commodities agenda from a poverty reduction and development perspective, raise the profile and understanding of commodity issues…
- 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, http://www.trade-environment.org/page/calendar.htm. Coming up in the next two weeks 28-30 May Anchorage, Alaska: INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION. The fifty-ninth annual meeting of the IWC will be preceded by a meeting of the Scientific Committee from 7 to 18 May, and…
- 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 for review by the Bridges staff to Malena Sell at msell@ictsd.ch. WHALES, SUSTAINABILITY AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE. By Duncan Currie (Review of European Community and International Environmental Law 16, 2007). The international governance…