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Cautious Welcome, Some Criticism, for Revised WTO AG Text
Many WTO Members extended a cautious welcome to the latest revision of a draft Doha Round agriculture deal circulated on 19 May by the chair of the farm talks (see Bridges Weekly, 21 May 2008). However, some also offered criticisms of parts of the draft that they felt were unbalanced, and called for a further…
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Longstanding Differences Resurface in Talks on NAMA Text
Last July, with WTO Member governments unable to agree on cuts to manufacturing tariffs under the Doha Round trade talks, the chair of the negotiations put forward a draft deal describing where he thought consensus might be found. Developed countries like the US and the EU said they could largely live with the terms outlined in…
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WHO Adopts Strategy on Public Heath, Innovation and Intellectual Property
The World Health Organisation (WHO) concluded its annual high-level meeting, the World Health Assembly (WHA), with the adoption of a resolution endorsing a global strategy on public, health, innovation and intellectual property. The resolution, the WHO’s Plan of Action, aims to promote new thinking on innovation and access to medicines and to provide a framework…
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Alongside AG, NAMA Push, Services Chair Issues Report
Following the release last week of draft Doha Round deals on agriculture and manufacturing trade, the chair of the services negotiations on 26 May issued a report of his own (TN/S/33), describing the state of play in the struggling talks and setting out some views on how to proceed. Services Chair Ambassador Fernando de Mateo (Mexico)…
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TPR Lauds China's Rapid Growth But Calls for Addressing Economic Imbalances
China has enjoyed impressive economic growth since 2006 but faces challenges in the form of rising income inequality, a widening gap between savings and investment, as well as other economic imbalances, according to a review of the country’s economic policies conducted by the WTO. China’s second Trade Policy Review (TPR), which was released by the WTO…
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US Farm Bill Passes With Broad Support, Casting a Pall on World Trade Talks
Both houses of the US Congress passed a US$307 billion farm bill last week with majorities large enough to override President George W. Bush’s promised veto of the bill. The legislation largely continues the current system of agricultural subsidies for the next five years, despite a recent jump in food prices and farmers’ incomes. Critics…
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Report: Global Fisheries on the Brink
Global fisheries have little capacity to withstand any increase in fishing activities, according a new report on the state of world marine stocks. “Too Few Fish: A regional assessment of the world’s fisheries,” released Monday by the environmental group Oceana, maintains that more than 80 percent of the world’s fisheries cannot survive increased fishing activity and…
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Latin America and EU Confront Social Issues, Trade at Lima Summit
Poverty, famine, climate change, and trade were some of the issues that featured prominently at the fifth Latin American, Caribbean, and European Union Summit, held in Lima from 16-17 May. The more than 50 heads of state and government who attended the meeting reached consensus on the need for action on several critical social issues…
- Events
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Events
Coming up: 29 May 4 June May 29, Tokyo, China. THE ROLE OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT. The objective of this workshop is to bring gender and infrastructure issues to the fore of the development agenda in the broader context of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development Conference. Through case studies presented by practitioners,…