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Discussions Wrap Up In Geneva; Remaining Rifts Left For Cancun
Trade negotiators in Geneva have been involved in hectic last-minute attempts to pave the way for the fifth WTO Ministerial meeting, to take place from 10-14 September in Cancun, Mexico. Delegates continued to meet daily in informal heads of delegation (HOD) gatherings, a process that began on 11 August following a brief WTO recess (see…
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WTO Members Expected To Agree On Trips & Health Pre-Cancun
WTO Members are expected to adopt the 16 December (draft) Decision on paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPs (Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement and public health together with a statement by the TRIPs Council Chair Ambassador Vanu Gopala Menon of Singapore. The statement aims to dispel US concerns over the…
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Agriculture: Draft Framework Released, Members Voice 'Balanced' Criticism
AGRICULTURE: DRAFT FRAMEWORK RELEASED, MEMBERS VOICE ‘BALANCED’CRITICISM On 24 August, the Chair of the WTO General Council (GC), Carlos Pérez del Castillo, circulated a revised draft Cancun ministerial text with an annex containing a framework for establishing modalities in agriculture. Chair Pérez del Castillo followed the structure of the US- EC paper circulated on 13…
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Singapore Issues: Members Unhappy With Draft Text For Cancun
In the revised draft Cancun ministerial text dated 24 August 2003, two options are provided for the tough Singapore issues of investment, competition policy, transparency in government procurement and trade facilitation. According to the first option, Members take note of the discussions that have taken place in the Working Groups on each issue, and conclude…
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Services: Developing Countries Call For Stronger Focus On Horizontal Issues, Mode Four
SERVICES: DEVELOPING COUNTRIES CALL FOR STRONGER FOCUS ON HORIZONTALISSUES, MODE FOUR A number of developing countries expressed their disappointment with the first Cancun Ministerial text (available at http://www.ictsd.org/ministerial/cancun/docs/draft_cancun_minist_text.pdf) in the area of services. The WTO Secretariat released the text in mid-July 2003 (see BRIDGES Weekly, 28 July 2003). A number…
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EC Stymied In Attempt To Resolve MEA Attendance At WTO
On 23 August, the European Communities proved unsuccessful in its attempt to solidify the participation of certain multilateral environmental agreement (MEA) secretariats in special (negotiating) sessions of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTESS). The EC, supported by South Africa, the US, Japan, Chile, Australia, Canada, Switzerland and Norway want to formalise MEA participation,…
- In Brief
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US To Enact New Food Import Controls
ACTION AID REPORT SHOWS CRACKS IN EU ON SINGAPORE ISSUES An Action Aid report entitled "Chips Off the Bloc: Disunity within the EU on Singapore Issues," dated August 2003, seeks to dispel the apparent unity within the EU on launching negotiations on the Singapore Issues at Cancun. The report states that in recent weeks…
- WTO in Brief
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GI Discussion At A Standstill As EU Presents Its Product List
HONG KONG TO HOST SIXTH WTO MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE In a notification circulated to WTO members on 25 August, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, John Tsang, announced his government’s offer to host the sixth WTO Ministerial conference. "Hosting the conference will ensure Hong Kong’s involvement in the key events leading up to the sixth…
- 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. If you would like to submit an event, please email events@ictsd.ch. ICTSD Events 5-7 September, Cancun, Mexico: 18TH GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FORUM - BIODIVERSITY, TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. This session of the GBF is jointly organised by ICTSD, IUCN, SEMARNAT,…
- Resources
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Resources
ICTSD Resources DOHA ROUND BRIEFING SERIES — CANCUN UPDATE, AUGUST 2003. The Doha Round Briefing Series is published by the ICTSD in collaboration with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). The briefings serve as a guide to the multilateral WTO negotiations under the Doha Round. Thirteen "executive summaries" offer a progress report on the issues…