-
Lamy Calls for Mini-Ministerial from 21 July
Ministers from key trading nations appear set to gather in Geneva from 21 July in an attempt to reach a deal in the troubled Doha Round of global trade talks, which face an additional multi-year delay if an accord is not salvaged soon. WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy called for the ministerial meeting during a 25 June…
-
G-20 Calls for Greater Ambition in Farm Talks
A group of agriculture-exporting developing countries, the G-20, issued a statement earlier this week calling for greater ambition in ongoing agricultural talks, and a better balance of issues between the farm negotiations and those on industrial goods. The countries’ concerns focused on proposed changes to the revised set of modalities that are expected to be issued…
-
Despite Obstacles, EU Expects Russia to Join WTO This Year
On a visit to Moscow last week, Europe’s top trade official said that he believed that Russia is in a position to finalise the terms of its planned accession to the WTO within the year. Though challenges remain - including disputes over Moscow’s export duties on timber and its ban on some imports of European…
-
FAO Conference Calls for Action to End Food Crisis in Africa
African nations should increase agricultural production, expand regional trade, and demand that developed nations remove trade barriers, agriculture ministers said at regional food conference last week. Taking these steps is the surest way to bring an end to the global food crisis that is wreaking havoc on the world’s poorest continent, they said. The 25th Food…
- In Brief
-
South Korea to Resume Limited US Beef Imports; Protests Continue
The South Korean government said on Monday that it would resume limited imports of US beef. The statement came amid continued public backlash against the product, which many South Koreans fear may be tainted with mad cow disease. In a new agreement announced over the weekend, Washington promised Seoul that it would not export any…
-
EU Lifts Sanctions on Cuba
The EU officially lifted its five-year-old sanctions on Cuba earlier this week, in a move intended to encourage democratic reform under new Cuban leader Raúl Castro, who formally assumed control from his ailing brother Fidel Castro in February. Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, in an interview with Reuters, described the removal of sanctions as…
- WTO in Brief
-
Cape Verde to Become 153rd Member of the WTO Next Month
Cape Verde will formally join the World Trade Organisation on 23 July, becoming the 153rd Member of the global trade body. According to WTO guidelines, the North Atlantic archipelago’s membership will take effect 30 days after the submission of its ratified membership documents. Cape Verde presented those documents on Monday. The commitments outlined in Cape Verde’s…
-
Brazil to Seek US$4 Billion in Sanctions against US
Brazil’s top trade official said Friday that his country would soon re-commence arbitration at the WTO to seek permission to impose retaliatory measures worth as much as US$4 billion on US goods. “We will. The only decision is when,” Roberto Azevedo, Brazil’s chief trade official, told journalists, according to Reuters. The announcement comes three weeks…
- Events
-
Events
Coming up 26 June - 2 July 26 June, London, UK. MIDDLE EAST FINANCIAL CENTRES AND THE GLOBAL MARKETS. The second event in the Chatham House City Series 2008 will focus on the tectonic shifts in the global financial landscape, with the growth of financial centres in the Gulf. Can a financial centre based in the…
- Resources
-
Resources
CLIMATE CHANGE AND URBAN CHILDREN: IMPACTS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR ADAPTATION. By Sheridan Bartlett, IIED, May 2008. This paper discusses the probable impacts for children of different ages from the increasing risk of storms, flooding, landslides, heat waves, drought and water supply constraints that climate change is likely to bring to most urban centres in Africa,…