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Comprehensive Trade Round Broadens Scope Of Discussions In The WTO
After a final marathon of round-the-clock negotiations and almost 20 hours past their deadline, the WTO’s 142 Members adopted a Ministerial Declaration on 14 November, launching a new round of trade negotiations — the ninth in the WTO’s history — set to conclude by 2005. The eagerness of many…
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EC-ACP Cotonou Waiver Finally Granted
On the sidelines of the WTO Ministerial Conference, WTO Members on 14 November finally granted a waiver to EC allowing it to give preferential market access for the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of Countries, the last waiver under the Lome Convention which will be replaced by Free Trade Agreements between the EC and…
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TRIPs-Public Health Accord Seen As Bright Spot By Civil Society
One of the most hard-fought battles pitting NGOs and developing countries against some of the richer WTO Members — that of access to medicines and public health in relation to the Agreement on Trade- related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) — has passed a major milestone with the adoption of the Declaration on TRIPs…
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NGOs Pursue New Avenues To Get Their Voice To The Table
As the World Forum on the WTO, hosted in Beirut, Lebanon, came to a close on 8 November, the hostile words coming from its final declaration did not bode well for the long-suffering relationship between the World Trade Organization (WTO) and civil society. In order to help overcome some of the difficulties in interacting with…
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Civil Society Related Resources
Friends Of Earth International has released the following documents in view of the Doha Ministerial Conference: The world trade system: how it works and what’s wrong with it; The world trade system: Winner and losers; Services: The implications of current trade negotiations; The world trade system: An activist guide; and Proposals for a positive sustainable…
- In Brief
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In brief
Details Of Climate Change Treaty Finalised Following the political agreement reached in April 2001 on the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol — the international treaty designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2 percent by 2012 — (see BRIDGES Weekly, 24 July 2001), delegates met for the Seventh Conference of the Parties (COP-7) of the…
- WTO in Brief
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WTO In brief
China Secures WTO Accession Following trade ministers’ approval of China’s accession to the WTO at the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference (9-13 November), China on 10 November handed in its ‘instruments of ratification’ after 15 years of negotiations, thereby paving the way for full membership by 11 December 2001. Delegates in a packed hall at the Ministerial…
- Events
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Events
For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar at: http://www.ictsd.org/cal/index.htm.ICTSD Event 22 November, 10:00-13.00am, Room 3, International Environmental House (IEH), Geneva, Switzerland: ICTSD ROUNDTABLE ON "THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES OF MARKET ACCESS & RULEMAKING NEGOTIATIONS UNDER THE GATS". The overall…
- Resources
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Resources
If you have a relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you would like to see announced in this section, please forward a copy for review by the BRIDGES staff to Hugo Cameron, hcameron@ictsd.ch. Submissions of publications to ICTSD’s documentation centre would also be welcome (contact Marc Galvin, mgalvin@ictsd.ch). "GATT And The Fair Wage: A Historical Perspective…