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WTO Panel Provisionally Rules Against EU Moratorium On Biotech Approvals
A WTO dispute panel on 7 February issued a preliminary ruling suggesting that several aspects of the way that the EU’s approval process for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) was operating were in contravention of the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS). It is thus largely favourable to the complaint brought…
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Lamy Unveils Aid For Trade Task Force, Calls For Text-Based Negotiations
WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy called on Members on 8 February to proceed "in concert" and come forward with new negotiating positions on all issues in the ongoing Doha Round talks, in order to break the current deadlock and achieve the objectives they set for themselves at the December Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong. In his…
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Anti-Dumping Negotiations Resume, Address Public Interest
WTO Members went straight into technical discussions on potential changes to anti-dumping rules, as negotiations on the issue resumed for the first time after the December Ministerial Conference at a 1-2 February meeting of the Negotiating Group on Rules. A Canadian proposal to include a public interest clause in the Anti-dumping Agreement received the most…
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NAMA: No Progress, But Members Acting Friendlier
WTO Members made no breakthroughs as they resumed negotiations on non-agricultural market access (NAMA) for the first time since the December Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, one negotiator, suggesting that the main objective of the 2-3 February meetings was for delegations to ‘re-engage’ rather than focus on substantive differences, reported an impression that Members…
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SPS CTTE Discusses WTO Role In Regional Recognition; S&D Also In Focus
WTO Members grappled with the role of the global trade body in addressing the need to recognise regions within countries or trade blocs as pest and disease-free for the purposes of international trade, during a 30 January - 2 February session of the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures. While several developing countries argued…
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CBD: Potential Text Tabled On Access And Benefit Sharing Regime
Disagreement over whether a potential new regime on access to genetic resources and the sharing of benefits drawn from them should be legally binding did not prevent delegates from coming up with a draft version of a treaty, at a 30 January - 3 February meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) working group…
- WTO in Brief
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General Council Appoints Committee Chairs For 2006
At its 8 February meeting, the WTO General Council formally assented to the list of chair appointments for 2006 to the thirteen regular WTO committees and eight Doha Round negotiating bodies. Ambassador Eirik Glenne (Norway) replaces Ambassador Amina Chawahir Mohamed (Kenya) at the head of the General Council. His foremost task will be to work…
- Events
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Events
EVENTS For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar. If you would like to submit an event, please email us. Upcoming : 9 February - 15 February 9 February, Washington, DC: ECONOMIC POLICY REFORMS: GOING FOR GROWTH. This Organisation for Economic…
- Resources
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Resources
TRIPS, ACCESS TO MEDICINES AND DEVELOPING NATIONS: TOWARDS AN OPEN SOURCE SOLUTION. By Krishna Ravi Srinivas. Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore Working Paper 248, November 2006. The extent to which intellectual property rights (IPRs) facilitate or hinder the development of new drugs and access to medicine for neglected diseases in developing nations is a controversial issue.…
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Resources
HOW CAN TRADE PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT? By the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), February 2006. Trade in forest products is currently worth about USD 200 billion annually and continues to grow. Forest ecosystems themselves are also valuable resources, with some 1.6 billion people relying heavily on them for their livelihoods. While understanding…