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WTO Ministerial Can Send ‘Strong Signals’ to the World: Lamy
The WTO’s upcoming ministerial meeting can “send a number of strong signals” to the world about the issues that matter most to the organisation, WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy told a meeting of the WTO’s General Council on Tuesday. Less than two weeks remain before trade ministers arrive in Geneva for three days of speeches, working sessions…
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APEC Leaders Call for Doha Deal, Deeper Regional Integration
Leaders of the 21 countries of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum tackled the WTO’s Doha Round of trade talks and the future of a potential Pacific-wide trade pact at a three-day summit in Singapore last week. On the Doha Round, the leaders - whose economies account for roughly half of global trade — agreed that…
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World Food Summit Falls Short of Expectations
The World Summit on Food Security in Rome brought together 60 heads of state and scores of representatives from intergovernmental organisations to address the needs of the nearly 1 billion people around the world who suffer from undernourishment. The summit aimed to revitalise the United Nations Committee on Food Security and confront the global challenges…
- Special Section
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Copenhagen Countdown: Climate Change Financing
Each week leading up to the UNFCCC’s 15th Conference of the Parties, Bridges Weekly will be providing readers with background and analysis on key issues facing negotiators as they prepare for December’s meeting in Copenhagen. This week’s article highlights the ongoing debate over how to finance countries’ efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt…
- In Brief
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Leaders Announce Delay in Legally Binding Climate Deal
Twenty-one heads of state meeting at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit declared on Sunday that a binding treaty at next month’s climate change summit in Copenhagen would not be feasible. Instead, the leaders agreed to back a political deal proposed by Danish Prime Minister Lars Rasmussen, who flew to Singapore to discuss the status…
- WTO in Brief
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New ‘Consolidated Text’ on Trade Facilitation Expected Soon
A new, consolidated text for the WTO negotiations on trade facilitation should be released to delegates later this month, trade sources said last week. The new rules under negotiation aim to simplify customs procedures, cut red tape, reduce corruption, and enhance developing countries’ capacity to engage in international trade. The talks could have a significant impact:…
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Delegates Frustrated at Slow Pace of Services Talks
Two weeks of intense WTO negotiations to liberalise trade in services have been largely disappointing, delegates reported. “There was no progress on anything,” one official said, noting that the meetings amounted to “a repetition of everything that has been said for the last two years.” While some experts had expected the talks to show some new…
- Events
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Events
19 November, Washington, DC, USA. THE DOHA ROUND: CAN WE GET TO YES? Throughout eight years of on-again, off-again, sometimes painful negotiations, a familiar refrain has been heard from trade ministers worldwide-that they “remain committed to the Doha Round.” How much has been accomplished thus far, and how did we get where we are today? …
- Resources
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Resources
A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ROADMAP FOR THE WTO. By Aaron Cosbey, International Institute for Sustainable Development, November 2009. The impasse in the Doha negotiations offers both grounds for concern about the current regime’s model, and the breathing space in which to thoughtfully consider how that model might better serve today’s needs. This short book argues that…