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Us And South Korea Conclude Free Trade Agreement
The US and South Korea concluded a free trade agreement (FTA) on 1 April, barely in time for the Bush administration to submit the accord for Congressional approval under its fast-track authority on trade. If ratified by legislatures in both countries - likely to prove harder in the US - the FTA is projected to have…
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AG Chair To Engage Members In 'Hard Talk' On Key Issues
The chair of the troubled WTO agriculture negotiations has indicated that the paper (or papers) he plans to give Members in mid-April to serve as a basis for further talks will be ‘hard talk’ texts aimed at making them spell out their positions on the difficult decisions that will have to be taken. Sources report that…
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Development Aid Spending Fell In 2006: OECD
Overall government spending on development aid fell by 5.1 percent in 2006 to mark the first decline since 1997, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported on 3 April. The decrease potentially jeopardises commitments made by the Group of Eight (G8) industrialised nations to increase official development assistance (ODA) by USD 50 billion…
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NAMA: Members Focus On Non-Tariff Barriers
With the absence of clear progress in the Doha Round making it impossible for WTO delegates to seriously bargain on cuts to their industrial tariffs, they are instead trying to focus on other complex but secondary issues in the talks on non-agricultural market access (NAMA). The current situation in the negotiations is unclear, NAMA Chair Ambassador…
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Demandeurs Look For Greater Momentum On Services
WTO services negotiators are scheduled to have a two-week ‘cluster’ of meetings from 16 April. Members seeking new formally-bound market opportunities for their service providers in the Doha Round negotiations are hoping that this cluster can build on the high-level political discussions in the series of ‘enchilada’ talks convened by services Chair Ambassador Fernando de…
- In Brief
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In Brief
JAPAN, THAILAND SIGN FTA The prime ministers of Japan and Thailand on 3 April signed a free trade agreement (FTA) in Tokyo, bringing three years of negotiations to a close. The accord is set to remove tariffs on more than 90 percent of trade between the two countries over the next ten years. Under the agreement, Japan…
- WTO in Brief
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WTO In Brief
DEMANDEURS LOOK FOR GREATER MOMENTUM ON SERVICES WTO services negotiators are scheduled to have a two-week ‘cluster’ of meetings from 16 April. Members seeking new formally-bound market opportunities for their service providers in the Doha Round negotiations are hoping that this cluster can build on the high-level political discussions in the series of ‘enchilada’ talks convened…
- 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 at: http://www.ictsd.org/cal/index.htm. If you would like to submit an event, please email events@ictsd.ch. Upcoming : 5-11 April 9-10 April, Doha, Qatar. ARAB WORLD COMPETTIVENESS ROUNDTABLE. In an effort to advance economic reform in the Middle East, the World Economic…
- Resources
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Resources
EXPLORING FAIR TRADE TIMBER: A REVIEW OF ISSUES IN CURRENT PRACTICE, INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE, AND WAYS FORWARD. By Duncan Macqueen, Annie Dufey, and Bindi Patel. The International Institute for Environment and Development, 2006. In this book, the authors explore current practices and institutional structures relating to fair trade in timber, exploring options for making progress towards…