-
TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT: MEMBERS PROGRESS ON INFORMATION EXCHANGE, STILL STUCK ON EGS
TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT: MEMBERS PROGRESS ON INFORMATION EXCHANGE, STILL STUCK ON EGS Members recently discussed all aspects of the Doha negotiating mandate on environment. According to sources, participants at the 2-3 May meeting of the special (negotiating) session of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) mainly made progress on ways to facilitate information exchange…
-
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES: EU, OTHERS REITERATE MARKET ACCESS REQUEST
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES: EU, OTHERS REITERATE MARKET ACCESS REQUEST Members have discussed environmental services — such as sanitation or nature protection — during a recent ‘cluster’ of services talks at the WTO. Participants mainly focused on technical details related to a ‘plurilateral’ request for market opening made by the EU and a number of co-sponsors more…
-
WTO: MEMBERS DISCUSS DETAILS OF US PROPOSAL ON FISHERIES SUBSIDIES
WTO: MEMBERS DISCUSS DETAILS OF US PROPOSAL ON FISHERIES SUBSIDIES The US has called for sweeping eliminations on fisheries subsidies under the Doha Round talks. At a meeting of the WTO Negotiating Group on Rules on 1 May, Members discussed the US proposal — initially submitted in March 2007 — which represents a far-reaching effort to modify…
-
UNFF AGREEMENT ADDRESSES ILLICIT TRAFFICKING, SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT
UNFF AGREEMENT ADDRESSES ILLICIT TRAFFICKING, SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT After years of disagreeing on how to proceed with regard to global forest governance, negotiators meeting under the auspices of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) agreed on 28 April to a non-legally binding instrument that establishes objectives and guidelines to promote sustainable forest management at the…
-
CLIMATE CHANGE: SCIENTISTS SAY CARBON EMISSIONS CAN BE REDUCED AT REASONABLE COST
CLIMATE CHANGE: SCIENTISTS SAY CARBON EMISSIONS CAN BE REDUCED AT REASONABLE COST According to a new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) — the scientific body examining global climate research — measures to mitigate global warming can be undertaken at reasonable cost. The report was released on 4 May in Bangkok following international…
-
BRAZIL CALLS WTO RULING IN RETREADED TYRES DISPUTE 'FAVOURABLE'
BRAZIL CALLS WTO RULING IN RETREADED TYRES DISPUTE ‘FAVOURABLE’ Brasilia has expressed satisfaction with the ruling of a WTO dispute panel in the EU’s high-profile complaint against its import limitations on ‘retreaded tyres’. It claims that the decision was largely favourable to its environmental and health-related arguments for the restrictions. Brussels is studying…
- In Brief
-
Controversial Monsanto Soy Patent Revoked
The European Patent Office (EPO) has revoked a patent held by Monsanto on a technique for the genetic modification of soybean plants. In a decision on 3 May in Munich, an EPO appeal board ruled that the patent lacked “novelty” as well as sufficient disclosure, a designation that indicates that a skilled person could replicate…
-
CTE: Members Discuss Organic Standards
Discussions at a recent meeting of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE), described as “uneventful” by participants, focused mainly on environmental requirements and market access issues, particularly standards in organic agriculture. During the brief meeting on 2 May, many Members said they saw organic standards as an opportunity, but also recognised the difficulties…
-
Compliance, Effectiveness, and Technical Assistance Top Chemicals Meeting Agenda
Delegates meeting for the third Conference of the Parties (COP-3) to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) spend a significant amount of energy trying to bridge differences over how to monitor and enforce compliance. Meeting in Dakar, Senegal, from 30 April - 4 May, they also discussed, inter alia, issues related to the…
-
A Step Towards a Mechanism of Scientific Expertise on Biodiversity
Recent discussions have added perspectives on how to move forward on a mechanism that would strengthen the link between science and policy with regard to biodiversity protection. A European regional consultation on the development of an International Mechanism of Scientific Expertise on Biodiversity (IMoSEB) was held in Geneva, Switzerland on 26-28 April. Meeting participants, which included…
- 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. Coming up in the next two weeks 7-12…
- 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 for review by the BRIDGES staff to Malena Sell. SUSTAINABLE ENERGY: A FRAMEWORK FOR DECISION MAKERS. UN-Energy (8 May 2007). This report presents a comprehensive review of the likely economic, environmental, and social…