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SPS Committee Considers Establishing Working Group on Private Sector Standards
The WTO Committee that deals with food safety and animal and plant health measures recently considered the option of creating a new group to look at the controversial issue of private sector standards. Members also discussed procedures for using the Chair’s help to find a solution in cases where parties are in disagreement with regard…
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TRIPS Council Considers Disclosure Issues; Divisions Remain
WTO Members continued to disagree on biodiversity-related issues at the latest Council on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), held on 17 June. Members’ disagreements centred on a proposed amendment to the TRIPS Agreement, which would incorporate a ‘disclosure of origin’ requirement for biological resources (IP/C/W/474, available at http://docsonli.wto.org), as…
- In Brief
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US and Canada Appeal WTO Beef Hormone Dispute Ruling
In the most recent development of an ongoing transatlantic dispute, the US and Canada have filed appeals to a WTO panel ruling that found fault with the two countries’ method of implementing trade sanctions. The US and Canadian claims, both submitted on 9 June, follow an appeal filed by the EU late last month (see…
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G-8 Finance Ministers Support Climate Investment Funds
With the G-8 Summit of the world’s largest economies fast approaching, G-8 finance ministers met in Osaka for two days in mid-June to discuss a broad range of issues including the world economy, surging oil prices, development and climate change. Soaring commodity prices and lingering damage from the 2007 sub-prime mortgage crisis in the US has…
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Oxfam: Biofuels Threaten the Poorest
The diversion of food crops and land use for the production of biofuels accounts for up to 30 percent of the recent rise in food prices, severely impacting the poorest, a recent report from humanitarian group Oxfam International claims. The 25 June report, entitled “Another inconvenient truth: How biofuel policies are deepening poverty and accelerating climate…
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Brazil Signs Sustainable Ethanol Deal With Sweden
Brazilian ethanol firms Cosan, Guarani, NovAmerica and Alcoeste have signed a deal to export 115 million litres of certified sustainable anhydrous ethanol to Sweden-based Sekab. The agreement marks the first shipments to Europe with strict social and environmental standards. The standards include zero tolerance for child and slave labour, with the requirement that mills have 100…
- 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 29 June to 4 July, Kushiro, Japan. WORKSHOP ON BIODIVERSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE. Co-organized by the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Kushiro International Wetland Centre,…
- 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. GREEN HARBOURS: HONG KONG AND SHENZHEN REDUCING MARINE AND PORT-RELATED EMISSIONS. By Veroncia Galbraith, Lynne Curry and Christine Loh, Civic Exchange, June…