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Civil Society at WTO Ministerial
NGO Seattle Update For non-governmental organisations travelling to Seattle for the Third WTO Ministerial, the basement of the United Methodist Church at 811 5th Ave. will be a central repository for NGO information. Space will be available for groups wishing to display information. If you would like to reserve space, contact dar…@citizen.org or fax (1-202) 547-7392. The…
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New Issues
New Issues WTO Members continue to debate over whether or not to expand the WTO built-in agenda, which includes negotiations on agriculture and services, to address so-called new issues (e.g. investment, environment). Below is a brief overview of these issues and a general outline of key differences between Members. Biotechnology Regarding biotechnology, the U.S. has proposed the…
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No New Issues Without Redress Of Uruguay Round Imbalances
Since former EU Trade Commissioner Sir Leon Brittan first floated the idea of a Millennium Round of trade talks, developing countries have remained steadfast in their demand that developed countries honour Uruguay Round commitments before moving forward full force with new trade negotiations. Specifically, developing countries are concerned over developed countries’ compliance with agreements…
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Ministerial No Progress On Draft Declaration; Four Negotiating Areas To Structure Seattle Talks
Bogged down by continuing disagreements over agriculture and implementation issues, WTO Members have decided to stay with a lengthy draft Ministerial Declaration that was released on 19 October (see http://www.ictsd.org/html/seattleministerial.htm) as a basis for negotiation at Seattle. At Seattle, trade Ministers from the WTO’s 135 Member states will gather for the Third WTO Ministerial Conference…
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International Workers Forum Sponsored By The Workers' Voices Coalition
Some 70 women worker around the world were invited by the International Workers’ Forum to share their experiences and opinions against the “imperialism”. The Workers’ Forum opposes the World Trade Organization because it represents “the new economic imperialism which has been exploiting women around the world”. Several experiences were brought from the Philippines, Mexico,…
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EU Stresses Development Round
EU Stresses Development RoundKicking off the hectic schedule of Seattle Ministerial Conference press briefings, EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy and the UK Secretary of State for International Development Clare Short both put the emphasis on the gesture that the Ministerial is widely expected to deliver in favour of the least-developed countries (LDCs). According to Commissioner…