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ORGANIC GROUP OKS PRODUCE FLOWN IN FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ORGANIC GROUP OKS PRODUCE FLOWN IN FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES A leading organic organisation in the UK recently said it would continue to certify air freighted fresh produce from developing countries, despite concerns over their "carbon footprint." The decision followed extensive stakeholder consultations, and came with strings attached - the agricultural products would also have to adhere…
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WTO: WORK ON VOLUNTARY STANDARDS TO CONTINUE
WTO: WORK ON VOLUNTARY STANDARDS TO CONTINUE A group at the WTO has been discussing transparency issues with regard to the large number of both government-set and private standards, hoping to improve export opportunities and simplify trade in food products. At a meeting of the WTO Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Products (SPS), held from 18-19 October,…
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FISHERIES NEGOTIATING TEXT DUE SOON, SAYS CHAIR
FISHERIES NEGOTIATING TEXT DUE SOON, SAYS CHAIR The chair of the Doha Round negotiations on rules governing fisheries subsidy spending has said that he is ready to issue a draft agreement text to serve as the basis for future discussions, though this would depend to some extent on the agriculture and industrial goods talks. Chair Ambassador Guillermo…
- In Brief
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LDC Group Supports Biodiversity Amendment in WTO Council on Intellectual Property
At a recent meeting on intellectual property at the WTO, the group of least-developed countries come out in support of a proposal to amend TRIPS rules to require patent applicants to disclose the origin of genetic resources or traditional knowledge used in their inventions. At the WTO Council for Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)…
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US Draft Climate Bills Trigger Trade Concerns
Two climate change bills currently under review in the US Senate include elements that have raised concern among some trading partners because they would require exporters of energy intensive goods to the US to buy greenhouse gas “emissions allowances” on the US market. The most recent bill, introduced on 18 October by Joe Lieberman (Independent) and…
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Toys Made in China Under Fire
A batch of toys made in China has recently been recalled in the US due to lead-related concerns. Approximately 20 million Chinese-manufactured toys have been recalled in the US over the past four months. Concerns have surfaced in other markets as well, and over products such as dog food and toothpaste. These issues have gotten considerable media…
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France Remains Suspicious of Biotechnology
French President Nicolas Sarkozy recently said he would allow no planting of genetically modified (GM) crops in France until they were evaluated by a new authority on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) set to be launched later this year. Speaking at a national conference on the environment on 25 October, Sarkozy said “I don’t want to be…
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GEO-4: Global Growth is Outpacing Sustainable Development
Twenty years after the Bruntland Commission coined the concept of sustainable development, a major UNEP stocktaking exercise of the state of the global environment has found that humanity has failed to come even close to achieving it. The fourth edition of UNEP’s Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-4), focusing on Environment for Development and launched on 25 October,…
- 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 5-10 November, Yokohama, Japan: 43RD SESSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL TROPICAL TIMBER COUNCIL AND ASSOCIATED COMMITTEES. internet: http://www.itto.or.jp/live/PageDisplayHandler?pageId=189 11-15 November,…
- 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. BIOFUELLING POVERTY: WHY THE EU RENEWABLE-FUEL TARGET MAY BE DISASTROUS FOR POOR PEOPLE. By Oxfam (November 2007). This paper looks at the…