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Clash Over NAMA Further Dims Hopes For Doha Deal
Prospects for a deal in the troubled Doha Round of trade talks grew dimmer still this week, after an acrimonious debate on industrial tariff cuts between a large group of developing countries and the US left some trade diplomats wondering if an agreement was even possible. Developing countries accounting for over half of the WTO’s Membership,…
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WIPO General Assembly Ends In Disarray, Amidst Divisions Over Leadership
The World Intellectual Property Organization’s annual General Assembly ended in disarray on 4 October, with member governments unable to agree on a new budget or future revenue streams for the institution, amidst divisions on whether Director-General Kamil Idris should resign. Idris is accused of falsifying his age in WIPO records in ways that could have sped…
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After Long Delay, US Notifies 2002-2005 AG Subsidies to WTO
The US on 4 October announced that it has notified the WTO of its domestic support payments to farmers for the years 2002 to 2005, with a senior official insisting that Washington had remained within the spending limits imposed by its obligations to the global trade body. Following years of criticism for the notification delay, the…
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Canadian WTO Notification Clears Path For Rwanda To Import Generic HIV/AIDS Drug
Rwanda is on the verge of becoming the first country to use WTO procedures designed to allow poor nations to import cut-price medicines that they are unable to manufacture, after Canada last week formally notified the global trade body that it had authorised the production of generic copies of a patented HIV/AIDS drug for export…
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Brazil's Call For Biofuel Liberalisation Causes Stir in Envt'l Goods Talks
Brazil last week created a stir in the Doha Round negotiations on liberalising trade in environmental goods, by calling for specific products to be slated for expedited tariff cuts based on a request-offer process - with biofuels included. The talks must "encourage a larger participation of developing countries in this [environmental goods] commerce and must promote…
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Expanding Global Trade Fuels Pollution Concerns
The need for action to stem the global warming impact of shipping and air-freighting goods around the world is increasingly coming to the fore. The EU and the US recently clashed over the inclusion of aviation in carbon emissions trading at a meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the UN’s intergovernmental body for regulating…
- In Brief
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In Brief
COSTA RICANS NARROWLY APPROVE CAFTA-DR IN REFERENDUM Costa Ricans this week voted narrowly in favour of a free trade agreement with the US and five Central American nations, Costa Rica became the last of the six to ratify the accord, and the only one to do so by referendum. President Oscar Arias, the country’s most prominent supporter…
- WTO in Brief
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WTO In Brief
MEMBERS SUBMIT REVISED PROPOSALS ON TRADE FACILITATION The financial and environmental costs of measures taken to cut red tape and ease the movement of goods featured prominently during WTO talks on trade facilitation last week. In the negotiating committee, Members continue to refine earlier proposals as they work towards constructing the building blocks of a potential future…
- 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 at: http://www.ictsd.org/cal/index.htm. If you would like to submit an event, please email events@ictsd.ch. Coming Up: 11-17 October 11-12 October, Washington, DC. CONFERENCE ON INVESTOR-STATE DISPUTE SETTLEMENT - EMERGING ISSUES AND CHALLENGES FOR LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES AND…
- Resources
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Resources
AN EXAMINATION OF U.S. AND E.U. GOVERNMENT SUPPORT TO BIOFUELS: EARLY LESSONS. International Food & Agricultural Trade Policy Council, 2007. The U.S. and the EU are presently considering signifcant increases in their biofuels mandates in transportation fuel. However, without commercially viable second-generation biofuels, ambitious mandates coupled with high tariffs risk a disproportionate focus…