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BIODIVERSITY WORKING GROUP MAKES HEADWAY ON ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING
Recent discussions on an international regime on access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing concluded on a positive note, with countries agreeing on a new structure to advance more detailed negotiations. Access and benefit sharing (ABS) remains one of the most complex issues under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and a priority for many developing countries.…
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ROUGH SAILING FOR FISHERIES SUBSIDY TALKS
ROUGH SAILING FOR FISHERIES SUBSIDY TALKS Divisions among WTO Members marked discussions last week on a set of potential multilateral disciplines on fisheries subsidy spending. The talks marked the first formal meeting of the Doha Round negotiating group on rules to discuss the draft consolidated text on fisheries subsidies tabled by Chair Ambassador Guillermo Valles Games (Uruguay)…
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BIOTECH COMPANIES WITHDRAW FROM GLOBAL AGRICULTURE ASSESSMENT
Three biotech companies delivered a blow to a major international assessment of agriculture by pulling out of the multi-stakeholder effort. Monsanto, Syngenta and BASF withdrew since they felt a draft project report devoted more space to the risks of genetically modified (GM) crops than to their benefits. The International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for…
- In Brief
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EU Halts Brazilian Beef Imports on Food Safety Grounds
Starting on 1 February, the EU has temporarily banned all imports of Brazilian beef due to a lack of “adequate health and traceability systems in place” in Brazil to identify cases of mad cow and foot-and-mouth diseases. Analysts predict that the ban will last for at least 60 days. Clodoaldo Hugueney, Brazil’s Ambassador to the WTO,…
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US Sponsors Major Carbon Emitters Meeting
A meeting organised by the US saw continued discussions on future global action to combat climate change, but delivered little in concrete terms. Gathering in Honolulu, Hawaii, from 30-31 January, the participants represented the world’s major emitters - 17 countries that account for 80 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, namely, the Group of Eight industrialised…
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Nigeria Seeks to Limit Imports of 'Junk' Computers
Nigeria has announced that it plans to impose a tariff on used computers imported into the country in order to “stem the influx of substandard and unserviceable computers.” Some parts of the used computers have been put to new use, while other components - which often contain toxic substances such as lead and mercury -…
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World Economic Forum Stresses Collaboration
“Collaborative leadership” and “collaborative innovation” were two major themes at this year’s meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Held from 23-27 January 2008, in Davos, Switzerland, the WEF said these collaborative mechanisms could be used to address the challenges of globalisation. “If we are interconnected and the world is interconnected, the only way for…
- 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 7-9 February, New Delhi, India: DELHI SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT (DSDS) 2008: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE. The DSDS will offer a platform for leading figures from North and South…
- 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. THE REGULATORY CHALLENGE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY: HUMAN GENETICS, FOOD AND PATENTS. Edited by Han Somsen (Edward Elgar, 2007). The book opens with two…