-
Outline of December Ministerial Begins Taking Shape
With barely two weeks left until the WTO Ministerial Conference, potential outcomes for the three-day event are now beginning to emerge. Delegates have spent the past week engaged in intense consultations in advance of today’s formal meeting of the General Council, with members seemingly ready to forward draft decisions and elements for political guidance to…
-
US, China Renewable Energy Trade Row Heats Up
In the latest salvo in the ongoing US-China spat over renewable energy trade policies, Beijing announced on Friday 25 November that it would be launching an investigation into Washington’s support of its renewable energy sector. Meanwhile, leaders from China’s biggest solar companies have publicly rejected a US trade complaint accusing China of dumping solar panels…
-
Food Security: WTO Deadline Prompts Scramble for Consensus
Consultations on food security, export restrictions, and other unresolved issues continued at the WTO’s formal General Council meeting on Wednesday 30 November, as members sought out consensus ahead of the global trade body’s ministerial meeting in two week’s time. Several proposals were amended in a last-minute bid to find wording that all members could accept, trade…
-
Brussels Launches Probe into US Bioethanol Imports
On Friday 25 November, the European Commission announced that it had begun anti-dumping and countervailing duty proceedings for US bioethanol imports. The Commission’s investigations - informed by applicable WTO agreements - follow a formal complaint that was filed by the EU bioethanol industry association, ePure, last month. “The EU has initiated anti-subsidy and anti-dumping investigations…
- Special Section
-
Trade Issues in the Spotlight as COP 17 Kicks Off
Editor’s note: The below article is the first of three Bridges Durban updates. Originally published on Sunday 27 November in the Bridges Trade BioRes Review under the headline “Trade Issues in the Spotlight on the Eve of COP 17,” this “curtain raiser” piece is included below for your reference. One word can sum up the outlook…
- In Brief
-
US, EU Consider Launching Bilateral Trade Talks
Bilateral trade talks between the US and EU could soon be on the horizon, with leaders from both sides agreeing on 28 November to establish a joint working group to examine this and other options for promoting growth in their respective economies. US President Barack Obama, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, and EU Council President…
-
WTO, WHO, WIPO Chiefs Laud Public Health Achievements Ten Years after Doha Declaration
Access to medicines has seen major improvements in the ten years since the WTO’s adoption of a declaration on intellectual property (IP) rights and public health, according to the heads of the WTO, the World Health Organization, and the World Intellectual Property Organization. However, more work remains if the international community is to find the…
-
FAO: Land, Water Scarcity Pose Growing Danger to Food Security
Agricultural production will need to increase by 70 percent by the year 2050 in order to cope with the pressures of climate change, a growing world population, and limited resources, according to the first-ever UN report on land, water scarcity, and food. The report, released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on 28 November,…
- Events
-
Events
Coming soon 28 November - 9 December, Durban, South Africa. UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE (UNFCCC) CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES (COP) 17. Gathering heads of governments and representatives from international organisations and civil society, this United Nations Climate Change Conference, hosted by the Government of South Africa, will lead discussions that focus on goals…
- Resources
-
Resources
A FUTURE FOR INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE POLITICS - DURBAN AND BEYOND. By Lili Fuhr, Barbara Unmüßig, Farhana Yamin, and Hans Verolme for the Heinrich Böll Foundation (November 2011). This compilation of papers addresses the strategy discussions held at the June 2011 meeting of the UN Framework Committee on Climate Change (UNFCCC) subsidiary bodies in Bonn. The…