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Doha Talks Slowed Over Procedural Differences
Efforts to establish the body that will oversee WTO negotiations mandated in Doha, Qatar in November 2001 hit a serious snag on 28 January as Members failed to agree formally on who would chair the Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) and its sub-groups. General Council Chair Stuart Harbinson has been leading consultations for a number of…
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WTO Development Committees Convene; Technical Assistance On The Table
CTD to revamp technical assistance (TA) plan At its 22 January meeting, the Committee on Trade and Development’s (CTD) discussions centred mainly on a draft Coordinated Secretariat Annual Technical Assistance Plan (ATAP) for 2002 (WT/COMTD/W/95, dated 3 January). The ATAP is an annual note from the Secretariat outlining its intended Technical Assistance aims for the year.…
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Trade Commitments Thin For Developing Countries In Financing For Development Text
Following lengthy informal consultations over the weekend, government delegates on 27 January agreed on a draft text of the "Monterrey Consensus" for the Financing for Development (FfD) conference scheduled for 21-22 March, in Monterrey, Mexico. The document recognises the need for greater financial assistance to raise the living standards of the poorest countries, but does…
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On The Move
MR. NACER BENJELLOUN-TOUIMI APPOINTED WTO D-G SENIOR ADVISOR On 23 January, WTO Director-General Mike Moore announced the appointment of Mr. Nacer Benjelloun-Touimi (Morocco) as Senior Advisor to the Director General. As a former Ambassador to both the WTO and the United Nations, Mr. Benjelloun-Touimi has an extensive background in trade issues and international diplomacy. Additionally, he…
- In Brief
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EU Establishes New Food Safety Body
IN BRIEF European Union farm ministers officially passed laws on 23 January to set up a new European Food Safety Authority. Designed to bolster declining public confidence in food safety in the wake of alerts such as mad cow disease and dioxin poisoning, the body will employ up to 250 people with a budget of 40…
- WTO in Brief
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WTO In Brief
AG COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS ‘DEVELOPMENT BOX’ AND CONCLUDE PHASE II The WTO Committee on Agriculture (CoA) will meet 4-6 February in an informal Special (negotiating) Session to address a range of topics including the ‘Development Box’, single commodity producers, special and differential treatment (S&D), small island developing countries, and "other issues". With…
- Events
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Events
EVENTS For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar. Coming up this week: 29 Jan - 7 Feb 28-31 January, West Sussex, England: TRADE AND ECONOMIC INTEGRATION IN THE AMERICAS: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE HEMISPHERE, EUROPE AND ASIA. The conference will address such questions as: Will the Free Trade…
- 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 Matteo Rizzolli, mrizzolli@ictsd.ch). ASSESSING REGIONAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS: ARE SOUTH-SOUTH RTAs MORE…