-
‘Cautious’ Lamy Presents Doha Road-Map, Previews G20
WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy presented delegates with a packed schedule of meetings over the next three months at a meeting of the Trade Negotiations Committee on Tuesday morning. But the mood among trade officials “is sombre,” one delegate said, as many continue to question whether domestic politics in the United States will prevent any progress…
-
Global Investors Anxious to Cash in on Low-Carbon Economy
A major group of investors representing some US$13 trillion in capital is calling on policy makers to strike a strong and binding international climate change treaty when they meet in Copenhagen this December. The international group of 181 investment institutions - including banks, pension funds, and asset management organisations - says the current state of uncertainty…
- In Brief
-
World is ‘One Step Closer’ to a Climate Deal after NY Summit: UN Chief
A climate-centred meeting of roughly 100 heads of state convened by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon drew strong assertions from several world leaders 70 days before negotiators meet in Copenhagen to try to strike a deal on global warming. Chinese President Hu Jintao said that his country would reduce its emissions per unit of GDP by…
-
Foreign Investment Flows ‘Plummeted’ 67% this Year: UNCTAD
Global flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) took a nose dive in the first half of 2009, largely thanks to a drop in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, a United Nations agency said in a report last week. The fall-off in investment has hit hard in both rich and poor countries, although developing nations have fared…
- WTO in Brief
-
Palestinians Seek Observership Status at the WTO
The Palestinian Authority is seeking observership status at the WTO, and a delegation of Palestinian officials is in Geneva this week in an attempt to drum up support for their bid. “We are here to lobby and request a status of an observership in the general council and all associated bodies of the WTO,” said Palestinian…
-
US, Brazil Trade Envoys Talk Cotton, Doha
The United States and Brazil are willing to negotiate a settlement to a long-running dispute over Washington’s cotton subsidies, but in the meantime Brazil is continuing to prepare a list of US exports to be sanctioned, the countries’ top trade officials said on Thursday. US Trade Representative Ron Kirk was in Brazil on 16 and 17…
-
Russia, with US Backing, Hopes to Enter WTO Next Year
Russia hopes to finalise its membership in the WTO before the end of 2010, and the US will support Moscow’s bid, senior officials from the two countries said after meeting in Washington this week. Igor Shugalov, Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister, discussed Moscow’s bid with US Trade Representative Ron Kirk on Monday. Both men said the…
-
China Appeals Ruling on Imports of Books, Movies, Music
In the latest chapter of an ongoing trade spat between the world’s two largest economies, China on Tuesday appealed a WTO ruling that upholds a US complaint against its restrictions on foreign books, movies and music. “China has appealed to the WTO over the publication ruling,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing,…
- Events
-
Events
28-30 September, Geneva, Switzerland. WTO PUBLIC FORUM 2009. Under the heading “Global problems, global solutions: towards better global governance,” the World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum 2009 will gather civil society representatives, governments and international organizations to discuss the role of the multilateral trading system and the Doha Round of negotiations within the…
- Resources
-
Resources
WTO REFORM IS NEEDED TODAY. By Uri Dadush, Carnegie Endowment for Internaional Peace, September 2009. The languishing Doha Round of global trade talks elicits questions about the limitations of the World Trade Organization, just as economic crisis and burgeoning protectionist pressures demonstrate the urgency of strengthening trade rules. In a new policy brief, Uri Dadush…